Ultra-Processed Foods marketed for infants and young children in the UK

It is already agreed that the vast majority of commercial baby and toddler foods do not support public health recommendations for feeding in the early years, due to excessive free sugars and sweet taste, poor variety in texture and inappropriate and misleading marketing. However, to date in the UK, there has been no scrutiny of the extent to which foods and drinks given to infants and young children are processed, and the likely health implications. This report seeks to address this knowledge gap and to highlight the shortcomings of the current dietary guidelines which focus on food groups and nutrients but lack a clear steer on processing. We advocate that the NOVA classification of food processing is an important complementary tool to evaluate the healthiness of our children’s diets, alongside nutrient profile approaches, and make seven recommendations to Government to make it easier for families to support their infants and young children to learn to eat well for life. 

Ultra-Processed food in the diets of the UK’s infants and young children:

What they are, how they harm health, and what should be done to reduce intakes

This 50 min keynote lecture given by our Director Dr Vicky Sibson at the University of Central Lancashire’s MAINN conference in April 2025 builds on our 2023 report. It provides an up-to-date overview of the relevant evidence as regards intakes, health harms and plausible mechanisms, explains why there is controversy about the UPF concept, and expands on our recommendations as to what should be done about excessive intakes.