The aggressive marketing of processed food products in supermarket aisles aimed at babies and toddlers is a cause for concern in Australia and has prompted experts to call for increased regulations to protect this vulnerable demographic. Research conducted by Monash University found that packaging for infant and toddler foods is filled with vibrant images, child-friendly characters, and deceptive health and nutrition claims, designed to attract the attention of young children and their caregivers.
Dietician Alexandra Chung explained that many of these products, despite their appeal, are highly processed and not recommended by health and nutrition experts. The study, which analyzed 230 products in major supermarket chains, revealed that 90 percent of the products utilized marketing techniques targeting young children. Images of babies and children were featured on over a third of all packages, and recognisable branded characters were present in one out of every six.
More than 50 percent of the products reviewed used child-appealing visuals such as bright colors and graphics. Misleading on-pack messaging is a concern for parents, as 96 percent of products used an image of healthy food on the front of their packaging, despite not necessarily being a true representation of the product. Claims about nutritional content, organic and natural origins, and the presence of healthy ingredients were also prevalent on packaging.
The findings also revealed that a large proportion of the toddler foods available at supermarkets were snack foods high in sugar, and 80 percent of all baby and toddler products heavily promoted their convenient packaging. Furthermore, marketing claims about product taste and texture contradicted expert concerns about feeding difficulties and delayed development of eating skills.
The Public Health Association of Australia Vice President called for tighter regulations to protect young children’s diets from industry influence and criticized the reliance on industry self-regulation. While regulations are in place for certain aspects of infant food products, others, such as marketing strategies related to convenience and taste, remain unregulated and at the discretion of manufacturers. The study was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.