A survey of infant foods available at 21 Texas grocery stores found that ultra-processed products dominated the shelves. Four out of five items fell into that category, and 49% did not meet at least one nutrient benchmark in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Nutrition Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) for commercial foods for children aged 6 to 36 months.
The findings come as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers updated rules covering front-of-pack nutritional information, health product claims, and food marketing to children. Unlike some countries, the United States does not require warning labels on foods that contain high levels of sugar, sodium, or calories.
“Many parents may believe that products sold in the baby/toddler food aisle of a grocery store must meet certain nutritional standards. Our findings highlight that half of the infant foods available at local grocery stores do not,” said Erin A. Hudson, PhD, ASN Science Policy Fellow and doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. “As a result, parents should carefully check labels and ingredients to determine the nutritional content and level of processing in products intended for young children.”
Dr. Hudson shared her research at NUTRITION 2026, the American Academy of Nutrition’s flagship annual conference, held July 25-28 in National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, DC. She conducted the study with Dr. Marissa Bergermaster, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early food choices can form long-term habits
What children eat in early childhood can influence their taste preferences and eating patterns later in childhood, which can have long-term health implications. Excess sugar intake is of particular concern because of its already established harmful effects on young children.
The analysis found that ultra-processed infant foods are significantly more likely to contain high amounts of sugar than less-processed products.
To conduct the study, researchers took photos of the baby/toddler food sections of 21 grocery stores in Austin, Texas. We then evaluated the nutritional information of products marketed to children aged 6 to 36 months. The researchers did not include infant formula, drinks, or purees, which are commonly served as a first meal.
Most products are ultra-processed
The team evaluated a total of 2,783 products. Researchers classified 81% of them as ultra-processed using the Nova classification system.
The nutritional analysis also identified several areas of concern. 17% of the products did not meet the WHO recommended nutrient content level for sugar, 25% exceeded the recommended sodium level, 11% were below the standard for fat content and 12% did not meet the recommended value for energy density.
Products that exceeded the guidelines included fruit pouches (high in sugar), oat bars (high in sugar and calories), macaroni and cheese (high in sodium and fat), turkey sticks (high in sodium and fat), cheese puffs (high in calories), and peanut butter puffs (high in sodium, fat, and calories).
Not all fats and calories are equal
Previous research has linked ultra-processed foods to negative health effects, even when taking basic nutrient profiles into account. However, scientists still do not know which specific characteristics of these foods are responsible for their association.
The researchers also emphasized that high levels of fat or calories do not necessarily indicate poor nutritional quality. Some less processed foods can contain more fat and calories because they contain nutritious whole food ingredients such as peanuts and beef.
However, ultra-processed infant products are now more likely to contain high amounts of sugar, without the same nutritional benefits. The researchers say this difference supports recommendations for parents to limit the amount of ultra-processed foods that young children consume.
“During this critical early stage of development, most parents strive to feed their children healthy meals, but the infant foods available in grocery stores can make this difficult,” Hudson said. “Putting warning labels on products that exceed nutritional standards could help parents navigate the infant food environment and encourage manufacturers to reformulate these products.”
Researchers call for clearer food labels
This study looked only at packaged foods displayed on grocery store shelves. As such, this may not represent the full range of foods that parents ultimately provide to young children at home.
Hudson presented the results of this study at the “Ultra-processed Foods: Methodological Advances” oral session held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on Sunday, July 26 (abstract).
Abstracts presented at NUTRITION 2026 were reviewed and selected by a panel of experts. However, they generally do not complete the same peer review process that is required for research published in scientific journals. Therefore, findings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed publication.
