Overview

• Independent lab tests commissioned by BBC Panorama found widespread nutrient deficiencies in 18 baby food pouches from brands such as Heinz, Aldi, and Ella's Kitchen.
• Savoury pouches, often used as meal replacements, provided less than 5% of the daily iron requirement for infants, with some meat-based options containing as little as 0.3mg of iron compared to the recommended 7.8mg.
• One fruit pouch was found to contain virtually no Vitamin C, while another, labeled 'no added sugar,' was discovered to have four teaspoons of free sugars.
• Some products were marketed for babies as young as four months old, violating NHS and WHO guidelines that recommend introducing solids only after six months.
• All implicated companies have defended their products as complementary to diverse weaning diets and cautioned against using pouches as primary meal replacements.