More Than Half of Commercial Baby Foods Are Unhealthy

Despite growing concern over processed foods and their impact on the health of infants and children, they continue to dominate grocery store shelves.

Noah and Olivia topped the baby name charts in 2023, according to Statistics Canada. IvaD23/Shutterstock

Many foods marketed for infants and toddlers are unhealthy and may lead to increased obesity, poor dietary habits, and chronic diseases, according to a new study examining a number of the most common products.

Researchers analyzing 651 processed food products from 10 U.S. grocery chains discovered that 60 percent of the foods fell short of nutritional requirements set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The foods sampled were intended for children 6 to 36 months old.