UK government gives baby food firms 18 months to cut sugar, salt

The British government has given baby food manufacturers 18 months to improve the nutritional quality and labelling of their products sold in the UK. 

Voluntary guidelines published in July call on companies to reduce levels of salt and sugar in foods aimed at children up to 36 months old. The guidance also pushes for labels that make it easier for parents and carers to know what is in the food they are buying and align their purchases with official feeding advice. 

“Too often, parents are bombarded with confusing labels, disguising unhealthy foods packed with hidden sugars and salt,” said public health minister Ashley Dalton in a press release. “Our Plan for Change will tackle this, giving parents the information they need and providing children with good, nutritious food.”

The UK baby food market is predicted to be worth US$1.27bn in 2025 and expected to experience a 4.91% compound annual growth rate over the next five years. There are no reliable statistics on how much baby food the UK imports, but around 40% of the UK’s total food supply comes from outside the country. 

This means many foreign small and medium-sized enterprises in the food and beverage sector could find themselves impacted by the new guidelines. 

As well as potentially adjusting their recipes to reduce salt and sugar – without swapping in sweeteners, which are banned in commercial baby food in the UK – companies may need to reprint labels to avoid potentially misleading marketing claims that make products appear healthier than they are. For example, products high in sugar should no longer bear the phrase “contains no nasties”.

In another change that could affect marketing decisions, from January 2026 the UK will ban ads for less healthy food and drink products being shown on TV between 5:30am and 9pm and any time online, to reduce the chances of children being exposed to those types of ads. 

While the guidelines are currently voluntary, the Department of Health and Social Care said if manufacturers fail to meet the labelling guidelines, “we will consider tougher measures.”

The UK government’s efforts to improve the diets of the country’s children come alongside the continuing growth of the organic baby food market, driven by parents who want to feed their children more natural and nutritional foods and are often willing to pay more for the option.

In 2024, the UK organic baby food market generated US$93.1mn and is expected to grow to US$148.6mn by 2030, with organic infant milk formula making up the largest revenue generator.