Toddlers in the UK get almost half their calories from ultra-processed foods – rising to 59 percent by the age of seven, a study found.
Flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals were among the most common UPFs consumed at the age of 21 months.
Experts warned that while such foods may be considered healthy, they often contain high levels of added sugar and salt.
Lead author Dr Rana Conway, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “This is concerning, especially as toddlers in general consume more added sugar and salt than is recommended.
“Aside from sugar and salt, a diet that includes a lot of ultra-processed food is less likely to get children used to the natural flavours of whole foods and therefore less likely to encourage healthy eating later in life.”
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UPFs are typically industrially produced and contain ingredients not used or very rarely used in home cooking, such as emulsifiers, colourings and sweeteners.
The parents of 2,591 children born between 2007 and 2008 recorded what their children ate and drank over three days for the study.
Toddlers were divided into five groups depending on their UPF intake. The proportion of calories consumed from UPFs ranged from 28 percent for the lowest group to 69 percent for the highest.
In all five groups, the toddlers’ consumption of free sugars exceeded the recommended maximum of five percent of daily intake.
And youngsters who consumed the most UPFs at 21 months were almost ten times more likely to also be in the highest consumption group at the age of seven, compared to those in the lowest group.
Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn, also of UCL, said: “Eating patterns in the early years are important, as they help set habits that can persist through childhood and into adulthood.
“This was reflected in our findings, with 21-month-olds who ate more ultra-processed foods also likely to be higher consumers of ultra-processed foods at the age of seven.”
The findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, also revealed that the most common UPFs eaten at the age of seven were sweet cereals, white bread and puddings.
The experts called for policies to reduce children’s intake of UPFs, such as restricting the promotion of unhealthy foods marketed towards children, adding warning labels to products, and subsidising fresh and minimally processed food.
Dr Conway added: “It’s not easy to feed children healthily in our current food environment.
“Highly processed foods are often cheaper than the foods parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
“Also, despite labels suggesting they’re a healthy choice, ultra-processed foods marketed for children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices.”
