Baby Foods: Nutrition and Marketing

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen Excerpts

Tuesday 24th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I hear the frustration in the noble Baroness’s comments every time she raises this issue, and I would love to have a conversation with her about it. While recognising the frustration, I emphasise that we are challenging industry to improve the nutritional content and labelling of baby foods, including, where it can, taking voluntary action to align products with dietary guidelines and best practice. It is not all doom and gloom, and there is evidence in certain areas of improvement as a result of this. There is a great deal more to do, and going forward we will continue to review the situation and work with the best interests of our children, young people and their families in mind.

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen (Non-Afl)]

We know how important this question is. I have been here 14 years, and we have been jumping up and down like crazy frogs on this question. We know that it is all about the messaging and labelling. We know that pouches should mention that they are dangerous for children’s teeth, because more than five milligrams of sugar is too much. Does the Minister think it a good idea for public health departments to train our social and healthcare workers to give simple, easy advice to parents on how they can make cheap, nutritional food to feed their children?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises a very important point. This is why we are investing so much in the Start for Life programme, building on all the evidence and experience from the Sure Start model. That model worked because it brought all the other professionals together under one roof. Parents could go through the door, and nobody knew why they were going through that door; there was no stigma attached to it. The other aspect is peer support: the sharing of experiences with other parents. Weaning children is difficult—trust me, I have been there. Parents need huge support. The pressure from advertising, and externally, is immense. The noble Baroness is right: no one agency can do this. It is a team effort, and we all need to pull together.