How are Farley's Rusks allowed to be sold as suitable baby food?

[00100001]

They have 4.9g of sugar in them! Per biscuit...not per 100g!

For reference a McVities milk hocolate digestive has 4.8g of sugar per biscuit

Does anyone know why they're allowed?

@Daffodil1967 don’t boycott all palm oil, check the panda scorecard to see how sustainable the company is. Having said that, you may have already done that and come to the conclusion that Heinz score isn’t high enough for you. So apologies if I’m teaching you to suck eggs!

I haven’t RTFT but I think raisins, which are generally viewed as a healthy option are far more damaging to teeth.

They are not really for babies - they are for the parents to munch on, everyone knows that!

@themurk marketing TV adverts.

From the box:

Preparation & Usage: Rusks are a great way to gradually introduce your baby to solid foods. Simply crush in a bowl and mix with your baby's usual milk to form a puree for a first cereal. OR mix with fruit puree, custard or yogurt for a yummy dessert. OR great as a delicious finger food to encourage self-feeding, hand-eye coordination, biting and chewing as your baby develops. Safety at meal times. Always make sure that a responsible person is present when your baby is feeding. Your Health Visitor or Doctor can advise you on infant feeding. REMEMBER TO BRUSH TEETH REGULARLY. USE AS PART OF A VARIED WEANING DIET.

Are you a FTM OP?

I agree that they should be marketed as a treat rather than an everyday standard baby food and many parents are probably unaware of their sugar content.
But the same goes for many 'baby food' products and even other natural products such as fruit, some dairy products, and even sweetcorn/ peas. The odd rusk is hardly comparable to regular smoking.
The unbearable pressure on parents to feed babies a perfect diet is more likely to make people give up and turn to prepared items. Or go the other way and enforce overly strict diets which lead to inadequate nutrition and disordered eating.
I can't get het up about the odd rusk.

Dear god.

As I said, lots of people purée McDonald’s for their 6 month olds.

A rusk is the least of anyone’s worries.

I wouldn't give the normal ones to a bay or toddler - I've not looked at the low sugar versions as dd is now pretty much an adult.

However, for grown ups they're delicious!! Probably because of the sugar content too.

Mmm - I really want one now!

I don't think the OP is criticising mothers. I think she is criticising baby food manufacturers and I would tend to agree that promoting a product which is basically biscuits, and which contains gluten, as a suitable weaning food for 4 month olds is less than completely responsible and contradicts current official guidance. It isn't illegal of course, as both the weaning age and avoidance of gluten under 6 months are only guidelines.
I am not sure how long it has been advised to avoid gluten under 6 months but my DD is 22 and the books I have from when she was a baby certainly contain that advice. The Department of Health has recommended weaning at 6 months since 2003, and before that it was 4-6 months, from, if I recall rightly, 1996. The fact that individual health care professionals may suggest something different to individual parents doesn't change the more widely accepted recommendations. People on forums have been saying that the recommendation is "going to change back soon" almost since the day it changed to 6 months, but 17 years on, its still not happened. If sufficient evidence arises I imagine the recommendation will change, but that obviously hasn't occured and in my opinion its probably better to wait until it does before making the assumption that the current guidance is wrong. But ultimately every parent has the right to make their own choices.
I do think it is wrong for baby food manufacturers to undermine the DoH's message by labelling and promoting baby foods from 4 months, especially gluten containing foods. However, I suppose you can't altogether blame the companies either as their business is making money not promoting health, and they will continue to do that however they can, provided it is within the law. Perhaps the real villains of the piece are successive governments who have chosen not to bring legislation into line with their own guidelines. One might almost believe they care more about not upsetting big business than promoting child health. But no, that couldn't possibly be the case, could it?

@Daffodil1967

These were always on my shopping list till I found out they had palm oil in them

As long as its sustainable, palm oil is one of the best oils to use as it has a higher yield than any of its alternatives

@themurk see my post at 6:28; I’ve actually confessed on this thread that DS has the odd rusk.

I worry about the eating habits of a lot of the people around me: overeating or being far too mindful and constantly feeling guilty.

I would love to see a society that has a healthier relationship with food.

I have no idea what the solution is but I think a good stepping stone would be losing the idea that a babies first food should be mushed up rusks with milk. Heinz are saying rusks and nutritionists are saying puréed veg. I know who I’d rather listen to. I would be willing to put money on those blended McDonald’s people (btw I had no idea this was a thing, it’s pretty grim!) are the same people feeding rusks every morning as standard. And they’ll be none the wiser that it’s even anything to bat an eyelid at because the big friendly folks at Heinz are selling it as a great idea.

Wow, well articulated MrsAvocet

Probably because that’s what their mothers and grandmothers did, I know my own MIL told me she used to put a rusk in DH’s milk (now a 6’4 beanpole). The current generation will adapt it to reflect their own poor (lazy) dietary choices.

Maybe it’s a Scottish thing.

But my point is it’s hardly the fault of Rusks. It’s the fault of poor education and inherent laziness or ignorance.

I’d rather the choice to have rusks and original baked beans, ribena etc etc than be forced to select from only options with sweeteners in them.

I know to choose carefully and give treats in moderation. But a lot of people are not given the education and support needed to make the right choices for their children. One weaning fair doth not a healthy childhood diet make.

I think we as parents should shoulder some responsibility to research what we feed our kids and ourselves to ensure a well rounded healthy diet which isn’t obsessive either way around food.

At the end of the day these companies make a fortune from parents so they aren’t going to change their marketing and we shouldn’t have to rely on the government telling us everything. Baby foods are a huge market and have their place where appropriate should parents want to use the products from time to time.

Yes maybe you are right. Perhaps my issue with it is because I struggle with nutrition a lot. As in, understanding it. I’m a relatively intelligent person and I have tried to research but I get a bit confused with good sugars and bad sugars and good fats and bad fats etc. Outside of the traffic lights on the front of packets I get lost reading the nutrition information. And I’m talking about for me as an adult, not even considering DS diet here. I generally have a happy relationship with food though so it doesn’t panic me too much. I get in a bit of a flap every January though. Having a big corporation completely mismatching government advise can only be muddying the waters surely?

I didn't say i weaned mine onto rusks. I said i can't stand it when women judge other women for the way they raise their babies. It makes you a twat.

Agreed. Whatever happened to “you do you”? Why do people think it is their business what other people feed their kids?

OP didn’t say “let’s judge anyone who has ever had a rusk or fed their kids a rusk”

You mean, apart from when she said I'm perfectly entitled to judge an adult that feed a 4m old nearly 5g of sugar because they think it's fine, yes?

@Llamazoom

I was raised on rusks, sugary tea and custard creams, I am not fat, I do not have diabetes, I have all my own teeth and I had my first and only filling at the age of 39. I also do not have a sugar addiction.

I’m so pleased I’m past the age of having babies, the constant angst about what to feed them or worrying about gender neutral clothes and toys, baby sensory classes and baby yoga would give me a nervous breakdown.

Honestly as soon as your babies get to teens and have a few quid in their pocket they will be straight in McDonalds

I'm with Llama. I have a 16 yo who weaned at 4 months going on advice at that time. I too would have had a nervous breakdown based on feeding advice on MN.

with good sugars and bad sugars

Sugar is sugar. There is no such thing as a good sugar no matter what Paltrow et al will tell you.

Perhaps my issue with it is because I struggle with nutrition a lot. As in, understanding it. I’m a relatively intelligent person and I have tried to research but I get a bit confused with good sugars and bad sugars and good fats and bad fats etc

You need to look at an unbiased source ie not in the pay of food manufacturers,or magazines to sell! Comprehensive and user friendly guides are available from the British Nutrition Foundation. I've used their info and resources for many years when teaching nutrition.

www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/basics.html?cf_chl_jschl_tk=26e4a065e1086728d19557d5fc96d62176a68c35-1594333574-0-Aeyz8HID5jTcUkhLZrZ84hgEXEAkJqVZt5Xo6G5hnBiiAxvLSDYvVwtMUvxtmxUuiqWXAM0a7Mt21pDBbNjTXfHcaBqVBPf4rAKbsPVuntaeEjhSbNbnlSd-CzfLGPc4VzDTdLNF2VZGvxzKrdVXRJAsA4MTNRh1QW1bepAI3Ntg6Cxn5gZD5Wf0_VxoVMKed8_o9lDOVLt1GUQB0KHGKOsjShsyO62-NyYq0mkl7z6Uk4VQ50ubGm4xksCD-cOgel_tPWFrrQNZTJ9Uyg-hBYRTyPg_Ed8hmNk68Ks329bQpcGPeytJZBT360ahwNqR2-O1-olOaFO5DfrOMAotL5nqPJIqkBHPCk2KbR03_0AnArJsdE3v-3gNxrwiQgV1kA

(Sorry about the ridiculously long link - I've forgotten how to reduce it)
It should help you understand the basics a bit better and, hopefully, not get too stressed about the odd rusk.

I'm actually glad I got gestational diabetes which turned me into bit of a label freak. Now I ignore all packaging design and always go straight for the nutritional chart for grams of carbs and sugar.

I did lapse while doing online shopping and got Aptamil Creamed Banana Porridge (it includes formula so you just add water). I was wondering why normally fussy DD would scoff down a whole bowl like there was no tomorrow. Checked the packaging and it has almost 40g sugar per 100g, and contains as much sugar per serving as a Mars Bar Ice Cream.

I definitely agree that baby food marketing is almost on the borderline of being ethical. Fruit purees are pure liquid sugar, and commercial brands water them down so you don't get the beneficial, high GI fibre. Veg purees are often bulked out with apple sauce so they taste sweeter. I shudder to think how many well-meaning parents are giving their babies a pouch for lunch, baby porridge for dinner and rusks in between.

I'm not judging at all because I might easily have been one of them. I ate commercial fruit purees and fruit yoghurt all the time during pregnancy because I thought they were healthy, and they probably contributed to my diabetes. Now I buy fresh fruit, puree them and mix into greek yoghurt. I've tricked DD into thinking the frozen version is "ice cream" so she thinks it's the best treat ever ;D

Yes, agree with PP there is no such thing as good or bad sugar. "Better" sugary foods are those that contain a lot of fibre which simply slow down the absorption of sugar. Sugar in fruits (fructose) is actually more harmful to the liver that other types. It's been closely linked to fatty liver disease due to the way it's metabolised.

Lots of people don't realise that savoury carbs are also sugar. White rice, bread and potatoes turn into sugar right away in your body so there virtually isn't a difference between eating a bag of crisps or a small chocolate bar.

Meat, fish, eggs, veg and nuts are basically the only foods truly low in sugar.

If I remember correctly they did orange rusks in the late 80’s that were delicious.

We used to eat them as students. I remember they were so sweet so I didn’t give them to DC (I still follow this rule and eat all the best stuff myself).

@CannonCaboodle

Are you a FTM OP?

LOL, technically yes, DS is 16 though....