UPFs, prepared baby foods and the issues

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From The Guardian and a recommended read for all parentshttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/15/ultra-processed-babies-are-toddler-snacks-one-of-the-great-food-scandals-of-our-time#comments

That's true. I was more talking generally.

It also isn't some cases with formula, it is all cases when breast milk isn't an option.

Finally someone talking about these manufactured snacks. I help facilitate a toddler group and the mums (not any grans i should add they get it) are confused when I say my kids didn’t have manufactured snacks or even many snacks at all, they have all bought (literally because the buy them) into the narrative of baby led weaning, 2+ snacks per day in addition to 3 meals and that toddlers and preschoolers need different food from their parents.

my family meal cookbook i prepared when I taught skills for sure start is so alien to them, they believe that shop bought food is “prepared in the right way” etc.

If anyone is reading this starting to wean, my dc were straight onto my food, mashing food with a good, shredded meat (use two forks) then cut, carrot batons make good finger foods, make your own sweet potato wedges too. I mostly avoided snacks myself bar real fruit, yogurt, hummus (homemade using a hand blender) but did buy low salt crackers, nobody is perfect.

If you can’t eat with dc (which is always best) save food from one day to next so they eat yesterday’s meal reheated.

‘Without labelling it a UPF?

It IS a UPF it’s not pretend labelling. what are you suggesting? Marketing lies to make people feel better?

yeah that works out so well 🙄
if people are horrified at the realisation that it’s a UPF then that’s a good thing.

use it if one must but only as a decision based on Necessity not a lifestyle choice. And if it’s a necessity then there should be no shame at all.

Lifestyle or necessity - should never be any shame or negativity. It’s up to the individual parents and not anyone else’s unwanted opinion.

Actually I do judge parents that feed their kids crap as a mainstay of their diet, and don’t care that it’s crap. No one is expecting sainthood, but those processed snack junk should be at most once a week. There’s just no need for them.

I would imagine those parents judge you for your attitude. I only care about what my own DC’s eat - happy with the choices made.

Think you've misunderstood baby-led weaning, BLW is not about different food for toddlers.

Do you apply this to parents who feed their toddlers and primary aged children nothing but UPFs?

I don’t judge other parents for how/what they feed their children - I’m not living their lives. you don’t know the circumstances of their situation or why they have made the decisions they have.

I would judge those who think they are better parents than others.

It's not supposed to be a tiny part of their life though, you are supposed to breastfeed for at least two years. My eldest is nearly 16 and the number of years she breastfed is still more than the number of years she didn't, same with my 10yo because I let them choose when to stop. So a very significant proportion of their life, as nature intended.

Anyway, I agree re pouches etc. my kids never had them, nor purees, though we did sometimes use those puff snacks, rice cakes and Babybels. I do hate the huge pushing of pouches as meal replacements for babies, it's unethical. They need proper food and lots of mums don't know any better and believe the advertising.

It's formula, not rat poison. There should never be any shame when using it.

It is highly regulated with incredibly strict rules as to ingredients etc and many, many babies have thrived on it. It really isn't the devil.

My eldest is nearly 16 and the number of years she breastfed is still more than the number of years she didn't, same with my 10yo because I let them choose when to stop

Until 9?!

Oh get a bloody grip.

Eating NOTHING BUT UPFs as a child will result in obesity, tooth decay and disordered behaviour.

Formula will not.

You’re absolutely determined to frighten formula feeding women as you obviously need a bit of validation for your breastfeeding. Pat yourself on the back and move on.

Till 8. She wanted to keep going but at that age their jaw shape starts to change and she couldn't get milk out any more. She was gutted! 😆 She was so jealous of her brother still feeding 😆

I’ll keep my thoughts to myself on this one.

it has to be accepted that, objectively and scientifically proven, it is not the healthiest option out of all the options for feeding infants.

I think someone would have to have lived under a rock to have not heard at least that “Breast is best”. We very much know that constitutionally that’s true but there’s a lot of reasons beyond this why many mothers make the decision to formula feed. My estimation of it is that mothers (who decide to formula feed without wanting to try breastfeeding) know this yet weigh up the evidence and decide that actually they’re still going to use formula. Of course many will just do what their mothers and sisters and aunts did without it being research-informed too. Either way, their breasts and baby, their decision imo. BTW I breastfed and for longer than average so certainly not defensive about this.

It’s really not the same as giving a toddler a puff of air UPF snack.

(I understand that the way it’s produced makes it processed.)

Also I’m not sure new mothers, filled with enough self doubt as it is, being horrified with the formula they’re feeding their child is a good thing. I understand you say that if it’s necessary there should be no shame but if I saw this thread then struggled to breastfeed so resorted to using formula (even if I saw it years afterwards) I’d be feeling pretty shit.

Often even if they say no added sugar, if you check the ingredients, even something like a vegetable puree will have apple juice quite high up on the ingredient list to make it sweeter. Nothing wrong with it in and of itself (in the sense that apple is totally fine for a weaning baby), but it means the children aren’t eating vegetables that taste like vegetables. They are eating sweet food.

Protecting someone’s feelings is not more important than protecting the future health of infants. The stats don’t lie

Yes - you’re not saying anything which isn’t known. Do you think I don’t know the difference between fruit and vegetables?

Trying to create a narrative that somehow formula is amongst all UPFs magically special and not really a factory manufactured highly processed substance is farcical.

its better than starving is about all you can say in its favour.

No, why would I think that. You said you were able to find pouches/jars with no added sugar, I was just saying they are sweetened in other ways which are not great for babies experiencing different tastes. Babies naturally prefer sweeter foods, which is why they add apple juice because obviously someone is more likely to buy it again if their child eats it.

APART FROM NOBODY HAS SAID IT ISNT A UPF HAVE THEY!

It’s just you want to repeat it again and again, and then again, and then louder for those at the back, so you keep pretending everyone has said it isn’t.

You clearly have hang ups about breastfeeding and needing to feel superior, maybe a FB group would be better. This is a chat about pre packaged children’s snacks.

Ingredients in an Ella’s kitchen katsu curry with chicken - I’d be happy to feed that. I don’t have most of those ingredients in the store cupboard nor the time to make it.

Organic curry sauce 49% (water, organic tomato puree, organic cornflour, organic herbs and spices: curry powder (black pepper, cinnamon, clove, coriander, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, onion, turmeric), cumin, ginger, allspice, coriander, sage, thyme) | organic cooked rice 15% (water, organic rice) | Organic carrots 12% | Organic chicken 10% | Organic potatoes 7% | Organic onions 3% | Organic swede 3% | Organic raisins <1% | Organic extra virgin olive oil <1% | Organic garlic <1% | Other stuff 0%

Neither of mine have grown up with a sweet tooth but then I didn’t buy the junk food many children get fed as soon as they come out of school. Why do they need a daily treat? Once a week or a special occasion is sufficient. If they are hungry after school they can have a piece of fruit or increase the protein in each meal.