Canned baby food

Just wanting to know if anyone out there has done any research into canned baby food, such as the Wattie's jars and custards etc that you buy off the shelf at the supermarket.

I give DD mainly food that we eat, but it all depends on what we have for dinner.
Some days, after a hard day at work and DH and I don't eat until later, I'll grab a jar of baby food for DD. Every time I give it to her, I wonder if they are really any good for babies. Some of those 9 month+ jars are pretty oily.

I remember reading when I was pregnant, some lady had written an article on commercial baby food saying how it was really bad for kids. But the ingredients look all fine to me, obviously they have to have SOME preservatives etc in there.
But just seeing whether someone had really looked into it and wouldn't mind sharing your findings   

I am only starting the whole solid thing but have been going towards only the organic pre packaged food I like the Natureland stuff taste and looks like it suppose to found that the wattie's stuff all tastes the same

Not commenting on the food bit, as I haven't had to think about this at all yet...

But, I guess Plunket has to endorse watties as that is one of their major sponsors...

Personally canned food never bothered me but my kids didn't like the canned vege so I gave up trying to give it to them and made home made vege mash instead. I still gave them canned fruit as well as fresh though.

However while canned food isn't poison it's certainly not the best thing out there regardless of what plunket says. It's like the heart fountaion tick you see on certain products. I saw the other day a packet of chicken nuggets with the heart foundation tick. It seriously made me wonder. The only food you can really trust to be actually healthy is the food you make yourself. But like I said I personally don't have any issue with canned food but to me it's a once in a while, can't be bothered cooking food I wouldn't rely on it as a sole source of food for my baby.

I have to admit I tasted a few of the canned vege from watties and they all made me gag. I love my the mantra if I wouldn't eat it I won't expect my kids to.

Cant say Ive ever thought about it, its just fruit and veges! and Im sure they wouldnt make something for babies thats "bad" and plunket wouldnt endorse it if it were bad either.

The report was for Toddler foods, but might answer some questions.

Do toddlers need special foods … or can they eat what the rest of the family is eating?

Toddlers’ nutritional needs are different from adults’. They need good fats for growth and development – and too much fibre can upset small tummies and fill them up before they’ve consumed enough nutrients. They also need plenty of iron, essential for mental and physical development.

Does this mean they need special milk, snacks or drinks? We find out.


Toddler milks
Toddler milks are marketed as a nutritionally superior alternative to cows' milk for babies older than 12 months. They’re cows' milk-based drinks fortified with vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamins C, D, and E, iron, and – in some cases – iodine, zinc and essential fatty acids. Some toddler milks are slightly sweeter than cows' milk and we found one product flavoured with vanilla.

We found two other fresh-milk products for toddlers and older children in the dairy section of the supermarket: Meadow Fresh Junior Milk Drink and Anchor Mega Milk. These are cows' milk fortified with nutrients.

Meadow Fresh Junior Milk claims to contain zinc, iron, and vitamin D. Anchor Mega Milk claims to contain calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D. Both are unsweetened and unflavoured – and they’re sold at about the same price as other fortified fresh milks.


Are they necessary?
An extra boost of vitamins won’t hurt. But are these milks with their added ingredients necessary? In some cases, yes.

Research by the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago found that up to one in three New Zealand toddlers had sub-optimal iron levels. A subsequent study by the University of Otago (funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the meat and dairy industries) found that if you increased toddlers’ red-meat intake (to two portions a day) you could prevent their iron levels dropping.

The report also found that if you replaced toddlers usual cows' milk with iron-fortified "toddler milk", their iron levels improved. The research suggests it may be a good idea for toddlers to consume an iron-fortified toddler milk at least some of the time, but this shouldn’t replace breast milk.

Paediatric dietitian Anna Richards also suggests there may be some circumstances where toddler milks are appropriate. For example, if your child is reluctant to eat a wide range of foods – and especially if they don’t eat red meat regularly – toddler milk can provide an iron boost.

Whether it’s cows' milk, breast milk or toddler milk, too much of it can fill a child's small stomach and leave little room for food. The Ministry of Health recommends limiting milk (and other dairy products) to 500ml a day after a child turns one, to leave room for other foods.


Junior juice
Milk and water should be the first choices for growing toddlers. Fruit juice is acidic and high in sugar, so it can damage growing teeth and also encourage a sweet tooth.

Even for older children, fruit juice should be an occasional treat and served well diluted. But if you really want to give your child juice, it’s much cheaper to put a splash of fruit juice into a cup of water (never in a baby's bottle) rather than buy the pre-diluted product.

Golden Circle Junior Fruit Drink is a diluted fruit drink (one part juice to two parts water) for children aged 6 months to 3 years. Although it claims to provide "over 100 percent of daily vitamin C needs", encouraging your toddler to eat a range of fruit and vegetables is a better way for them to get enough vitamin C.


Snacks wrapped in child-friendly portions are handy if you're out and about.

Our 2009 survey of lunchbox snacks for older children found many snacks were loaded with fat, sugar and salt. There are now crackers, rice bars, muesli bars and yoghurts marketed to toddlers and young children – and when compared on a per serving basis, they’re lower in sodium, sugar and saturated fat than much of what was available last year for the older children.

Products like Heinz Little Kids Yoghurt Muesli Fingers and Heinz Little Kids Cheesymite Bread Sticks and Heinz Little Kids Mini Corn Cakes had low to moderate levels of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium on a per serving basis thanks to their bite-size portions. Although these products make a convenient portable snack, so does fresh fruit – sliced to fit small hands.

At around $4 per pack (4 to 6 servings), they’re expensive. Bread, plain low-fat crackers (like unflavoured rice crackers), fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap snacks that are low in sodium and added sugar. And the whole family can eat them.

Whether bought or homemade, snacks should be of a size and texture that can be chewed and swallowed safely (without choking). Babies and toddlers can choke very easily.


Yoghurt snacks
We looked at two yoghurt products: Baby Yoplait and Fresh & Fruity My First Yoghurt. Both provide 14-17g of sugar per 100g serving – about the same as regular fruit yoghurt. You might think that’s a lot of sugar. But is it?

We asked paediatric dietitian Anna Richards how much sugar is "too much" in a toddler’s diet. Her advice is to consider what other nutrients your child will be getting – and whether the sugar comes from fruit or milk, or has been added. It’s often forgotten that milk naturally contains sugar in the form of lactose.

The sugar in the Yoplait product comes from milk sugar (lactose) and fruit. The Fresh & Fruity yoghurt’s sugar comes from milk and fruit too, but it also contains a small amount of added sugar. Both products are a good source of calcium.

"Baby" yoghurts are smooth-textured and free from "lumpy bits", making it easy for toddlers to swallow. They’re also claimed to be milder in flavour (the Yoplait product has been formulated to be closer in flavour and protein composition to breast milk) and therefore more palatable to sensitive young taste buds.

But there’s no reason why toddlers can’t eat the same yoghurt as the rest of the family. Regular fruit yoghurt or plain full-fat yoghurt with unsweetened fruit puree added is cheaper than baby yoghurt – plus it’ll contain more fruit. Both the Baby Yoplait and the Fresh & Fruity My First Yoghurt contained only a small amount of fruit (5 to 7 percent).


Is homemade better?
Not necessarily – it depends what goes into the mix. The good thing about homemade snacks is that you know exactly what’s in them. Toddlers need foods that are low in salt, saturated fat and sugar. Delicious home-baking can be high in saturated fat (butter!) and sugar – so use recipes that are low in added sugar and fat (like pikelets and scones). Bake with vegetable oils and spreads instead of butter. And keep portions small.


What are the rules?
The Food Standards Code has regulations covering formulated supplementary foods (such as toddler milks) for children aged 1 to 3. These regulations specify the nutritional composition and labelling requirements for such products – for example the packaging must include a description of the food’s role as a supplement to a normal diet where intakes of energy and nutrients are inadequate.

Foods and drinks designed for toddlers (such as meals, snacks, juices and yoghurts) are covered by the rules in the Food Standards Code that apply to adult foods.

New Zealand manufacturers and importers of infant formulas have voluntarily agreed not to market infant formula that’s made for infants under 6 months. “Follow-on” formulas for infants over 6 months of age and toddler milks fall outside the scope of this agreement and can be marketed as manufacturers see fit.

Breast-feeding advocates suggest follow-on formulas and toddler milks were introduced as a way for the industry to get its brands – and the idea of breast-milk substitutes – into parents’ minds.

Well - that was probably a bit useless!! I was sure the report was on the tinned foods, but reading through it online, it has some pictures of the tinned food but wasn't specific too it.

Still, it's interesting!

Sheza wrote: Cant say Ive ever thought about it, its just fruit and veges! and Im sure they wouldnt make something for babies thats "bad" and plunket wouldnt endorse it if it were bad either.

Totally agree!

If we don't think twice about the packaged cheese we buy from the supermarket or the bagged lettuce or the canned baked beans etc etc etc what's the difference with baby food in a can or a jar??

well the only reason i get the baby food is for the nice sized jars.

Then i put left overs in them and freeze em till I need them.

Sometimes i use em when we are not having a "proper baby friendly" meal.

Personally a tin of fruit is cheaper and very easy to mash with a fork. And if you are already cooking for your family its really easy to make the food baby or toddler friendly!

But thats opinion as for whats really in them, well they never say any preservatives, but there must be something in there to keep them good for the length of time they are on the shelves and then the Best before date.