A year after the government introduced voluntary industry guidelines, research suggests almost a quarter of leading branded baby foods sold in UK supermarkets still contain excessive amounts of sugar.

Of 224 infant foods and snacks from popular brands, more than half (58%) breached at least one of the nine guidelines, according to new analysis published by The Guardian.

The study included purees, breakfasts, main meals, desserts, snacks and finger foods made by Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Organix, HiPP, Kiddylicious, Little Freddie, Piccolo, Aptamil and Cow & Gate.

Labelling and marketing breaches were also found in 28% of products, including 31 snacks marketed at children as young as six months old.

In August 2025, the government gave baby food manufacturers 18 months to apply the new guidelines and address misleading and inaccurate labelling. The new analysis comes exactly a year after the request, with six months remaining of the deadline.

Though currently voluntary, the government has warned it will escalate the guidelines to mandatory legal restrictions, formal enforcement and potential advertising bans if companies fail to self-regulate.