Baby biscuits ditched over fats

The charity looked at the make-up of 107 products

Food maker Cow & Gate is to discontinue a biscuits range for babies which was found to contain hydrogenated fat.

Cow & Gate said its Bear, Berry Bear, and Animal Friends biscuits would no longer be on sale after June.

The Children's Food Campaign discovered more than 50 products from various firms with higher-than-suggested levels of saturated fat, salt or sugar.

The Food Standards Agency recommends reducing hydrogenated fat levels, amid concern it leads to raised cholesterol.

Cow & Gate said: "In discussion with the Food Standards Agency we have already taken the decision to discontinue our baby biscuits, when we became aware of presence of hydrogenated fat, which contains a very small amount of trans fats."

A spokesman for Wiltshire-based company said it had set nutritional standards for products that were much tighter than legal requirements and more than 90% of its range contained only naturally occurring sugars.

Check labels

The Children's Food Campaign carried out research on 107 products.

The charity also found high levels of sugar in Farley's Rusks, made by Heinz.

It said the product were 29% sugar, more than some biscuits for adults.

We would always advise when buying processed foods, even those aimed at children, to check the information given on the labels Food Standards Agency

Heinz said Farley's Rusks were enriched with vitamins and minerals and have been the "ideal weaning food" for babies from around four months for 120 years.

It added that they contained very little fat and, in keeping with nutritional needs of infants, contained no added salt.

A range of reduced sugar rusks providing 30% less sugar than Farley's Original Rusks is also available, it said.

Children's Food Campaign spokesman Christine Haigh said: "Many foods marketed for babies and young children are often advertised as healthy.

"In reality, in terms of sugar and saturated fat content, some are worse than junk food. In particular, failing to correctly label products that contain dangerous trans fats is outrageous."

The FSA said babies and young children had different nutritional needs to adults and "do not generally need low fat diets, as fat gives them energy and provides some fat soluble vitamins".

"We would always advise when buying processed foods, even those aimed at children, to check the information given on the labels and choose those with less salt and sugar," it added.