Some compotes in gourds, popular with children, have a higher sugar level than a can of soda.
- According to dentists, there is no difference between added sugar and natural sugar for the teeth.
- Nearly 40% of the products reviewed were marketed for children four months and older.
- Among 73 sweet foods intended for babies and young children, only six products obtained a green label, meaning low in sugar.
Apple, strawberry, banana, apricot… Compotes, consumed during snack time, would be dangerous for the oral health of toddlers. According to British Dental Association (i.e. the association of British dentists), the small gourds of fruit compote would present “obscene levels of sugar”. To reach this discovery, the specialists sifted through 109 compotes in gourds intended for children aged under 12 months.
Long contacts with milk teeth
According to their analysis, more than a quarter of the products contained more sugar by volume than a Coca-Cola. The compotes studied contained up to two-thirds of the recommended daily sugar intake for an adult. More than two-thirds of the products examined exceeded the threshold of 5 g of sugar per 100 ml set for the sugar tax applied to drinks, the dentists said.
Gourd compotes have gained popularity among parents, due to their convenience. Problem: these fruit gourds are eaten directly to the mouth. “Contents are often sucked directly from the pouch, causing food to spend more time in contact with baby teeth as they emerge and putting them at risk of erosion and decay,” the practitioners pointed out.
Do not eat the compotes from the sachet
According to the British Dental Association, infants should only be introduced to drinking from a cup or tumbler from 12 months. It is recommended to use cups with an open lid rather than those with a spout, to avoid babies having to suckle. “The BDA lamented the lack of clear messages from manufacturers regarding the need not to consume products directly from the sachet, either on the packaging or in their communication”, can we read in a press release.
“Tooth decay is the number one cause of hospital admissions in young children, and sugar is at the root of this epidemic. Unfortunately, these products are likely to impact the next generation before they even does not know how to walk. (…) Ministers must ensure that sugar does not become the new tobacco”, concluded the doctors.
