A new audit of foods marketed to toddlers has raised concerns about the nutritional quality of products commonly found on supermarket shelves, with researchers finding that more than four in five products examined were classified as ultra-processed.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, examined 2,783 packaged food products marketed for children between 6 and 36 months of age across 21 grocery stores in Austin, Texas. Researchers found that 81% of the products were ultra-processed, while nearly half failed to meet at least one nutritional benchmark established by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The findings were presented at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Because the research was presented as a conference finding and has not yet gone through peer review, the results should be considered preliminary.
What researchers found in toddler food products
The research team, led by Erin A. Hudson of the University of Texas at Austin and conducted with assistant professor Marissa Burgermaster, focused on products specifically marketed for young children.
Researchers photographed baby and toddler food aisles at 21 grocery stores in Austin and examined the nutritional information and ingredients for the products they identified.
The analysis excluded infant formula, beverages and purees commonly introduced as first foods. The researchers instead focused on packaged foods marketed to toddlers and young children aged 6 to 36 months.
Of the 2,783 products analyzed, 81% were classified as ultra-processed under the NOVA food classification system.
The researchers also compared the products with the WHO Nutrition and Promotion Profile Model, which establishes recommended nutritional criteria for commercially produced foods intended for young children.
Overall, 49% of the products failed to meet at least one of the WHO nutrient standards.
The individual areas of concern included:
- 25% of products failed the recommended sodium standard.
- 17% failed the recommended sugar standard.
- 12% failed the energy-density standard.
- 11% failed the recommended fat standard.
The figures do not mean that 49% of toddlers consuming these products are necessarily eating an unhealthy diet. The research examined products available on supermarket shelves, rather than tracking what individual children actually consumed.
That distinction is important because a product's presence on a grocery shelf does not establish how frequently it is eaten or what other foods make up a child's overall diet.
Why ultra-processed foods are attracting attention
Ultra-processed foods are generally products that have undergone extensive industrial processing and often contain combinations of ingredients that are uncommon in home cooking.
The NOVA classification system groups foods according to their degree and purpose of processing. Products can be classified as ultra-processed when they contain industrial formulations involving ingredients and additives used to alter flavor, texture, appearance or shelf life.
The category is broad, meaning that not every ultra-processed food has the same nutritional profile.
Previous research involving infants and toddlers has also shown that some ultra-processed foods can contribute useful nutrients. A 2023 analysis published in The Journal of Nutrition, for example, found that ultra-processed foods accounted for about 45% of energy from complementary foods and beverages consumed by US infants and toddlers in the data studied. Some products, including breakfast cereals and breads, contributed nutrients such as iron, zinc and whole grains.
At the same time, other ultra-processed products can contribute substantial amounts of nutrients that health authorities recommend limiting, including added sugars and sodium.
This distinction is particularly important when discussing toddler nutrition. Simply describing a product as "processed" or "ultra-processed" does not, by itself, provide a complete picture of its nutritional value.
Sugar and sodium were major concerns
The Texas audit found that sodium was the most common reason products failed the WHO nutrient benchmarks, followed by sugar.
Researchers also found that ultra-processed products were significantly more likely to be high in sugar than less-processed products.
Examples of products identified in the analysis included fruit pouches, oat bars, macaroni and cheese, turkey sticks, cheese puffs and peanut butter puffs.
Some fruit pouches exceeded the relevant sugar recommendation, while oat bars could be high in both sugar and calories. Certain macaroni and cheese and turkey-stick products were identified for higher sodium and fat levels, while some snack products exceeded recommendations for calories, sodium or fat.
The findings highlight an issue that can be easy for parents to overlook: food products positioned specifically for toddlers are not automatically guaranteed to meet every nutritional benchmark recommended for young children.
Toddler food labels can influence parents' choices
The researchers said the findings demonstrate why parents may need to look beyond marketing claims and examine nutrition information and ingredient lists.
Parents shopping in a dedicated baby or toddler food aisle may reasonably expect the products there to have been specifically formulated to meet stringent nutritional requirements.
But according to the University of Texas researchers, that assumption is not necessarily correct.
"Many parents may assume that products sold on the baby/toddler food aisles of their grocery stores have to meet certain nutrient standards," Hudson said in a statement accompanying the research.
The researchers argued that clearer nutritional information could make it easier for parents to distinguish between products.
The issue has also emerged as US regulators consider changes to food labeling.
FDA considering front-of-package nutrition labels
The study comes as the US Food and Drug Administration considers new approaches to front-of-package nutrition information.
The United States currently does not require warning labels on foods simply because they contain high levels of sugar, sodium or calories. The proposed changes are intended to make certain nutritional information easier for consumers to identify when making purchasing decisions.
Researchers have pointed to front-of-package warnings as one possible way to make nutritional differences between products more visible.
Similar labeling systems have already been introduced in some countries. Chile, for example, uses prominent warning symbols on foods that exceed specified thresholds for nutrients such as sugar, sodium, saturated fat and calories.
However, evidence from another country's food system cannot automatically establish what would happen if a similar system were introduced in the United States.
The study has important limitations
Although the findings have attracted attention, researchers and nutrition experts caution against treating the audit as a nationwide measurement of every toddler food available in the United States.
The research examined stores in one metropolitan area — Austin, Texas.
The 21 stores may not represent grocery stores across the United States, where product selections can differ by retailer, region, neighborhood and consumer demand.
The research also looked at products rather than children's diets.
In other words, the study cannot establish how much ultra-processed food individual toddlers eat, nor can it determine whether eating these particular products causes health problems.
The researchers' findings were presented at NUTRITION 2026 and had not yet been published as a peer-reviewed journal article at the time of reporting.
That means the findings could be refined or changed as the full research undergoes additional scientific scrutiny.
What parents should take from the findings
The results do not mean parents need to eliminate every packaged food from a toddler's diet.
Packaged foods can be convenient, particularly for parents and caregivers managing work, childcare and other daily responsibilities. Some processed products can also provide important nutrients.
Earlier research has shown that some ultra-processed foods can contribute nutrients such as iron, zinc and whole grains to young children's diets, demonstrating why processing level alone is not enough to judge the nutritional value of every food.
Instead, the latest findings reinforce the importance of looking at the nutritional content of individual products.
Parents comparing similar toddler foods can pay particular attention to sodium, sugar, fat and calorie density, while also considering the ingredient list and the child's overall diet.
For example, two products that appear similar on the supermarket shelf may have substantially different nutritional profiles.
The wider concern is that parents should not assume that packaging designed for toddlers necessarily means a product meets every recommended nutritional standard.
Early eating habits can matter
The issue is significant because toddlerhood is a period when children are developing food preferences and eating habits.
The University of Texas researchers noted that foods consumed during the toddler years can influence taste preferences and dietary patterns that continue through childhood. High sugar intake is also a recognized concern for young children.
Previous research has connected greater consumption of ultra-processed foods with health concerns in children, although the evidence is complex and researchers continue to study which characteristics of these foods may be responsible for particular effects.
A 2022 review from the American Society for Nutrition, for example, reported associations between higher ultra-processed food consumption and poorer physical fitness measures in some groups of children and adolescents.
However, these findings should not be interpreted as proof that every ultra-processed product is harmful or that processing itself is the sole cause of poor health.
A broader question for the food industry
The Texas findings also raise questions about how toddler foods are marketed and regulated.
Products aimed specifically at young children occupy a unique position in the food market because parents are often the purchasers while children are the intended consumers.
Researchers say stronger nutritional information and clearer labeling could help parents make more informed decisions while potentially encouraging manufacturers to reformulate products that contain excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, fat or calories.
For now, the latest audit provides a snapshot rather than a definitive picture of the entire US toddler-food market.
But the finding that 81% of the 2,783 products examined were classified as ultra-processed, while 49% failed at least one WHO nutrient benchmark, gives parents, researchers and policymakers another reason to examine closely what is being marketed as food for some of the youngest consumers.
