The NHS has issued its first official guidance advising parents not to use shop-bought baby food pouches as regular meals for their children.
The new advice appears on the NHS Start For Life website after it was revealed that baby food pouches from six major UK brands did not meet essential nutritional requirements.
The guidance marks a significant shift in official health advice, addressing growing concerns about commercial baby food products that often carry labels suggesting they are "perfectly balanced for growing babies" or "packed with goodness".
The NHS Start For Life website now recommends that parents examine food labels and select products containing the lowest sugar levels, following a BBC Panorama investigation highlighting the associated health risks.
New recommendations state that snacks should not be given to children under one year old
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The guidance specifically warns against allowing babies or children to suck directly from food pouches, as this practice can heighten the risk of tooth decay.
Parents are also advised to wait until their baby reaches approximately six months before introducing solid foods, even when product labels indicate suitability from four months.
The new recommendations state that snacks should not be given to children under one year old, addressing the rising popularity of baby food snacks like puffs and sticks.
Baby weaning expert and author Charlotte Stirling-Reed told the BBC it was "about time that this was addressed".
"Food pouches and commercial baby foods are used so much by parents. It was a real gap in the NHS advice until now," she added.
Dr Vicky Sibson, director of the charity First Steps Nutrition Trust, which campaigns for improvements in shop-bought baby foods, told the BBC that without clear advice, it can be "confusing for parents" when they see shop-bought products marketed as being "just as good" as homemade foods.
Campaigners who have criticised how companies promote their products as healthy options have welcomed the changes.
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The guidance marks a significant shift in official health advice
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Dr Sibson believes the government should now look to introduce stronger mandatory regulations for companies producing commercial baby foods to improve the suitability of the products for young children and regulate how they are marketed to parents.
The Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC: "Current laws already set strong standards for baby food and we support action against any products that don't meet them."
The British Retail Consortium says companies "take great care to optimise the nutritional composition of these products.
"All products are clearly labelled so parents can make informed decisions when feeding their baby."
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