Current Baby Foods Fail to Include Key Allergens Needed for Allergy Prevention

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Despite current guidelines advising the introduction of common food allergens by the age of 12 months, many commercial baby foods are lacking major allergens—particularly nuts, peanuts, eggs and shellfish.

Instead of excluding these common food allergens, a group of investigators from the University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS) in Portugal say incorporating age-appropriate, minimally processed products is the healthier choice.

“Although it is advisable for parents to introduce home-prepared meals, there is a strong consumer demand for commercially available complementary foods (CACFs), and the choice in supermarkets is vast and driven for many reasons, such as convenience, portability and food safety,” they wrote. “Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests a potential link between the consumption of ultra-processed products and the incidence of allergic diseases.”

Although previous recommendations encouraged food allergen avoidance, more recent studies have shown early introduction of allergenic foods during the complementary feeding period may actually reduce the risk of developing allergies, even for babies with a higher risk of allergy.

Researchers analyzed all CACF in 10 Portuguese grocery retailers between January and February 2024 to determine the presence of the 14 main food allergens and assess the extent of processing. Processing levels were determined based on the NOVA food classification system and categorized accordingly. Excluded products included milk-based formulas, products for children aged over 15 months, and products designed for kids with food allergies or intolerances.

Of the 492 products identified, 41.5% were fruit pots and pouches, 20.3% were porridges, 13,8% were finger foods, 13.2% were prepared meals and 11.2% were yogurt pouches.

In total, 112 (24.6%) products contained milk and 132 (26.8%) contained wheat. However, only 16 products included fish, 11 products contained soy and six contained egg. Of the entire product list, only two included nuts and one contained peanuts. The other six allergens (shellfish, sesame, lupine, mustard, celery and sulfites) were completely excluded from the ingredients of any product analyzed.

The category of foods that demonstrated the highest presence of allergens were the yogurt/veggie-based yogurt pouches (87%) and porridges (86%), while fruit pots and pouches represented the category with the lowest allergen presence.

According to the NOVA system, ultra-processed foods are defined as “formulations of ingredients that are primarily designed for industrial applications, that are submitted to various sequences of industrial processes, often necessitating high-tech equipment.” In the sample of products evaluated, 253 were considered ultra-processed and 76 were categorized as processed, compared with 163 minimally processed foods.

The CACF class with the most ultra-processed foods were fruit pots and pouches, porridges, and yogurt pouches. Most products containing milk and wheat were also classified as ultra-processed (90.9% and 73.5%, respectively) and most contained added sugars and/or sweeteners (86.8% and 72.0%, respectively).

Investigators noted they were only able to analyze a small number of products that can be introduced into a child, although they included nearly all products that were marketed to them. Despite this limitation, the study was the first to examine allergenic ingredients with the content of added sugar and sweeteners coupled with the degree of processing. They were also able to characterize Portugal’s national market regarding CACFs.

“The results of our study reveal that CACFs in Portugal have a generally low presence of major food allergens, not reflecting the current infant feeding and allergy prevention guidelines that the prioritize inclusion of food allergens in order to foster oral tolerance and diminish the likelihood of food allergy development,” they wrote.