Some baby milk has almost double the sugar that is in Fanta, a study has revealed.
Formulas sold in Britain were found to contain up to 8.2g of sugar per 100ml, compared with 4.6g in the fizzy drink.
The EU’s recommended limit for sugar in formula milk is 7.5g.
More than half the 212 tested formula products for under threes across 11 nations contained at least 5g of sugar per 100ml.
Study author Gemma Bridge, from Leeds Beckett University, said: “The aim of the study is not to make mothers feel guilty about their feeding choices.
“Instead it is to advocate for labelling transparency so parents can make informed choices.”
Best-selling brand SMA, owned by Nestle, was the highest in the UK at 8.2g with its Pro Growing Up Milk Formula for toddlers aged 12 months and over.
Organic label HiPP’s follow on milk for babies aged six to 12 months had 8.1g of sugar per 100ml. Speaking for SMA and HiPP, industry body the British Specialist Nutrition Association said: “UK formula is highly regulated.
“For infants where parents are unable to breastfeed or choose not to, the only food recognised by the World Health Organisation as a suitable and safe alternative to breastmilk is infant formula.
The sugar content of infant formula is formulated to ensure similar levels of naturally occurring lactose as those found in breastmilk, and these are not added sugars.”
Researchers from King’s College London were also involved in the study which has been published in the British Dental Journal.
