The marketing of commercial foods for infants and toddlers in Australian supermarket catalogues

Commercial foods for infants and young children are prominent on supermarket shelves in Australia, with parents commonly believing they are a healthy choice, yet evidence shows many commercial foods are nutrient-poor. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and extent of promotions for commercial infant and toddler foods in Australian supermarket catalogues. Digital catalogues from four leading Australian supermarket chains were collected and content analysed over 12 weeks from August to October 2023 (n = 60 catalogues with 2206 pages). Using a coding guide, one researcher coded all advertised products to identify commercial infant and toddler foods and recorded the labelled age range, product category, packaging type, and associated promotions for each product. A total of 121 commercial infant and toddler food products were identified across 49 catalogue pages (3.5% of all pages examined). The most advertised categories of commercial infant and toddler foods were fruit purees (40%), snacks (27%), and confectionary (12%); 74% of advertised commercial foods were labelled for infants under 12 months; 26% were labelled for toddlers 12-36 months of age; and 50% of products were packaged in pouches. Techniques used to promote commercial infant and toddler foods included price (95%) and health-related messaging (20%). Foods promoted for infants and young children in Australian supermarket catalogues are misaligned with the recommendations within Australia's Infant Feeding Guidelines. There is an urgent need to reduce the promotion of packaged commercial infant and toddler foods in supermarket catalogues to better support and promote healthy diets for young children.