A grocery-store audit of 2,783 packaged foods marketed for children ages 6 to 36 months found 81% were classified as ultra-processed, and 49% failed to meet at least one nutrient benchmark in a World Health Organization profiling model.
Researchers audited packaged toddler foods sold in the baby and toddler aisles of 21 grocery stores in Austin, Texas, photographing products and assessing their labels for both processing level and nutrient content.
Using the NOVA classification system, the team categorized 81% of the 2,783 products as ultra-processed. A separate assessment using the World Health Organization’s Nutrition and Promotion Profile Model found that 49% of products failed at least one nutrient benchmark.
Ultra-processed products were more likely to be high in sugar, the researchers reported. In the audit, the items cited as exceeding one or more guidelines included fruit pouches (high in sugar), oat bars (high in sugar and calories), mac and cheese (high in sodium and fat), turkey sticks (high in sodium and fat), cheese puffs (high in calories), and peanut butter puffs (high in sodium, fat and calories).
Erin A. Hudson, an ASN Science Policy Fellow and PhD candidate at The University of Texas at Austin who led the work, said some parents may assume products marketed in baby and toddler aisles must meet nutrient standards.
“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, adding that the findings suggest parents need to check labels and ingredients. She also said warning labels for products exceeding nutrient thresholds could help parents and might encourage manufacturers to reformulate products.
Hudson presented the findings on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at NUTRITION 2026, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual conference, held July 25–28 in National Harbor, Maryland, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.
The audit excluded infant formula, beverages and purees commonly offered as first foods. Because the analysis focused on packaged items displayed in stores, the researchers noted it may not reflect the full range of foods toddlers eat at home. The results were reported as preliminary conference findings that had not yet undergone the full peer-review process required for journal publication.
