Toddler foods and milks don’t stack up against regular foods and milks

Aim: To compare the cost and nutritional profiles of toddler-specific foods and milks to ‘regular’ foods and milks. Methods: Cross-sectional audit of non-toddler specific (‘regular’) foods and milks and secondary analysis of existing audit data of toddler specific (12-36 months) foods and milks in Australia. Main findings: The cost of all toddler-specific foods and milks was higher than the regular non-toddler foods. Foods varied in nutritional content, but toddler foods were mostly of poorer nutritional profile than regular foods. Fresh milk cost, on average, $0.22 less per 100 mL than toddler milk. Toddler milks had higher mean sugar and carbohydrate levels and lower mean protein, fat, saturated fat, sodium and calcium levels per 100 mL, when compared to fresh full fat cow’s milk. Conclusions: Toddler specific foods and milks cost more and do not represent value for money or good nutrition for young children.