Background: Toddlers are recommended to eat family foods consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Many readymade toddler snack foods are inconsistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and are ultra-processed, energy-dense and nutrient poor, yet display marketing claims which may imply superior nutritional content and essentiality over whole foods. This qualitative study explored parents’ and carers’ perceptions of marketing claim impacts in relation to readymade toddler snack food products.
Method: Six online focus group discussions were conducted with parents or carers who are the primary food purchaser for their toddler (aged 12 to < 36 months) in Victoria, Australia. Groups were stratified by education level and sole/shared parenting/carer status. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim, then analysed using exploratory content analysis and thematic analysis to identify key themes and response patterns.
Results: Most participants found products featuring front-of-pack claims more appealing, despite widespread awareness and some mistrust surrounding such claims. "Free from bad ingredient" claims (e.g., “preservative free”) appeared to be more engaging and influential than other claims. Parents and carers expect there should be clear, honest labelling on packaged toddler foods (especially in relation to sugar content). There was mixed support for regulating the labelling and marketing of toddler foods. There was strong support for restrictions on sugar content, accompanied by concerns about artificial sweetener replacement. Parents believed it is important to consider the health and nutritional content of toddler foods, commonly relying on social media recommendations, ingredient lists, and brand reputation for such information.
Conclusions: There is a need for stronger policy concerning the marketing of toddler foods, to ensure that parents are not mislead or confused by marketing claims, and that foods for toddlers promote good health and dietary habits.