Iron Content and Nutritional Quality of Commercial Complementary Baby Foods Available in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Optimal nutrition in infancy supports growth, development and long-term health. Commercial complementary foods are widely used in Australia, yet concerns persist regarding their iron, sugar and sodium content. This study examines their nutritional composition. METHODS: In 2024, nutrition information was collected for complementary foods labelled from 6 months of age across four major retailers in Melbourne. Products for infants under 6 months and dairy-only products were excluded. Nutrient composition was analysed for iron, energy, fat, protein, carbohydrate, total sugar and sodium. Added sugars and free sugars were identified from ingredient lists. RESULTS: A total of 266 products were identified. Snacks had the highest average energy (1692.7 ± 257.3 kJ/100 g), protein (7.8 ± 4.6 g/100 g), fat (9.1 ± 7.5 g/100 g), carbohydrates (69.4 ± 12.7 g/100 g), sodium (82.1 ± 109.9 mg/100 g) and iron (8.2 ± 10.9 mg/100 g), with some products containing up to 38 mg/100 g. Only 19.2% of all products were iron-fortified, and 10 of these products did not declare iron on the label. Iron-fortification was limited to grain-based products, most commonly breakfast cereals (58.8%) and snacks (37.3%). No fruit purees or main meals were iron-fortified. Fruit purees had high sugar content (9.7 g/100 g). Free sugars were present in 24.1% of products, most commonly snacks (46.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Most commercial complementary foods provided little iron, and fortified products did not consistently declare iron content. Snacks were the most energy-, sugar- and sodium-dense category. Stronger standards and clearer labelling may better support infant feeding.