Healthier and more natural reformulated baby food pouches: Will toddlers and their parents sensory accept them?

Consumer demand of commercial baby food packaged in squeezable pouches has increased in the last few years. However, pouches have been criticized for having excessive levels of sugar and too many processed ingredients. This study examined how reformulations towards healthier (lower sugar levels) and more natural (fewer processed ingredients) products influenced toddlers’ and parents’ sensory acceptability. Three pairs of baby yogurt pouches (old versus reformulated recipes) were tested. In the reformulated recipes, fruit concentrates were replaced by fruit purees, and added sugar was eliminated. 150 parent-toddler (1–4 years) dyads were included in a 4-day double-blind randomized cross-over study in Spain. Each parent-toddler dyad tested one of the three yogurt pairs (A-B, C-D, E-F). Toddler’s acceptability was measured by the toddler’s reaction and by the estimated and relative intake. Parent’s overall liking and sensory evaluation was measured on a 7-point hedonic scale. Although the reformulated recipes of two yogurt pairs scored significantly lower on acceptability in toddlers (pair A-B: 3.39 ± 0.49 and 3.12 ± 0.70; pair C-D: 3.54 ± 0.61 and 3.30 ± 0.65, P < 0.05) and their parents (pair A-B: 5.73 ± 0.97 and 5.04 ± 1.43; pair C-D: 5.84 ± 1.27 and 5.04 ± 1.51, P < 0.05), all reformulated recipes were highly accepted. The reformulation of food products represents a huge challenge for food manufacturers. Our findings suggest that a reduction of sugar content up to 30% along with a reduction in the number of processed ingredients is acceptable by toddlers and their parents.