Apple & Pear variety: wholemeal yogurt (70%), apple puree (14.34%), pear puree (14.34%), rice starch (1.23%)

NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN

Water and undeclared ingredients 84.34%, carbohydrate 7.7% (of which sugars 6.5%), protein 3.3%, fat 2.7% (of which saturates 1.7%), fibre 1.9%, sodium 0.06%“We looked everywhere for a yoghurt without added sugar for our children,” the packet explains. “When we couldn’t find one, we worked on having our own produced.” The result is an organic fruit yoghurt for children over six months old produced by a small company run by a “group of mothers”.

The labelling is a model of clarity but what about the nutritional benefits? We asked Catherine Collins, the chief dietitian at St George’s Hospital in South London.

WHAT’S IN IT

The ingredients are as unadulterated as a parent could wish for: 70 per cent whole milk yoghurt, flavoured with fruit purée and thickened with a touch of rice starch. “Weight for weight, the nutritional profile is superior to other prepared fruit yoghurts, with more protein, more fibre and less refined carbohydrate (ie, sugar),” Collins says. The price is also a little higher than competing brands but as Collins sees it: “This is a product aimed at the affluent ‘food-conscious’ mums.”

WHAT THE LABEL CLAIMS

Our dietician gives full marks to the clear labelling, which uses speech bubbles to explain the role of the rice starch and fruit purée. The nutritional information is given per 100g, as required by law, but not additionally per 85g tub. Collins thinks this could make a comparison difficult in the supermarket.

The packet makes a number of claims, including: “No added sugar”; “No artificial flavours or sweeteners”; “No added preservatives or colourings”; “No fruit bits”; “Suitable for vegetarians” and “Gluten free”. Collins points out that no baby or toddler desserts are made from foods containing gluten and she cannot recall any that are unsuitable for vegetarians or contain preservatives or sweeteners. That leaves the organic claim, the lack of added sugar, and the lack of artificial flavour as potential nutritional advantages.

“Organic is worthy but nutritionally there is no difference from standard yoghurt,” Collins says. “Lack of added sugar is a useful goal but parents may have to persevere — breast milk and baby milks are quite sweet and this may take some getting used to for a child.”

Indeed, in an informal Body&Soul focus group, a two and a five-year-old said the yoghurt was not sweet enough.

MUMS4’S RESPONSE

“As new parents we were horrified by the amounts of sugar and additives in many foods targeted at babies and toddlers, particularly yoghurt and fromage frais. So we have produced an alternative that, although it costs more because we use high levels of fruit and avoid sugar, colourings and flavourings, has a really fresh, creamy taste.”

THE EXPERT’S VERDICT

Collins says: “I see this as a ‘worthy’ product that plays to parents’ concerns over labelling. Yes, it’s low in sugar and relatively high in protein but otherwise it differs little nutritionally from standard yoghurt products aimed at toddlers. By all means include it in your child’s diet but most yoghurts aimed at this age could be eaten twice a day without exceeding the daily sugar limits of about 20g. Avoid adult yoghurts, though, which contain less fruit and often much more sugar.”

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