Label literacy · 3 min read · Seedling days
How do I read baby food labels in Australia?
Skip the front of the pack and read two things. The ingredients list, because the first three ingredients are most of the food. And the per-100-gram sugar line, compared against the plainest option beside it. The front is advertising: Australian baby foods average 6.7 promotional claims per pack that the WHO says should not be there (George Institute, 2024).
Common label phrases, decoded
| The phrase | What it actually tells you |
|---|---|
| No added sugar | No table sugar was added; fruit purées, concentrates and syrups may still be doing the sweetening |
| All natural | Nothing; it is not a regulated nutrition claim |
| Made with real fruit | Some fruit is present; the amount and form live in the ingredients list |
| 99% fat free | Low fat, which is not a goal for most children under two |
| Per serve numbers | The manufacturer chose the serve; use per 100 grams to compare fairly |
Why is the front of the pack not enough?
Because none of it is written for you. In a 309-product Australian audit, 0% met WHO promotional requirements: every single product carried at least one prohibited marketing claim, and one carried 21 (George Institute, 2024). The front of a pack is a pitch. The back is a disclosure.
What do the first three ingredients tell you?
Roughly what the food is. Ingredients are listed by weight, so the first three make up most of the recipe. If the name says spinach and the list opens with apple, pear and water, you are holding sweetened apple. 1 in 3 Australian infant and toddler foods carry a name that does not reflect the main ingredients (2025).
How do I read the sugar line?
Use the per-100-gram column, never the per-serve one, because serve sizes are set by the manufacturer. Every 4 grams of sugar per 100 grams is about a teaspoon in every 100 grams of food. You do not need a target number; you need a comparison. Beside every sweet option usually sits a plainer one.
That is the whole method: compare within the shelf, pick the plainer end. It works because it removes the part that fails at 5pm with a toddler in the trolley, which is remembering rules.
Why do so many parents find labels hard?
Because they are hard, and the research proves it. The regulator's own study says Australians who lack confidence with labels blame illegible print and not understanding what the information means (FSANZ Consumer Insights Tracker, 2025), and only 55% of Australians trust the Health Star Rating (FSANZ, 2024).
Parents are told to read the label. The regulator’s own research says the label is the problem. If you have ever stood in the aisle squinting at a nutrition panel, the failure is the print, not you.
What would better labels look like?
Australians have already voted: over 80% of parents support clearer front-of-pack labelling such as traffic-light or teaspoon systems (Deakin IPAN, 2026), and food ministers opened consultation on tighter infant and toddler food standards in August 2024. Until then, the ten-second method above is the honest workaround.
The front of a pack is a pitch. The back is a disclosure.
Common questions
What is the fastest single check?
The first ingredient. It is the biggest thing in the food. If it matches what you thought you were buying, you are most of the way there.
Is per-100-gram sugar the same as added sugar?
No, the panel shows total sugars, which includes what naturally sits in milk or whole fruit. That is why the comparison trick beats a fixed cutoff: compare like with like on the same shelf.
Do I need to check salt too?
On savoury packs, yes, same method: sodium per 100 grams, compared against the plainer neighbour. Young palates do not need the training in salt any more than in sugar.
Why not just trust the stars on the front?
The Health Star Rating is built on an adult nutrition model, and only 55% of Australian consumers trust it (FSANZ, 2024). It was never designed to answer what suits a 14-month-old.
Who checks these claims are allowed?
The claims flagged in the audits are prohibited under WHO promotional guidance but remain legal in Australia today. Consultation on tighter standards opened in August 2024; until rules change, the pack does not have to help you.
The research
Every figure in this article comes from one of these sources. Read them; that is what they are for.
- Dunford E. et al., Commercially-produced infant and toddler foods: how healthy are they? Maternal & Child Nutrition, 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Australian infant and toddler food naming study, reported in The Conversation, 2025 theconversation.com
- Food Ministers Meeting communique, 25 July 2024, foodregulation.gov.au foodregulation.gov.au
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Consumer Insights Tracker infographic, 2024 foodstandards.gov.au
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Consumer Insights Tracker: food labelling, 2025 foodstandards.gov.au
- Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, on fixing Australian food labelling, 2026 ipan.deakin.edu.au