Little Freddie is changing the nutritional labels on three of its 29 babyfood pouches after tests confirmed they contained more sugar than was stated on the packaging.
The Luton-based supplier did not specify which SKUs are affected. It had also not responded, at the time of publication, to requests to share the full results.
The news follows revelations in The Grocer, published on 14 November, that nine out of 12 Little Freddie’s stage one fruit pouches for babies aged six months and upwards contained more sugar than declared on the label. We reported, based on independent lab tests conducted by Eurofins, that the four worst-offending lines contained almost double the amount of sugar listed.
The babyfood brand informed The Grocer today that it had tested the entire range of 29 products at four separate laboratories, including Eurofins and SGS.
Three of the babyfood pouches were “found to have a sugar value which varied from packaging”, it said, adding that it was in the process of amending the packaging and communication of nutritional values across the three products.
Little Freddie has been working with the Environmental Health office at Luton Council as part of an ongoing investigation into The Grocer’s initial findings.
Little Freddie UK general manager Rich Keir said: “We have continued to work closely with external advisory bodies to understand why a consistently made, natural product can produce test results which vary to the extent seen. As with all natural products, numerous factors impact a fruit’s nutritional values across seasons and batches.
“Whilst we have been compliant with regulations across each stage of our process, it is evident that simply adhering to these regulations has not been sufficient to mitigate the risk of natural fruits resulting in nutritional variation. We will continue to give this area increased focus and have immediately taken steps to embed more robust processes in our operation.
”Our first action has been to amend our packaging and communication of nutritional values across the three products which require it – this is already in progress.”
The Grocer’s original investigation found that four Little Freddie stage one products – Banana & Raspberry Coconut Yoghurt; Peaches & Raspberries; Pink Lady Apple Yoghurt; and Coconut & Summer Berries – contained almost double the amount of sugar claimed by the packs.
Food labelling rules, covered in the UK by EU Regulation No 1169/2011, recognise there can be natural batch variations in the manufacturing process, but states the the nutrient content “should not deviate substantially from labelled values to the extent that such deviations could lead to consumers being misled”.
Sugar tolerance measures state foods with 10g of sugar or less per 100g have a measurement uncertainty of +2g. This means a product with 8g of sugar could contain up to 10g before falling outside the upper limits of the regulations.
Of the 12 Little Freddie products tested for our original article, only three (Prune Yoghurt with Oats; Prunes & Apples; and Pink Lady Apples) were found to comply with the regulation. One was higher than listed on pack but within the upper tolerance limit, while the remaining eight all contained more sugar than the upper limit.
Little Freddie said, in its response to the article, that the Eurofins lab results did not reflect its own independent tests. “Our independent nutritional testing results are exactly as we reflect on our packs,” the company added.
The Grocer shared all the relevant information from the 12 test results, including batch codes, test dates and an exact sugar breakdown, with Little Freddie. However, the business did not share its own independent test results, despite several requests.
The Grocer has today asked Little Freddie to share the results from its latest tests, spanning all 29 products in its range.
A spokeswoman from Luton Council confirmed the local authority was contacted by Sunny Fields Enterprise Ltd (Little Freddie’s registered business name at Companies House) on 14 November, following The Grocer’s story.
“Following this notification, Luton Council has been investigating the matter and has been in regular communication with Sunny Fields Enterprise Ltd, which has provided updates on the action they are taking to ensure nutritional information declared on their products is correct,” the spokeswoman said.
“The council has also been in contact with the Department of Health & Social Care to make them aware of this investigation.”
Full statement from Little Freddie UK general manager Rich Keir:
“Following The Grocer article, Little Freddie retested our entire range of products at four bio-analytical testing laboratories: Eurofins, SGS, Paslabs and Siliker. The testing was arranged across our entire range, with a particular focus on the consistency of sugar levels.
“These accredited tests were conducted to international regulatory standards (UKAS & ISO 17025) across multiple batches. The tests determined that three products out of a total of 29 were found to have a sugar value which varied from packaging.
“Alongside this, we have continued to work closely with external advisory bodies to understand why a consistently made, natural product can produce test results which vary to the extent seen. As with all natural products, numerous factors impact a fruit’s nutritional values across seasons and batches.
“Whilst we have been compliant with regulations across each stage of our process, it is evident that simply adhering to these regulations has not been sufficient to mitigate the risk of natural fruits resulting in nutritional variation. We will continue to give this area increased focus and have immediately taken steps to embed more robust processes in our operation. Our first action has been to amend our packaging and communication of nutritional values across the three products which require it – this is already in progress.
“Moving forward, the volume and frequency of our testing will be increased, to ensure we can follow through on our commitment to deliver the best we can for weaning families.”
No comments yet