Commercial baby foods contain too much sugar: WHO

London: Baby foods on market generally contain too much sugar, posing a source of health concern, a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The UN's specialised agency on public health based the conclusion on an examination by its European office of about 8,000 baby food products on shelf between November 2017 and January 2018.

It warned that "the very high levels of sugars present in commercial products is a cause for concern" by increasing the risk of overweight and dental cavities while inducing a lifetime eating habit in favour of sugary foods.

In around half of the products examined, "more than 30 percent of calories were from total sugars and around a third of products contained added sugar or other sweetening agents," the world health body said in the report released on Monday to update guidelines for infant diets.

The examination that covered more than 500 stores in Austria, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary also finds the labels of up to 60 percent of the inspected food are misleading by claiming to suit infants under six months old.

WHO has long recommended that "infants receive exclusively breast milk for the first six months of life."

In WHO's report, countries are advised to make new laws to curb high sugar intake, ban added sugars and sweeteners in baby foods, and put an end to the promotion of breast milk substitutes.

Meanwhile, the WHO recommends that children between six months and two years be fed nutrient-rich home-prepared foods.

"Good nutrition in infancy and early childhood remains key to ensuring optimal child growth and development, and to better health outcomes later in life," said Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, in a statement.