Is it any wonder then that mums, dads and caregivers are constantly looking for inspiration and ideas for how to keep kids fed and happy?��

Then there’s the pressure to keep meals tasty and nutritionally balanced; stick to a budget; and perhaps cater to an allergy, intolerance or special food requirement or two – not to mention kids’ often wildly illogical and inconsistent approach to what they will or will not currently eat.��

It’s a recipe for exhaustion, stress and overwhelm. Deep breaths.��

We round up some of the go-to appliances ����Vlog parents have found helpful over the years, and some of their best tips and advice for how to make meal planning easier.

Mealtime saviours: the handiest appliances

Here are the top five most-lauded appliances that kids’ caterers (i.e. parents and carers) say are their godsends when it comes to delivering meals. They can go a long way towards reducing stress and increasing inspiration in the kitchen.��

1. Air fryer or multi-cooker

Speed and convenience are of utmost importance when you get home with hungry kids who need to be fed. Want crisp chicken nuggets in 15 mins flat? Perhaps golden drumsticks in under 30 minutes or grilled sausages in under 10?��

These versatile appliances deliver. Air fryers are quicker than ovens to preheat and cook, easy to operate and can be used for a huge variety of meals (find out why we love air fryers).��

And, if you opt for a multi-cooker with an air fryer function, a whole other world of easy food-prep solutions opens up to you, with options for slow cooking, pressure cooking, rice cooking, dehydrating and more.

2. Food processor

Cooking with fresh ingredients from scratch generally means a fair bit of slicing, dicing and chopping.��

A food processor is a clever kitchen shortcut that can cut down meal-prep time to help you batch cook quickly or sneak extra veg into bolognaise and stews without having to spend hours at a chopping board.��

It’s a mean shredding machine, too, especially great for jobs like shredding carrots and cheese (did you know ����Vlog rates each food processor we test on how well it shreds cheese? And everything needs cheese, no?).��

A food processor is also a dab hand at making dough and pureeing veg for soups, both of which can be the basis for some great meal ideas.

3. A good blender

Substantial smoothies, loaded with nutritious fruit, veg and proteins, are the ultimate parent hack to get your kids’ bellies full of lots of good stuff, so a powerful blender that can sit on your benchtop is worth adding to your kitchen arsenal.

Sneak nutrient-dense foods like nuts, oats and chia seeds into fruit smoothies for power-packed breakfasts or afternoon snacks; easily puree steamed fruit to stir into porridges; or blend up roast vegetables with stock to make soup. There are so many ways a great blender can help inspire and lighten the load.��

Best of all, they are super versatile, so you can tailor something delicious that’ll suit your kids’ taste buds.��

High-performance blenders��are generally more expensive, but they are also more powerful and good performers easily blitz coarser ingredients such as kale or nuts, which can make them worth the investment.

4. Dedicated freezer

Planning ahead and freezing meals is one of the best ways to avoid getting caught out at dinner time when the kids are being feral. Only problem is, freezer space is often at a premium and who has room to fit a load of dinners alongside your essential ice-cream stash?��

If you have space, a double door fridge-freezer or chest freezer can help you hoard a lifetime supply of frozen pizzas and dumplings, and that bolognaise you cooked up three gallons of.

5. Espresso machine/stovetop coffee maker

This one isn’t for the kids (obviously) but many of us would not have survived the drudgery of feeding the sprogs day in and day out without a daily injection of caffeine.��

Making your coffee at home is also seriously more cost-efficient than buying from a cafe, which helps with the household budget.��

Although manual espresso machines outperform pod machines in our testing when it comes to the flavour of the coffee they produce, some people prefer the convenience and speed of pod or automatic machines.

Meal-planning tips we swear by

Whether it’s ideas for lunchbox prep or dinner planning, here are some of the best tips from parents on what helps them cope with family catering duties.��

Clever prep��

Shop in bulk:��“I do a menu and a shopping list on the weekend and then shop for everything we need for the week in one go. If you do online shopping, you can keep track of your shopping lists using the supermarket apps and add things as you remember.�� For me it’s about removing the mental load of finishing work then having to decide what to cook for dinner, which I hate. It’s so much easier to know in advance what I’m going to cook each day.”

Pool your prep: “I chop up heaps of carrot, celery and cucumber sticks on a weekend and keep them in the fridge, so they’re ready to divvy up for lunchboxes throughout the week.”��

Double up: “I don’t do batch cooking, but I do cut big batches of veggies on the weekend and use half to make a soup and then freeze the other half to use to make another soup or stir-fry quickly during the week.”��

Freezer space savers: “If you’re batch cooking and pushed for space in the freezer, invest in some good reusable silicone freezer bags. After you fill them, lie them flat. Once frozen, you can stack them like records. It’s a massive space saver and less wasted plastic.”��

Lunchbox hacks

Lunchbox menu: “Create a lunchbox meal planner with a handful of options that are easy to make and let the kids pick out what they want for the next week so you can do shopping and meal prep ahead of time.”��

Freeze-ahead lunchbox fillers:��“Cooking up a batch of items on the weekend that you know your kids like and that freeze well takes the stress out of lunches. I bake muffins and things like brownies or pastry scrolls that freeze and defrost well and also stock the freezer with sandwiches and slices of pizza.”

Think outside the box

Breakfast for dinner: “There is absolutely nothing wrong with serving up a plate of boiled or scrambled eggs with toast and baked beans for dinner. My kids love it!”

Snack plates for the win: “We are big fans of grazing plates for dinner. They’re super easy to throw together and no cooking required, it’s a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge and the kids enjoy the variety. We do chopped up or grated carrots, cheese cubes, cucumber sticks, ham or salami sticks, pretzels or breadsticks with hummus or guacamole, pre-boiled eggs, crackers, pitas or toast, fruit, cherry tomatoes, nuts and seeds… whatever!”

Love your leftovers:��“Don’t make a big dinner from scratch every night. Designate one night to cook a double batch of say a curry, stew or bolognese and then save the rest for leftover night (preferably not the following night so you don’t get sick of the food you made!)”

Take the pressure off

Delegate: “Once the kids are old enough, get them to help prep dinner and make their own lunches. You might be surprised how well they can manage it. Kids love making their own pizzas and sandwiches, especially if they get to choose their own toppings. Sharing the load between parents and caregivers is also handy – delegate certain days to certain members of the family so everyone lends a hand.”��

Keep it simple: “Don’t feel like everyone needs a gourmet meal every day of the week. I don’t worry too much about variety. We have about three staples and no one minds having each of them multiple times per week. They all have three serves of vegies, some protein and usually pasta on the side, that’ll do. “I just don’t have the bandwidth to be coming up with new ideas all the time, especially knowing that it will probably go uneaten by my two-year-old anyway!”

Can meal delivery boxes help with the daily dinner dilemma?��

Sometimes doing the grocery shopping and cooking meals from scratch (including the mental load required) just isn’t an option. Or perhaps you’re stuck in a dinner rut and just need someone else to come up with some new delicious dinner ideas for you.

There are various prepared meal delivery services that deliver ready-made meals that require minimal prep beyond heating, as well as meal kit (or meal box) delivery services that deliver all the portioned ingredients and recipe cards you need to create a meal. These include well-known services such as Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon and QuiteLike.

If you’re someone who often finds themselves making a last-minute dash into the supermarket or takeaway to get dinner, or you spend $3.50 on a bunch of herbs only to use half and let the other half wither away in the fridge, these meal kits can be a convenient and good-value answer to the dinner question, saving you time, money and reducing food waste.

They may not be worth the money, though, if you’re already nailing the meal planning and regularly doing things such as looking for specials on ingredients and buying in bulk.��

Fiona Mair, ����Vlog home economist and one of our testers, found a lot to recommend in the meal delivery services we have tested in our kitchen labs.

“Meal delivery services are predominantly marketed to time-poor families, and we found that some deliver great solutions for families looking to lighten the dinnertime load. If you have limited skills in the kitchen and want to eat home-cooked food, they can also be a great way to learn how to cook and get inspiration,” says Fiona.

The post Mealtime hacks for busy parents and caregivers appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• 1. Go large: Say goodbye to pre-portioned snacks
• 2. Prep your own dairy products
• 3. Make puff pastry your friend
• 4. Bake up a storm
• 5. Use leftovers

This is hard enough in the baby and toddler years, when their tastes vary wildly and they have a tendency to throw things at the walls.��But then the school years roll around and the reality hits: you have to get up every morning and fill a box with food for your child to eat over the course of an entire day. Five days a week. For 13 years. Oh, and there’s no fridge at school.��

The immensity of this task is overwhelming, and it’s no wonder many of us turn to conveniently pre-packaged foods to help us stagger through.��But with the cost of living really starting to bite, it’s worth getting creative in the kitchen to see if you can reduce your weekly grocery bill.��

We’ve put together some low-effort ideas that can yield big savings over the course of the school year.

1. Go large: Say goodbye to pre-portioned snacks

This is probably the number one way to save a lot of money with minimal effort. Pre-packaged “lunch box-sized” snacks like crackers, chips, cookies and sultanas sure are convenient, but it really only takes a tiny bit more effort to tip some crisps into a smaller bag before throwing it into a lunch box.��

And the savings can be substantial. For example, if you buy a 225g bag of Parker’s Baked Mini Pretzels, you’ll be paying $1.56/100g. But if you buy the exact same product in six pre-portioned packs, you’ll pay almost double ($3/100g).

To save more money in the long run (and help the environment), invest in a few good-quality, reusable silicone ziploc bags in various sizes that can be used in lunch boxes every day. Another benefit of packing snacks this way is that you get to decide the portion sizes, and you can mix snacks together in one bag.

It’s also worth noting that food packaging is used to market foods to children and to build brand recognition and brand loyalty. Placing foods in generic packets from home instead of their original packaging will reduce your child’s exposure to marketing from food companies.��

2. Prep your own dairy products

It’s not just dry snacks like chips and crackers that cost a fortune in their pre-portioned form. Popular lunch box snacks like cheese and crackers and flavoured yoghurt pots or pouches are also more expensive than their basic counterparts.��

For example, a four-pack of Mainland Munchables Tasty Cheese & Crackers costs a whopping $7 ($1.75 per pack). And each pack contains just three measly slices of cheese and three crackers.��

Instead of buying cheese and cracker packs, you could buy a giant 1kg block of tasty cheese and cut it into cubes yourself (or try grating it into a container – kids often go wild for grated cheese).��

Serve with some crackers (also from a large pack of course) and hey presto, you’re getting the exact same snack for a lot less money. In fact, we calculated that making the exact same serving size of cheese and crackers can cost as little as 27c per serve.

You can also save by buying a large tub of your kids’ favourite yoghurt flavour and portioning it into leakproof containers yourself, rather than buying individual tubs or pouches. You can even make it fun by adding another container with custom “mix-ins” – nuts, seeds and dried or frozen fruit are all good options for them to add themselves when they’re ready to eat it.��

3. Make puff pastry your friend

If you often buy your kids savoury baked goods for their lunch boxes, you could save by making some really simple things yourself. It’s amazing what you can do with a few sheets of puff pastry. From cheese and vegemite twists to mini pizza pinwheels or ham and cheese scrolls, the internet abounds with ideas.��

The recipes are usually very simple, mostly just a matter of spreading a couple of ingredients on the pastry and popping it in the oven.��

And the best bit is you can bake these things in bulk, freeze them and then just put them in your kids’ lunch boxes in the morning.��

We compared the cost of making puff pastry cheese and vegemite scrolls with buying a 6-pack of Woolworths Mini Mighty scrolls (they’re not strictly the same, because the Woolworths product uses bread dough rather than puff pastry, but hopefully most kiddos would still like the puff pastry option).��

The cost of making your own puff pastry scrolls was 76c per 100g, while the pre-made option was almost twice as much at $1.44 per 100g.��

If you want to take it a step further and make your own 2-ingredient dough using just yoghurt and self-raising flour, you could pay as little as 66c per 100g to whip up some cheesymite scrolls.

4. Bake up a storm

The same goes for baked sweet treats like mini muffins and cakes. Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a baker, it can be very worthwhile to spend an hour whipping up a giant batch of super-simple banana muffins or choc-chip cookies, freeze them and use them in lunch boxes for the entire month to come.��

As well as saving money, another benefit of making from scratch is having control over the ingredients, so you can avoid things like artificial colours or flavours and excessive sugars.

For example, we compared the cost of a five-slice pack banana bread from Woolworths, a single serve of pre-made banana bread from Coles, and a super simple homemade loaf using the recipe on the Woolworths website and the cheapest ingredients from Woolies.��

Buying the pre-made 5-slice option will cost you $1.30 per 100g, while the single-serve Coles banana bread will cost you $2 per 100g. But making it yourself can cost as little as 57c per 100g – that’s less than half the cost of the cheapest pre-made option. Over a year, that can add up to a tidy saving.��

Plus, the pre-made options contain preservatives, while the home-made option is all-natural (and will freeze perfectly well if you want it to last).��

5. Use leftovers

The cheapest lunch of all is food you already have that would otherwise go to waste, and dinner leftovers can make a delicious lunch if served well.��

If you’ve had something for dinner that can be reheated, such as pasta, bolognaise or curry, package up a hot portion in a thermos, and lunch for the day is sorted. Just add some snacks for recess and a piece of fruit and you’re good to go.��

The post 5 money-saving lunchbox hacks appeared first on ����Vlog.

It’s almost back to school time, which means packed lunches will soon be back on your daily to-do list.��

Whether you consider it to be a tiresome chore, or you quite enjoy it, creating a lunch that your child might actually eat also involves putting it in something that will keep the food in edible, transportable and, hopefully, appealing condition.��

The array of lunch box options on offer is staggering: different sizes and styles (lunch bag, box, bento-style, single compartment) as well as various materials (BPA-free plastic, stainless steel, bamboo) – not to mention how you’re going to keep the food insulated and safe to eat. It’s a culinary conundrum!��

But parents can probably all agree we want to pick the best lunch box to encourage our kids to eat healthily and enthusiastically every day – plus one that’s easy to clean and won’t cause a mess at the bottom of a school bag.����

One lunch box that promises all of the above is Yumbox, a US brand of bento-style lunch box that’s become popular with Aussie parents. Here, ����Vlog parents give their take on the Yumbox, plus some other things to consider to help you pick the perfect lunch box.

What is a bento-style lunch box?

Bento-style lunch boxes such as the Yumbox are inspired by traditional Japanese bento boxes: single-serve meals packed into a box, usually based around rice or noodles.��

Essentially, they’re boxes that open and close with a single latch, containing an inner tray with multiple compartments for different types of food. Some also have a silicone seal to prevent spills.

They’re designed to make it easy for parents to include a variety of tastes, textures and portion-controlled food groups for kid’s lunches, so are billed as a good choice for both fussy and adventurous eaters.

There are many brands of bento-style lunch boxes available in Australia, including options from Yumbox, b.box, Bentgo, Hippo Blue, Stuck on You, Seed & Sprout and Smiggle, plus several budget options from Aldi, Kmart and others.

Are Yumbox lunch boxes worth it?

With a recommended retail price of $44.95 for the Yumbox Original Bento Box Lunchbox, this is not a cheap option for housing your child’s Vegemite sarnie (for that price, you might be wishing it magically makes the lunch for you, but sadly it isn’t so).

So what do you get for the cash?��

The Yumbox is dishwasher-safe, with a removable inner tray containing multiple compartments in different sizes, depending on which type you buy (more on that below).��

They’re made from food safe, lead-free, BPA-free plastic, and contain no phthalates or PVC.��

They have a silicone seal that makes the box leakproof when it contains things such as yoghurt or dip, but not liquids.��

The newest addition to the range is the Yumbox Presto, which has a moulded stainless steel tray with compartments, as opposed to plastic (the Yumbox Presto has a much heftier price tag though, and will set you back $72.95).��

What ����Vlog users say

����Vlog parents who have used a Yumbox for their kids say that they’re lightweight, durable and easy to clean.��

The option to include lots of different types of food without the need for plastic wrap or other packaging is also a plus.

Parent of two, Jane, says: “We have three Yumboxes and I think they’re great. They never leak, food looks more appealing in them, they eliminate the need for plastic wrap and individual packets/containers, and are easy for little hands to open and close.”

Another ����Vlog parent of two Amanda says: “We’ve had our Yumbox for three years and it’s still in great condition, worn but no leaks, no spills ever.”

On the downside (apart from the price tag), they do take up quite a bit of space in the dishwasher, and you may need to air-dry them afterwards.��

What size lunch box or Yumbox should you buy?��

Different children may require different amounts or styles of food to keep them satisfied. So when buying a lunchbox, consider how much you’ll need to pack (so how big it needs to be) and what kinds of foods you’ll need to fit in it.��

For example, do you need space to pack a sandwich, wrap or bread roll, or is your child a more particular eater who likes lots of options to choose from?��

Do they prefer the fruit cut up into smaller or larger pieces, or do they like it whole? Note that none of the Yumbox options have space to pack large whole fruits such as a banana or apple, so you may have to consider a different style of lunchbox or an insulated lunch bag for that.

Prepare for the future

If you’re considering a Yumbox or another lunch box that’s up there in price and you’d rather not buy multiple sizes, make sure the model you buy will continue to be suitable as your child’s eating habits change.

For example, one ����Vlog parent replaced their daughter’s Yumbox Original when she started school, because she needed a bigger size.

“I bought the Yumbox Panino, as sometimes she likes to take a sandwich or wrap as an option, and you can’t fit that in the Original. It’s a lot of money to spend on another lunch box, but it works better for me than having lots of little containers or plastic-wrapped products, and my daughter really enjoys eating from it.”

Yumbox is currently available in six different sizes and styles, ranging in price from around $30 for the MiniBox with two compartments and a dip well, through to the $73 Presto that holds 3 and a half cups worth of food.

How does Yumbox compare with cheaper alternatives?

We know not everyone wants to spend big bucks on a lunchbox. You can pick up a lunchbox from the supermarket or stores such as Kmart or Big W for as little as a few dollars.��

This may also be a better option if your child is prone to losing items or they’re likely to get damaged.

����Vlog mum of three Margaret has a tip: “My lunchbox days are behind me (thank goodness). But we had a rule in our house that the kids could choose a new lunch box at the start of each year, but if they lost it I sent them to school with their lunch in a plastic bag for the rest of the term and then they got a cheap plastic box from the supermarket. It really helped them be responsible.”��

Budget boxes may not last

When it comes to the cheaper bento-style boxes, ����Vlog parents say some budget options don’t go the distance and can be more fiddly to use.��

Jane says: “I bought two cheapo Aldi boxes as alternatives to our Yumboxes. They’ve been used only occasionally for less than a year, and already I’ve had to throw one out because a corner of the inner tray shattered and little pieces of plastic were breaking off into the food compartment.”

Another advantage of Yumbox is that the lid is attached. ����Vlog parent Emily says, “I’ve tried other lunch boxes (such as Sistema, Decor, Kmart) before the Yumbox. But the Yumbox has been the most reliable and, because of its design, I don’t have containers coming home with lids missing.”

Another parent says, “I like our Yumbox because the plastic insert is easy to get in and out for cleaning, and my daughter can open the latch easily herself (she is five). I also tried a much cheaper Aldi bento and it just feels less durable and the components don’t fit together as neatly or smoothly.”

And if a lunchbox is durable, you might be able to pass it down to the next child. As another ����Vlog parent says, “I can use them both for my son when he gets a bit older, too, which gives me more value for the money I’ve spent.”

What to look for when buying a new lunchbox

Whether you decide to splash out on a Yumbox or another brand/type of lunch box, here are some tips for what to consider before buying:

Size

How old is your child and how much do they like to eat? Keep in mind you’ll need to pack something for Crunch ‘n’ Sip (if they’re in primary school), recess, lunch and perhaps a snack for after school. Is there space to pack whole pieces of fruit, a yoghurt pouch or a fruit box, if this is what your child likes?

Insulation

Is there a freezer brick/cool bag included? How can you keep the lunchbox contents cool? If not, will it fit in an insulated lunch bag? Will you need an insulated product to keep meals warm in winter, such as soups or warm pastas?

How easy is it to clean?

Being able to pop it in the dishwasher is the most preferable option, as you’ll need to clean it every day. Be wary of little crevices that might trap food.

Ease of use

If you have younger children, can they open it themselves? A single box to open may be easier than lots of little containers.

Material

If you are buying plastic, look for products that are BPA- andphthalates-free. Plastic alternatives to consider include bamboo, which is considered more sustainable than plastic, or stainless steel, which can be pricier but is non-reactive and durable. There are also fabric lunch bags/wraps, or if you have an older, responsible child, you could consider glass (although it’s heavier and more breakable).

Durability

How likely is the lunchbox to survive being dropped or kicked around in a school bag? Is the lid attached or separate? Will it easily fly off or get lost? Are there detachable dividers that could get lost and, if so, can you buy replacements?

Is it leakproof?

Look for good-quality silicone seals if you’re concerned about leakage from things such as dips or yoghurt.

Do you want to buy more than one?

Cost may become more of a factor if you want to buy multiple lunchboxes you can prepare in advance and have ready to go in the fridge or freezer.

Design

You may want to choose a neutral design that will grow with your child – so you don’t have to buy a new lunchbox when they grow out of their lunchbox emblazoned with Frozen/Paw Patrol/Spiderman!

The post Should you buy a Yumbox lunch box? appeared first on ����Vlog.

The contents need to be quick, easy, cheap, healthy and tasty – and the whole thing needs to be secured in containers that won’t get sloshed all over library books at the bottom of a bag.��

No wonder so many of us give up entirely and outsource the whole thing to the school canteen.

But if 2023 is the year you want to put a lunchbox system in place that actually works, the key is to be prepared.��

Here, ����Vlog staff and supporters share their tried-and-tested lunchbox tricks that will help you win the Battle of the Box.

1. Freeze, please

Freezing sandwiches in advance is Lunchbox Hack 101, but there are a few things to consider to make sure you do it right. Mum-of-three Bek is happy to freeze her sandwiches whole, but ����Vlog product designer Emily warns they have to be wrapped “really well” or they can suffer freezer burn.��

Ivonne, ����Vlog’s member engagement manager, suggests that instead of freezing whole sandwiches, you keep your bread in the freezer for convenience and then make your sandwiches the night before using the frozen bread. “It defrosts slowly overnight in the fridge and is fresh for the day,” she says.

2. Contain yourself

You could spend six hours preparing a Michelin-starred tasting menu for your preschooler’s recess, but it would all be a waste of time with the wrong containers.��

Bek says that bento-style boxes are a safe bet for fussy eaters because “at least you know they’ll eat something”. But Kathleen warns against investing too much in fancy boxes that will almost certainly end up either lost or which won’t fit inside that tatty Bluey lunchbag that your preschooler simply can’t live without.��

“It makes sense to have a few cheaper, different-shaped boxes for when they leave [their usual one] at school and you have to cobble together odd-shaped containers to fit everything in until it miraculously returns,” she says.��

Another way to minimise container attrition? Invest in lunchboxes and drink bottles with attached lids. “Can you tell we lose a lot of things in our house?” Kathleen says.

3. Hit the health vs hunger sweet spot��

The dilemma: your children would happily live on Twisties and chocolate bars if you’d let them, but the school health police will rap you over the knuckles unless you make them quinoa flatbreads and acai smoothies – which they’d never touch, even if you had the time and energy.��

Every child is different, but there are a few store-bought snacks worth having on hand that should tick both boxes. Baby sushi is a good one, according to ����Vlog whitegoods expert Ashley, and Bek says seaweed strips and baby bocconcini both pass muster.��

4. Thermoses: think beyond soup

A hot lunch on a cold day is a wonderful thing, and a great way to use up last night’s leftovers.��

Kathleen likes to pack heat-holding thermoses with zucchini slices or leftover bolognese, which she says is a “good way to get them to eat veggies without them realising”.��

Parent-of-two Jess regularly packs her fifth-grader’s thermos with tri-colour vegetable spiral pasta, which is much easier to eat than long strands.

5. Get half-baked

����Vlog money and travel expert Uta has a brilliant way to include fresh-baked snacks in her daughter’s lunchbox. She buys frozen ricotta and spinach pastries or veggie sausage rolls. She then bakes them in advance until they’re done but not quite browned, before putting them back in the freezer.��

“Each night I take one portion out and put it in the fridge and in the morning I finish it in the sandwich press,” she says. Fresh and fabulous.��

6. Make a moving menu

All hail ����Vlog engineering lead Andrea, who has to have one of the most comprehensive – and she says failsafe – kid-friendly lunchbox systems we’ve ever encountered.��

“I make a lunch menu using magnet-backed lamination sheets and pre-set menu options we know they like,” she says. “Usually on a Sunday afternoon I get them to pick out everything they want for the week, then I plan grocery shopping to suit.

“We’re not generally very organised, but this was the one setup I felt was worth the effort, as it makes lunch prep so much smoother. They are usually more invested in eating lunches they’ve picked out themselves.”

7. Manageable chunks

Cut, slice, prep, store. The more of that you can do in advance, the easier your mornings will be. Emily, ����Vlog product designer, is a ninja on this front.��

“On the day of a weekly grocery run I will prep the veg: carrots, cucumber (deseeded) and celery, all chopped into sticks and packed into old takeaway containers that I reuse,” she says. “Then, when I prep the lunchboxes in the morning, it’s grab and go.”

8. Systemise it

����Vlog test coordinator Mostafa says the key to lunch prep for his four boys is having systems, and sticking to them with military precision.��

He breaks his sons’ lunches into five categories: sandwich, fruit and veg, drink, recess and special extras. Then, he has three or four options in each category that he rotates – such as a choice of pepita seeds, grated coconut or dried cranberries under the ‘special extras’ heading. The idea is to minimise decisions and stick to things the children like.

9.�� Eat and repeat

Children are simple folk, and will generally eat the same thing ad nauseum if it’s something they like. The upside for you is that repetition means you can buy in bulk and cut down on both prep time and the mental load of creativity.��

“Parents worry a lot more than kids about eating the same thing over and over,” says Stacy. “You can easily make the same lunch for the whole week – or two, depending on the kid – and they won’t care or notice.”

The post Lifesaving lunchbox hacks to make back-to-school easy appeared first on ����Vlog.

You can fill them with ingredients of your choosing, such as natural yoghurt or homemade purées. And they’re better for both the environment and your hip pocket than the single-use supermarket versions.

So how easy are they to use? How long do they last? And how much money can they save you? Our triallists (and their kids) put seven reusable food pouches through their paces to find out. See how we test for details.

Which is the best reusable food pouch?

Here are the products we trialled, ranked from the highest score to the lowest.

ChooMee

choomee.com

Score: 4.7 out of 5

Size: 148mL

Price: $27.95 for eight-pack ($3.49 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to fill, ease to eat from, ease of removing and replacing lid, ease to clean and ease to dry
• Comes with child-safe (anti-choke) lids
• Freezer and dishwasher (top rack) safe
• Free from BPA, phthalates, lead and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“The picture is very cute, which would make it appealing to kids. The pouch felt like it was decent quality (i.e. plastic was thick).” “Easiest of the bunch to fill, had a wider opening.””Very easy to eat from. Ergonomically designed for little hands. Didn’t require much squeeze for yoghurt to come up and out through the lip.” “Large lid, easy to use and not lose!” “Rounded edges means no corners food can get stuck in – it’s easy to pop in the dishwasher and dries well on the drying rack.”

Little Mashies

littlemashies.com

Score: 4.3 out of 5

Size: 130mL

Price: $35.95 for 10-pack ($3.60 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to fill, ease to seal, ease to eat from, ease of removing and replacing lid, ease to clean and ease to dry
• Most expensive pouch in our trial
• Comes with child-safe lids
• Freezer and dishwasher safe
• Free from BPA, phthalates and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“The packaging was very cute with the little monster picture – kiddo loved it. It looked much more appealing than some of the plainer pouches, which might make it easier to get your kid to eat.” “Opening allowed me to fill up with very little mess.” “I found this seal quite easy to use/rigid” “No crevices/corners for food to get stuck into – easy to pop in the dishwasher” “Easy to air dry.”

Squooshi

squooshi.com

Score: 4.1 out of 5

Size: 147mL

Price: $23.49 for 12-pack ($1.96 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to seal, ease to eat from, ease of removing and replacing lids, ease to clean and ease to dry
• Cheaper than average
• Comes with child-safe lids
• Freezer and dishwasher safe
• Free from BPA, phthalates, lead and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“Fun looking packet – attractive to kids””Easy enough to seal and didn’t require a second push to lock in. Noticed the lock seal was the most secure and firm.” “The kid found it easy to eat from and liked it.” “Easy to open and close without any assistance. The large lid is great for little hands to do themselves.” “Easy to dry with or without a towel.”

Sinchies (top spout)

sinchies.com.au

Score: 3.7 out of 5

Size: 150mL

Price: $25.50 for 10-pack ($2.55 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to fill, ease to eat from, ease to clean and ease to dry
• Equal lowest rating for ease of removing and replacing lids
• Pouches come with a standard lid but you can buy child-safe lids separately
• Freezer safe, not recommended for use in a dishwasher
• Free from BPA, phthalate and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“Great big size, great packaging design” “It’s a bit wider than others so easy to fill and it has a ‘max fill line’ so you know where to fill it to” “Super easy to clean as there were no nooks or hard to reach places in the pouch.” “The shape of the pouch made it easy to dry with either a towel or air drying.” “Hard to undo the lid and seal.”

Cherub Baby (top spout)

cherubbaby.com.au

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Size: 180mL

Price: $14.99 for 10-pack ($1.50 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to seal, ease to eat from and ease of removing and replacing lid
• Lowest rating for ease to fill
• Cheaper than average
• Comes with child-safe lids
• Freezer and dishwasher safe
• Free from BPA, BPS, phthalate and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“Cute pineapple design and you can see the contents of the pouch. Slim design that looks easy to hold. Large lid is easy to remove.” “As the seal is shorter than some of the other pouches (the pouch is slimmer) I felt it was quite easy to seal.” “It was hard to fill without spilling because it was narrow.”

Sinchies (side spout)

sinchies.com.au

Score: 2.7 out of 5

Size: 140mL

Price: $23 for 10-pack ($2.30 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease to eat from
• Lowest rating for ease to seal and equal lowest rating for ease of removing and replacing lids
• Pouches come with a standard lid but you can buy child-safe lids separately
• Freezer safe, not recommended for use in a dishwasher
• Free from BPA, phthalate and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“It looks small and very plain””Different to others with spout on the side””Took me multiple attempts to seal it properly. However, it didn’t leak even when I squeezed it.””Gets a little harder the more you wash it, the plastic is less flexible.” “Hard to grip the small lid and tight to open”.

Cherub Baby (side spout)

cherubbaby.com.au

Score: 2.1 out of 5

Size: 150mL

Price: $19.99 for 20-pack ($1.00 per pouch)

Good to know:

• Rated well for ease of removing and replacing lid
• Lowest rating for ease to eat from, ease to clean and ease to dry
• Cheapest pouch in our trial
• Comes with child-safe lids, name labels and measuring guide
• Freezer and dishwasher safe
• Free from BPA, BPS, phthalate and PVC.

Triallist comments:

“The pouch was very basic compared to the other designs.” “Love that it has measurements (mL and oz) on the packaging, but it’s odd to see a pouch with the spout on the side.””Given the angle of the lip it was very awkward to squeeze the contents out. It required a rolling effort. The pouch was not ergonomically friendly for little hands given its shape and location of lip.” “It’s easy enough to rinse out but I found yoghurt residue around the base of the pouch which wasn’t easy to remove.” “Longest of all pouches to dry.”

How long do they last?

According to the manufacturers, you can expect a reusable pouch to last anything from six months to more than a year – although it does depend on what you use them for and how you care for them.

For example, the Sinchies website says: “We have had some customers using the same batch for years and some only for six months as they’ve constantly been heating the pouches, freezing them and washing them in the dishwasher (please note, we do not recommend putting pouches through the dishwasher). Generally we say six months is a good life, due to the low price point of the pouches ranging from $1 to a few dollars.”

The Cherub Baby website states: “Our pouches are built strong and designed to last. Cleaning the pouches in the dishwasher will wear them out faster, so we recommend hand washing them using a bottle brush and drying on a rack. This way you’ll find the pouches bounce back really well after each use. Most customers find they get at least six months use out of the pouches with many using them for years from the infant stage through to yoghurt pouches as bub grows through to a toddler and beyond.”

The Squooshi website even specifies a one-year guarantee. “Our pouch is leak proof and made to last. If you find your pouch has a fault within a year of purchase, we’ll happily replace it.

The way your child eats from it can also affect a pouch’s lifespan, as one triallist found: “One thing I noted about all of the pouches [we trialled] is that kids can chew on the spout and flatten it, so the lids don’t fit. Therefore while these are definitely reusable many times, I see them not lasting years as the spout will deteriorate over time.”

How much money and plastic waste could you save?

If your child prefers to eat their food purées and yoghurts from a pouch, ditching the single-use supermarket versions for reusable ones can cut food costs and reduce plastic waste.

We crunched the numbers and found that if your child takes a squeezy yoghurt to daycare or school every day, switching to a reusable pouch could save you nearly $160 a year, not to mention a mountain of landfill.

The post Best reusable food pouches for children appeared first on ����Vlog.

And it’s not just children. The most recent national nutrition survey found that less than four percent of the population – and less than one percent of children – regularly eat the minimum recommended number of servings of vegetables and legumes/beans.

During your trips to the supermarket, you’ve probably noticed a number of food companies leveraging this issue, making claims on the label about the number of vegie serves in their products. Everything from chips to chicken nuggets seems to be fair game. If it’s an uphill challenge getting your kids to eat more vegies, these products hold obvious appeal. So can these foods really make a meaningful contribution to their five-a-day?

All talk and no substance

On the surface, the claims sound promising. Six serves of veg in a pasta sauce – bring it on! But a closer look reveals that many of these claims are little more than marketing puffery.��

For example:

• A standard serve of vegies is 75g, but food companies sometimes use creative accounting when converting the amount of veg in their products to a number of serves on the label.
• The claims tend to reference the whole pack/bottle/tin, but realistically you’d only be eating a portion of it at any one time.

Also, more often than not the ‘veg’ in question is tomato (closely followed by carrot, then onion). Now, there’s nothing wrong with tomatoes – in fact, they’re incredibly nutritious and versatile (and for the purpose of this article, we won’t quibble about their categorisation as veg rather than fruit).��

But the recommendation to enjoy plenty of vegetables in your diet is as much about including different types and colours of vegetables as it is about eating big enough servings. So you can’t rely on these packaged foods to provide this diversity.

To make matters worse, the ‘serves of veg’ claims are often on the labels of highly processed food. So along with the (often scant) vegies, you tend to be getting less desirable ingredients too, such as salt and added sugar.

Here are some examples.

Masterfoods Tomato Sauce Hidden Veg

Pack claim: “5 serves of veg in every bottle”

Masterfoods isn’t the first to hide vegies in food – parents worldwide have been hiding vegies in their kids’ meals since the dawn of time. The ‘hidden veg’ in this sauce includes carrot and sweet potato, as well as the ubiquitous tomato.��

But each 15mL serve (about three teaspoons) of sauce contains just 12g – or 0.2 of a serve – of vegies. So unless you’re adding liberal quantities of sauce to everything from sausages to salad, you’ll barely scratch the surface of the five-a-day target.

Heinz Spaghetti The One For All

Pack claim: “A tomato squeezed into every serving. Contributes to your 5+ a day*” (“*Contains 3 serves of vegetables per can”)

Three serves of vegetables – that’s only two away from your daily target. That said, it’s three serves of tomatoes, which isn’t exactly the wide variety of veg you should be aiming for.��

Plus, the can is meant to feed four, so if you eat just one portion, you’re getting only 58g (0.8 of a serve) of veg. Eat the whole can, and you’ve had 1605mg sodium, which isn’t far off twice the 920mg you need in a day. Not an ideal outcome if what you’re actually trying to do is eat more vegies.

Steggles Chicken Breast Nuggets Boosted with Veggies

Pack claim: “Boosted with veggies.” “1/4 cup of veg per 10 nuggets.” “Hidden cauliflower and potato.”

This product sounds like a win-win. Nuggets to keep the children happy, with hidden veg to keep their parents happy. That ¼ cup of veg in every 10 nuggets may seem impressive, but when you check the ingredients list it’s actually just 14g in a 100g serve of nuggets – 0.2 of a 75g serving of vegetables.��

That means you’d need to eat the entire 400g pack of nuggets plus a portion of a second pack to get a whole serving of vegies. And anyone who could stomach that quantity would be getting double the sodium and more than half the kilojoules that the average adult needs or consumes in a day.

Annabel Karmel Macaroni Cheese

Pack claim: “1 serve of veggies”

Mac ‘n’ cheese, another surefire hit with children, with bonus broccoli. This single-serve 200g product contains 20% broccoli, which by our calculations equals just 40g – somewhat short of a 75g serve.��

Sure, the recommended number of serves of veg for the age group this product is marketed to is half that of adults, but it’s still not the “1 serve of veggies” it promises on the pack.

Macro Lentil Bites Cruzin Carrot

Pack claim: “5% Carrot + 41% Chickpea & Lentil Flour = Yummy, Hidden Veggies”

On the face of it, 46% veg (5% Carrot + 41% Chickpea & Lentil Flour) sounds pretty reasonable.��

But these puffed-up snacks are actually so lightweight that an individual pack weighs just 18g, which means that 46% is a paltry 8g – about 0.1 of a standard serve of vegies.��

Perhaps that’s what they mean by “hidden”.

10 ways to help reach five serves a day

Processed foods with added vegies may have more nutritional benefit than comparable processed foods without, but they’re no match for actual vegies when it comes to making a dent in your five-a-day target. Nor do they encourage the healthiest of eating habits, which is particularly important for children.��

Nutrition aside, the added bonus of buying fresh or minimally processed vegetables is you get more bang for your buck, particularly if you’re buying in season. The trick is getting your kids to eat them.

So we turned to nutritionists – and ����Vlog parents – for inspiration. Here are their top tips:

1. Encourage children to help shop for and choose vegetables, as well as helping with their preparation – e.g. shredding lettuce, grating carrots and packing vegie sticks in school lunchboxes.
2. Offer vegies throughout the day and start early. Trying to get your kids to eat five serves in their evening meal can be tricky, if not impossible.
3. If they’re vegie-averse, “hide” lentils in their bolognese sauce, cauliflower in their mashed potato and grated carrot, pumpkin or zucchini in their scones and banana bread, and foods such as meatloaf and rissoles.
4. Keep offering your children vegetables, even if they reject them at first.
5. Add extra diced vegetables to kid-friendly foods such as fried rice and frittata, and increase the amount of vegetable toppings on their homemade pizzas.
6. Let kids serve themselves at the table, choosing what and how much they want. This works well for dishes such as Vietnamese rice paper rolls, Mexican fajitas and Korean barbecue lettuce wraps.
7. Eat your vegie-filled evening meal together at the dinner table. Vegetables have traditionally been eaten mainly at dinner in Australia, and with many families no longer having a family meal, the vegetables have become casualties.
8. Try a tasting-plate approach with your children, offering them a few favourite veg, alongside some less familiar options. Examples include celery sticks, capsicum strips, cherry tomatoes, edamame beans, whole button mushrooms, carrot (sticks or grated), snow peas, beans, olives, cucumber or steamed asparagus. Pair these with vegetable or pulse-based dips such as hummus.
9. Help your kids grow their own vegetable garden. If you’re in a flat or have limited space, sprouts, herbs, lettuce and cherry tomatoes are easy to grow in pots on a window sill or balcony.
10. Set a good example yourself. Regularly tuck into and be seen to enjoy vegetables and salads in front of your kids.

The post Added vegetables in processed foods appeared first on ����Vlog.

And not only are they incredibly convenient, but they’re healthy too. At least, that’s what the labels would have us believe, with their claims of ‘locked in goodness’, ‘no added junk’ and ‘made with real fruit’ alongside wholesome images of children and fresh fruit and veg.

But things aren’t always as they seem. We reviewed 78 packaged meals and snacks marketed specifically for toddlers and found that:��

• more than half contain sugars that are harmful to health
• many are highly processed
• what’s in the pack often bears little resemblance to what’s promised on the label.��

See our analysis��below.

Sugars in toddler food

Most parents would tell you that their children are sweet enough. But manufacturers of toddler foods seem to think otherwise.

Of the products we looked at, 58% contain added sugars that are harmful to health.

Almost half (45%) could be classified as high in sugar, with at least 15g of sugar per 100g.

And the worst offenders are more than 60% sugar.

Toddler foods with most sugar

• Rafferty’s Garden Strawberry Yoghurt Buttons (62.3% sugar)
• Rafferty’s Garden Mixed Berry Yoghurt Buttons (62.9%)
• Kiddylicious Crispy Tiddlers Raspberry (63%)
• Kiddylicious Smoothie Melts Strawberry & Banana (67%)
• Kiddylicious Strawberry Fruit Wriggles (68.8%)

As the toddler snack with the most sugar out of all those we looked at, the Kiddylicious Strawberry Fruit Wriggles was a worthy recipient of a 2021 Shonky Award.

There are several reasons why sugary toddler foods are a concern, not least of which is that having too much sugar in your diet can contribute to health problems.

Health risks to children

Jane Martin, executive manager of the ��(OPC), tells us: “Regularly eating sugary foods puts children at risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. As they grow older this can lead to increased risk of diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.”

Influencing children’s taste preferences

More insidious is that when children regularly consume sugary foods and drinks, their palates and taste buds adjust in response.��

“Children can develop a preference for sweet foods which can result in a diet high in sugar and missed opportunities for the child to develop a taste preference for healthier, unsweetened foods,” says Martin.

Worryingly, sweet products outnumbered savoury products by almost two to one across the 78 toddler foods we found on supermarket shelves.

But avoiding products with harmful sugars and choosing healthier options is far from straightforward. Obstacles include sneaky marketing and weak sugar labelling requirements.

‘Healthy’ labels are often misleading

More than half (54%) of the toddler products we looked at have images of whole fruit on their packaging, but in many instances the ingredients list tells a different story. Often the fruit ingredient is actually a fruit concentrate, paste or puree – used to sweeten the product – and bears little resemblance to the whole fruit from which it’s derived.

“Many snacks marketed for toddlers are sweetened with processed fruit ingredients which are high in sugar,” says Martin. “In a lot of cases, it’s actually sticky, sugary paste, extracted from fruit. This is done by sieving it, boiling it, and removing all its water, until it’s barely more than a pile of sugar.

“Consumption of these products should be limited, but instead manufacturers are trying to dupe families into thinking they’re healthy.”

Fruit or concentrated fruit sugar?

Most products that claim ‘made with real fruit’ or purport to contain a certain percentage of fruit on the label – 14% of the products we looked at – are referring to a fruit concentrate or puree rather than whole fruit.

But not everyone has the time (or inclination) when shopping to pore over the ingredients lists. And Martin is concerned that these front-of-pack images and claims can be confusing for caregivers.

“These processed food manufacturers are misleading parents into thinking that these products are healthier than they are, when in fact they are often full of sugar and are packed with cheap sweeteners – shaping our children’s preferences from a very early age,” she says.

Misleading parents

Alice Pryor, Campaigns Manager for Parents’ Voice, is concerned that the availability of these types of products, which are rarely the healthiest choice available, will reinforce the message that toddlers need special food.

“Parents want to give their children the best start to life, and these products lead parents to believe they are healthy and nutritional snacks and meals for their children when the reality is that many of them are actually laden with hidden salt and sugar,” says Pryor.

“The report that 45% of these products are high in sugar is concerning given that most parents of toddlers would struggle to find time in the supermarket to read and compare the small print on the backs of these items.”��

Snacks for healthy development

Another strategy food manufacturers use to market toddler foods is to appeal to a parents’ desire to support the healthy development of their child. This is done at both brand level and product level.

“Our snacking range has been developed to encourage your child to discover new tastes, textures, aromas and shapes,” says the label on Cub brand snacks.

Whole Kids assures us it “is committed to making yummy, nourishing food for your family using real ingredients. No artificial stuff. No funny numbers. And no added junk”.

Mamia (from Aldi) asserts that its food range “has been lovingly developed for your little one to ensure they receive a varied start to their food adventure” and reminds us that “Exploring new textures, aromas and tastes is a vital part of your child’s early development.”

And Rafferty’s Garden Strawberry Yoghurt Buttons are claimed to be “perfect for little mouths” while Only Organic Yoghurt Rice Cakes are “the perfect size and shape for little hands to hold”.��

Alternatively, you can simply head to the fruit department and find plenty of in-season fruits that tick all of those boxes.

Highly processed, no substance

Sometimes the problem with packaged toddler foods isn’t just about what’s in them – such as harmful sugars – but also what’s not in them.

Kiddylicious Veggie Straws, for example – which are essentially puffed-up potato starch, with added veggie powders, salt and oil – have minimal added baddies, it’s true. But the point is they’re so highly processed they offer little in the way of nutritional value – just empty kilojoules.��

They’re also reminiscent of mainstream snack products such as Burger Rings and Cheetos, a similar look and feel that isn’t ideal if it leads to a taste and preference for those types of snack foods.

Better sugar labelling still needed

At the moment, it’s difficult to decipher how much sugar has been added to a food by looking at the label.��

Added sugars can be disguised by going under more than 60 different names, some of which are perhaps more familiar (cane sugar or treacle, for example) than others (such as maltodextrin, corn syrup or fruit juice concentrate).��

As they aren’t grouped together in the ingredients list, they’re not always easy to identify. And the total sugar listed in the nutrition information panel doesn’t differentiate sugars that have been added by the manufacturer from those that are intrinsic to the food or one of its ingredients. This makes added sugars even harder to quantify.

����Vlog has long lobbied for clear and meaningful added sugar labelling on foods, so that consumers can make informed decisions about the products they buy.

The OPC is advocating for improvements too, urging food ministers to implement higher standards and make added sugar labelling mandatory.

Crucially, Martin explains, “We want to see added sugars clearly defined to capture all sugars that are harmful to health, including highly processed fruit ingredients like pastes and concentrates which are often in products marketed as healthy, such as toddler foods.”

‘No substitute for whole fruit’

Pryor would also like to see more truth in labelling. “Fruit concentrates, pastes and purees are added sugar and no substitute for whole fruit,” she says.

“Companies should not be associating these products with whole fruits, and should display clearer front-of-pack labelling for busy parents.”����

Currently there’s some regulation around foods for infants, including sodium limits, but not for toddlers, or relating to sugar content.��

“Most parents would be surprised to hear that there is no regulation of toddler foods,” says Pryor. “Governments should set a better standard and regulate the contents of foods formulated for toddlers.”��

Martin agrees:��“We also want the government to regulate the amount of added sugar that food companies can put in infant and toddler foods to protect the health of our youngest Australians.”��

How to be snack savvy

Nutritious, whole foods that are simple to prepare make the best snacks – fresh fruit pieces, veggie sticks, cheese cubes, plain yoghurt or wholemeal toast fingers, for example.

“When shopping for foods for toddlers, look for the healthy whole foods which tend to be located around the outside of the supermarket,” says Martin.��

“Most processed packaged foods including those for toddlers tend to be in the aisles.”

Four top tips

But there’s no doubting the convenience of a packaged snack. So if you do decide to buy one, follow these tips to make an informed choice:

• Read the ingredients list first – ingredients are listed in order of greatest to smallest quantities. As a rule of thumb, the shorter the list, the better. Aim for products with a small ingredients list consisting of whole foods and no added sugars and salt.
• Check for real fruit ingredients, not just fruit concentrates, pastes, purees and powders.
• Don’t be swayed by marketing claims that the snack will “encourage self feeding” or is “easy to grasp with little fingers”.�� A cucumber stick, a crust of wholemeal bread, a rice cracker or a banana can all do the same job.
• Consider all packaged snacks to be ‘sometimes’ foods, not regular staples.

Finally, think twice before heading to the baby and toddler food section of the supermarket. You can often find a healthier – or at least cheaper – snack if you choose from a different aisle. See our examples below.

Snack swaps

Veggie snacks

Toddler snack: Kiddylicious Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Veggie Straws (Price/100g: $12)

They may be ‘easy to grasp’ and in a format that ‘encourages self feeding’ but they’re still flavoured, puffed-up snacks that offer little nutritional value.

Alternative snack: Cobs Sour Cream & Chives Corn Puffs (Price/100g: $2.92)

Also a flavoured, puffed-up snack, but without the extra plastic and price mark up of a multipack. Why spend more than you need to?

Best snack: Baby Corn spears (Price/100g: $0.24)

High in fibre, naturally sweet and just as easy as a ‘veggie straw’ for toddlers to grasp.

Rice snacks

Toddler snack: Little Quacker Rice Biscuits Strawberry Flavour (Price/100g: $7.50)

Made from organic sugar (and rice), but their ‘organic-ness’ doesn’t mean they’re nutritious. Plus you’re paying a premium for a product that’s ‘conveniently wrapped in packs of 2’.

Alternative snack: Sakata Stars Plain Rice Crackers (Price/100g: $3.85)

Still in convenient snack packs but about half the price, and without the added sugar.

Best snack: Ceres Organic Brown Rice Crackers (Price/100g: $2.70)

Brown rice means more fibre, and these crackers don’t come with the price hike (or extra packaging waste) associated with individually wrapped servings.

Apple snacks

Toddler snack: Kiddylicious Strawberry Fruit Wriggles (Price/100g: $15)

These Shonky Award-winning ‘Fruit Wriggles’ are 74% apple puree and juice concentrate, and 24% strawberry puree – and almost 70% sugars overall.��

Alternative snack: Angas Park Dried Apples (Price/100g: $2.20)

Dried apple slices are a fraction of the cost, and you get the benefit of fibre, among other nutrients that are lacking in the Fruit Wriggles.

Best snack: Apples (Price/100g: $0.39)

A perfectly delicious, nutritious fruit packaged by nature. Cut into wedges or ring slices for little hands.

Yoghurt snacks

Toddler snack: Rafferty’s Garden Strawberry Yoghurt Buttons (Price/100g: $15.71)

These snacks are 97% ‘yoghurt’, but the second biggest ingredient of the yoghurt is sugar, resulting in a product that’s more than 60% sugar overall.

Alternative snack: Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt With A Hint Of Real Strawberry (Price/100g: $1.15)

In a squeezy pack that appeals to toddlers, you get the benefit of protein and calcium from yoghurt in this form. It’s lower in sugars (just over 10%) but is still sweetened (with strawberry puree and reconstituted juice).

Best snack: Farmers Union Greek Style All Natural Yoghurt (Price/100g: $0.55)

Made from milk and live cultures, natural yoghurt is a good source of protein and calcium, and the only sugars present are those naturally found in milk. If you want to sweeten it yourself, simply add some chopped fresh fruit.

Grain snacks

Toddler snack: Whole Kids Organic Farm Animal Biscuits (Price/100g: $3.43)

These are lower in sugar than many commercial biscuits, but they’re still 22.7% sugars. The cane sugar and other ingredients are organic, but there’s nothing healthy about organic sugar or organic cornflour.

Alternative snack: Arnott’s Shredded Wheatmeal Biscuits (Price/100g: $0.92)

Arguably less fun than biting the ears off a rabbit or the snout off a pig, but certainly cheaper. These biscuits also have less sugar (16.8%) and higher fibre from their wheatmeal ingredient.

Best snack: Wholemeal toast fingers (Price/100g: about $0.30-$0.40)

High in fibre, free of added sugar, and tasty. Just add sliced banana for natural sweetness!

Our analysis

In 2019 the��OPC published the results of its analysis of food products marketed for infants (babies under 12 months) and toddlers (aged 12 to 36 months), excluding formula, available from Aldi, Coles and Woolworths. For the current review, ����Vlog updated and expanded on the original data to reflect packaged toddler food products available in 2021.

We’ve focused on products in the baby-food aisle and freezer section (not the snack food or chiller aisles) and labelled specifically as being for children aged 12 months and above. Details we recorded include brand, price, nutrition information, ingredients list, pack claims and pack imagery.��

Packaged toddler food overview

• 78 products reviewed, from 15 different brands
• 73% were snacks (puffs, bars, biscuits, cakes, straws, buttons etc), 17% meals, 10% fruit and veg
• 63% sweet, 37% savoury.

Our thanks go to the OPC for kindly giving us access to the original dataset.

The post Sugars in packaged toddler foods appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Nut-free muesli bars��
• Squeezy yoghurt pouches
• Vegemite
• Juice boxes
• Crackers��
• Sliced white bread
• Butter
• Sliced ham
• Shredded cheese
• Other pre-packaged processed snacks
• More lunchbox tips

And in the middle of all that, you’re trying to figure out what to pack in their school lunch box.��

It can be hard to know which snacks and drinks are nutritious and delicious, so we’ve compiled a list of some of the healthiest and tastiest lunch-box friendly foods we’ve found through ����Vlog testing.��

Here’s the lowdown on which products aced our tests, as well as advice on choosing healthy options.

Nut-free muesli bars��

Muesli bars tend to have a healthy image – after all, what’s not to like about a bar full of wholegrains and dried fruit?��

But they are often loaded with sugars (to hold them together) and fat (to make them taste good). And of course if your school has a nut-free policy, many of the bars aren’t suitable for lunchboxes.

So we scoured the supermarket shelves in 2019 to find lunchbox-friendly options, then compared them nutritionally.

These lunchbox-friendly products scored highest for nutrition as well as being less than 600kJ per serve (the recommended energy intake for snacks):*

• Uncle Tobys Chewy Choc Chip
• Coles Choc Chip Muesli Bars

When choosing a muesli bar, look for ones with whole grains, fewer additives, lower sugar and higher fibre levels. Find out more – including which is the most indulgent option – in our muesli bar buying guide.

*Woolworths Chewy Muesli Bars Choc Drizzle was also one of the healthiest bars we reviewed, but does not currently appear to be available.

Squeezy yoghurt pouches

These individual pouches of yoghurt are a firm favourite of kids, and can even be frozen and used instead of an ice block to keep lunch boxes cool (although the yoghurt’s texture will change once thawed).��

But with hundreds of products to choose from in categories including high protein, Greek and Icelandic style skyr – how do you know which yoghurt is best for your kid’s lunch box?

The good news is that when it comes to nutrition, you could certainly do worse than picking almost any squeezy yoghurt pouch. But if you want to avoid added sugars and additives, it’s hard to beat regular natural yoghurt which is made up of just two ingredients: milk and live yoghurt cultures.��

Of the 118 products we looked at in our��kids’ squeezy yoghurts review��two were natural:

• Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt Pouch
• Rafferty’s Garden

Or, you can buy natural yoghurt in larger tubs and pour into reusable squeezy pouches.��

Find out which yoghurts are a good source of calcium, low in fat, contain the most sugar and more in our yoghurt pouches review.

Vegemite

The humble Vegemite sandwich has been a staple in children’s lunch boxes for decades. But how does the Aussie icon stack up against other vegetable or yeast extract spreads?��

We taste tested nine products and compared their nutritional information. The runaway winner was…

Vegemite Reduced Salt with a ����Vlog score of 82% – 11 percentage points higher than the ‘original’ version.��

Find out what our taste testers thought of the other ‘mites’ in our review or learn more about cooking with vegemite.��

Juice boxes

Many kids love fruit juice (despite water being the best drink for them), but there are many brands out there and some are far healthier than others.

So if your child is hankering for a fruit juice in their lunch box from time to time, consider one that contains no added sugar and is a lower kilojoule option (e.g. 370kJ or less per pack).

Our comparison of apple and orange juice boxes found five products that meet this criteria:

• Golden Circle No Added Sugar Orange Juice��
• Just Juice Orange Juice��
• Nudie Nothing But 2 Oranges
• Just Juice Apple Juice��
• Prima Apple No Added Sugar.

Read our full review to learn more about what to consider when choosing juice boxes.

Crackers��

Crackers are a popular savoury recess snack, often topped with hummus, cheese or vegemite. But our research finds that not all crackers are equal when it comes to nutrition.��

In 2016 we calculated the Health Star Rating for over 300 crackers and the following categories came out on top:

• corn cakes
• wholegrain crispbreads
• wholegrain rice crackers

So if you’re shopping for a healthy option, look for these products first and compare crackers using the nutrition information panel on the pack. (Use the 100g figures, as serving sizes differ between products.)

Sliced white bread

When choosing a healthy bread, products containing wholemeal or wholegrain are best.��

But if white bread is what your kids prefer, consider loaves that contain fibre – the higher the better. (According to the Food Standards Code, a product is considered an “excellent source” of fibre if it contains at least 7g of dietary fibre per serve.)

So which white bread is best? We put��30 supermarket options to the test and scored them based on taste and nutrition.

Wonder Wholegrain White Smooth Wholegrain had the highest ����Vlog score, topped our taste test and has the added benefit of containing wholegrains.

Three other white breads also performed well and are recommended:

• Coles Gluten Free White Bread
• Wonder Active Low GI + Protein
• TipTop The One White Sandwich

Read more about��how to choose the healthiest bread.��

Butter

Want some butter to go on that bread?

Despite being made primarily of cream, our review of supermarket butters found that not all are made equal – with one butter receiving a ����Vlog expert score of just 51%.

If you’re after the best unsalted option for your kid’s lunch box, Beautifully Butterfully Butter Unsalted and Lurpak Unsalted Butter tied for the top spot in our review of supermarket butters, with both earning an expert score of 83%.��

Find out which other butters (salted or unsalted) we recommended in our��full review – ��or get the kids involved and have a go at��making your own butter.

Sliced ham

According to the 2019 Retail World Annual Report, the ham market is worth over $744 million. But with so many options available on supermarket shelves it can be difficult to know�� which ham is best to use in lunch box-friendly sandwiches, wraps or a ham and cheese slice.��

So in 2019 we tested over 30 packets of sliced ham and rated them on taste and nutrition.��

The winner? D’Orsogna Premium Sweet Honey Leg Ham topped our test* with a ����Vlog score of 74%.��

Find out which other sliced hams we recommend and learn more about our testing process in our buying guide.��

*Don Traditional Premium Thick Cut Ham off the Bone did score higher in our 2019 review (76%) but appears to have been discontinued.

Shredded cheese

Shredded cheese saves you valuable time in the kitchen and can be used to create a variety of lunch box favourites – from sandwiches and salads to pizza and pasta bakes.��

If you’re looking for a tasty and nutritious option, our shredded cheese reviews can help you sort the tasty from the tasteless.��

Of the 36 products we reviewed:

Perfect Italiano Mozzarella topped our mozzarella category with an overall score of 84% and nutrition score of 100%.

Of the cheese blends we looked at, Mil Lel Shredded Baking Blend (a mix of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan) performed well, scoring 80% overall and 100% for nutrition.

The cheddar/tasty cheeses we tested generally scored lower for nutrition because of their high fat and salt content.��

But of those tested, Woolworths Australian Light Tasty Shredded Cheese scored highest overall (74%) with an 80% nutrition score.

Read our buying guide for more advice on choosing, storing and using shredded cheese.��

Other pre-packaged processed snacks

You don’t have to look far at the supermarket to find all kinds of pre-packaged processed foods claiming to be great for school lunchboxes, but not all lunchbox snacks are equal.

When choosing a pre-packaged, processed snack, keep these tips in mind:

Choose popcorn over chips and sweet biscuits.

Less processed cheese sticks or wedges are often a more nutritious option than a packet of crackers and cheese “dip”.

Dried fruit is a better choice than other high salt, high saturated fat products but it is very high in sugar. For fruit strips, look for more than 90% fruit and no added sugar.

Buy diced fruit in juice rather than syrup.

Rice cakes aren’t particularly nutritious but are low in fat and sugar and can be used as a base for healthy toppings like cheese, avocado or hummus.

Check the Health Star Rating (if displayed). These can be used to compare snacks in the same category – the higher the rating, the healthier the snack.��

Finding the right balance

It’s unrealistic to expect to pack the perfect lunchbox for your child every day, but we’ve put together a guideline of what’s important and what you should aim for in the mix.

For more information, read our guide to��What makes a healthy lunch?

More lunchbox tips

Food safety

Kids in Australia typically start the school year at the hottest time of the year so food safety is a top priority. Keep things cool by using an insulated lunchbox or bag.

Keep food cool

Pack a frozen drink (the best choice is water) and pack it in with the food to help keep it cool until lunchtime, especially for yoghurts, cheese, meats or salad.

Make lunches in bulk and freeze

Consider making your child’s lunches ahead of time and then pop them in the freezer until it’s time to pack them into the school bag. Bread, cheese, vegemite and meats such as ham all freeze beautifully.

Lunchbox love

When the lunchbox comes home (hopefully empty), be sure to wash and dry it carefully, and turf out any cracked or broken boxes and water bottles.��

Be aware of allergy policies

Many schools now have a policy of banning nuts and nut-based foods due to children with allergies. Be sure to familiarise yourself with your school’s policy and learn to read food labels if you’re buying lunchbox snacks.

Practice makes perfect

Little kids starting school often struggle with unfamiliar lunchboxes and tricky packaging. If you have a new school starter make sure they get some practice opening their shiny new lunchbox before their first day. And if you do include packaged food, consider opening it for them beforehand. Not only will this ensure your child won’t go hungry, but thousands of kindergarten teachers across the land will thank you.

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The best lunch is one that’s nutritious, quick to make, and fun and easy to eat. Encouraging your children to be involved in choosing foods and preparing their lunch increases the odds it will all be eaten – and enjoyed!

Build a good lunch for your kids with the following healthy lunchbox ideas.

Starchy food

A starchy, carbohydrate-based food such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or couscous is a good starting point to fill hungry tummies.

Sandwiches are often the lunch box staple, but can get boring day after day. Keep kids interested by using a variety of breads, including wholemeal, white, rye, rolls, wraps, pita, bagels, focaccia and rice cakes.

Protein-rich food

Lean meat, tinned tuna, egg, tofu and baked beans are good high-protein foods for filling sandwiches, or for adding to food such as pasta or rice salad. Importantly, most contain iron as well.

Nuts and peanut butter are also good protein sources, but check first if your school has a nut-free policy to protect children with severe allergies.��

Protein-rich dairy foods such as��yoghurt and cheese are also good sources of calcium, which is essential for growing bodies – especially for strong bones.

Fruit and vegies

For plenty of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, try to include at least a serve each of fruit and veg in every lunchbox.

Kids might find vegetables more interesting served as sticks with dip, mixed together with pasta, or as topping for a mini pizza.

Pack fruit and veg that are manageable and easy to eat: fruit salad, mandarins or peeled oranges, seedless grapes, cherry tomatoes or snow peas, for example.

Snacks

Pre-packaged snacks for kids’ lunchboxes can be convenient, but not all are healthy enough to include regularly.��

Our reviews of these snack foods have consistently found that very few meet our four nutritional criteria of acceptable energy, saturated fat, sugar and sodium levels.

For advice on how to choose a pre-packaged snack that’s healthy and convenient, read our��guide to buying the best kids’ snack.

Drinks

Don’t forget a drink! Active bodies need plenty of fluid to keep them well hydrated, and water is the best choice, although milk – either cow’s or soy with added calcium – is good too.

Drinks can linger in kids’ mouths, so sugary ones may increase the risk of tooth decay. Remember,��100% fruit juice can be diluted. Drinks with added sugar that don’t provide the same nutritional goodies as fruit juice – sweetened juice, “fruit drinks”, cordial and fizzy drinks, for example – are best left out altogether.

Lunchbox safety

Food-poisoning bugs can grow quickly in foods such as cooked meats, fish, chicken and salads, particularly in warm weather. And because lunchboxes may sit around for several hours before the food is eaten, there’s plenty of opportunity for this to happen.��

Follow these suggestions to help keep food safe:

Hygiene

Make sure your hands, chopping board and utensils are clean and dry before preparing food.

Keep the food cold

Use an insulated lunchbox and/or put a freezer pack in with the food to keep it cool. Alternatively, include a frozen drink bottle in the lunchbox – it should defrost by lunchtime. If the school has a refrigerator available, make sure your child uses it.

Preparation��

Save time and keep food cool by freezing sandwiches the night before (or even prepare and freeze sandwiches for a week in advance).��

Foods suitable for freezing include bread, cooked meat, cheese, peanut butter, baked beans, mashed eggs and Vegemite. Yoghurt and fruit, including grapes and banana or citrus segments, can be frozen too.

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They’re also extremely popular with kids who love the novelty of sucking on the spout and not having to bother with a spoon.��

But are they healthy?

We took 118 different squeezy yoghurt products from brands including Yoplait Petit Miam, Chobani, Tamar Valley Kids and Farmers Union. We then reviewed their ingredients and calculated their Health Star Ratings.��

You could certainly do worse than a yoghurt pouch when it comes to a nutritious snack for your child. But before you stock the fridge with enough to give out on a daily basis, here are some things about squeezy yoghurt pouches to keep in mind.��

Does it contain added sugar?

When we first reviewed squeezy yoghurt pouches in 2016, all the ones we looked at contained added sugar.��

The good news is there’s been a small improvement – now, about three in five (64%) of the products we reviewed contain added sugar, mostly in the form of sugar, fruit-juice concentrate or rice syrup. That means about two in five contain no added sugar.

Most squeezy yoghurts still don’t list added sugar in the nutritional information panel, so it’s difficult to tell how much of the sugar content is added vs intrinsic (naturally occurring sugars found in milk, fruit and vegies).��

But, on average, natural yoghurt contains roughly five to six percent intrinsic sugars. So if the total sugars value on the product’s nutrition information panel is more than 7g per 100g, it probably contains added sugars.

Why you need to watch out for carrot concentrate

We also found that 17 products contained black-carrot or purple-carrot concentrate.��

It’s reasonable to assume that the inclusion of carrot would make a yoghurt healthier, but carrot concentrate is basically just the colour and sugars, not the fibre and other nutrients in a whole carrot.��

Squeezy yoghurts that contain the most sugar

Of the 118 yoghurts we reviewed, the following 10 (ordered alphabetically) contain the most sugar – all had 12g or more per 100g:

• Aldi Just Organic Yogurt (70g pouch: vanilla bean, strawberry, blueberry; 140g pouch: vanilla bean, strawberry)
• Aldi Yoguri Greek Style High Protein Yogurt (strawberry)
• Chobani (blueberry, strawberry)
• Coles Yoghurt Pouch (blueberry)
• Five:am Organic (vanilla bean)

For total sugars, Aldi’s Just Organic vanilla bean yoghurt was the worst offender, with 15.4g of sugars per 100g. That’s more than ten times more sugar than a pouch of vanilla Cocobella Dairy Free Coconut Yoghurt (1.2g/100g). The sugars they contain may be organic, but that doesn’t make them healthy.

Is it a good source of calcium?

A product is a “good source of calcium” if a serving contains no less than 25% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI) for that mineral, according to the Food Standards Code (FSC).����

Calcium is a major health drawcard for yoghurts. But we found wide variations in the amount the squeezy products contain – from about 100mg per 100g (Chobani) up to 296mg per 100g (Pauls Birthday Cake Flavoured Yoghurt Pouch).

Of the dairy-free products we looked at, only Cocobella stated its calcium content of 113mg per 100g.

The RDI of calcium for children aged four to eight is 700mg a day. We found 51 products that contain 175mg calcium or more in each pouch, making them a good source of calcium, according to the FSC.

Squeezy yoghurts that are a good source of calcium

These yoghurt pouches contain more than 175mg calcium per serve (ordered alphabetically):

• Activia Probiotics (banana, mango, strawberry, vanilla)
• Aldi Brooklea Yogurt Squishy (70g pouch: strawberry, banana, blueberry; 150g pouch: vanilla, strawberry, blueberry)
• Aldi Just Organic (vanilla bean, strawberry)
• Aldi Yolivo Kids Yogurt (vanilla, strawberry)
• Coles Yoghurt Pouch (banana, vanilla)
• Danone Yopro (banana, blueberry, mango, strawberry, vanilla)
• Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt Pouch (natural, passionfruit, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla bean, peach, mango)
• Five:am Organic (vanilla bean, strawberry)
• Liddells Lactose Free Dairy (strawberry, vanilla bean)
• Pauls Flavoured Yoghurt (birthday cake)
• Siggi’s Skyr Yoghurt Pouch (vanilla, raspberry, mango, passionfruit)
• Vaalia Kids Lactose Free Yoghurt Pouch (blueberry, vanilla, strawberry)��
• Vaalia Kids Yoghurt Pouch (blueberry, banana, vanilla, tropical, strawberry)��
• Vaalia Plus Protein (vanilla, strawberry, blueberry)
• Woolworths Yoghurt Pouch (strawberry, vanilla, banana)

Is it a good source of protein?

If you’re looking for a yoghurt pouch with high protein, we found that all the products with ‘high protein’ claims on the packaging contain 10g or more of protein per serve – so are a good source, according to the FSC.����

Some of the yoghurt pouches have “source of protein” or “protein for growing bodies” claims on the packaging. While this is accurate – they all contain protein – they may not necessarily be a ‘good’ source.��

If the amount of protein is important to you, check the nutritional information panel, as we found that 60 products contained less than half the amount of protein to qualify as a good source, as defined by the FSC.��

Squeezy yoghurts that are a good source of protein

(In alphabetical order)

• Aldi Yoguri Greek Style High Protein Yogurt (strawberry)
• Chobani (blueberry, tropical, strawberry, pineapple coconut, raspberry, vanilla)
• Chobani FIT (blueberry, vanilla, coconut, strawberry, raspberry, banana)
• Danone Yopro (vanilla, strawberry, mango, banana, blueberry)
• Siggi’s Skyr Yoghurt Pouch (mango, passionfruit, raspberry, vanilla)
• Vaalia Plus Protein (blueberry, strawberry, vanilla)

Is it high in fat?

Fat is what makes yoghurt thick and creamy. But a high-fat yoghurt also means it’s high in saturated fat, which we’re supposed to eat less of (although yoghurts with reduced-fat milks aren’t suitable for children under the age of two).

For a yoghurt to be considered low-fat, it should have no more than 3g fat per 100g. Of the products we looked at, three in five (62%) met the low-fat definition.��

For calcium enthusiasts, low-fat yoghurts contain more calcium, on average, than those with a higher fat content.

Squeezy yoghurts that are low in fat

(Ordered alphabetically.)

• Aldi Brooklea No Added Sugar Yogurt Pouch (banana, strawberry)
• Aldi Brooklea Yogurt Squishy (70g pouch: strawberry, banana, blueberry; 150g pouch: vanilla, strawberry, blueberry)
• Aldi Yoguri Greek Style High Protein Yogurt (strawberry)
• Aldi Yolivo Kids Yogurt (vanilla, strawberry)
• Chobani (pineapple coconut, vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, tropical, blueberry)
• Chobani Fit (coconut, banana, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla)
• Coles Yoghurt Pouch (banana, vanilla, strawberry, blueberry)
• Danone Yopro (blueberry, banana, mango, strawberry, vanilla)
• Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt Pouch (passionfruit, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla bean, peach, mango)��
• Good Yums (tropical, vanilla, strawberry)
• Liddells Lactose Free Dairy (strawberry, vanilla bean)
• Pauls Flavoured Yoghurt (banana, strawberry, vanilla)
• Sanitarium Up & Go (banana, vanilla, milk chocolate)
• Siggi’s Skyr Yoghurt Pouch (vanilla, raspberry, passionfruit, mango)
• Vaalia Plus Protein (vanilla, strawberry, blueberry)
• Vaalia Kids Lactose Free Yoghurt Pouch (blueberry, vanilla, strawberry)
• Vaalia Kids Yoghurt Pouch (blueberry, banana, vanilla, tropical, strawberry)
• Woolworths Yoghurt Pouch (strawberry, banana, vanilla)
• Yoplait Petit Miam (strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, mango, fruit salad, banana)

Less fruity than you hoped?��

Don’t be surprised if the fruit content of your yoghurt doesn’t live up to the pictures on the label.��

Some yoghurts do seem to be flavoured with minimally processed real fruit. But the fruit content in others is more like a kind of jam made from fruit purée, water and sugar, with thickeners, colours and food acids.��

You can only tell by looking closely at the ingredients list: if it’s not real fruit, you’ll see something like ‘fruit’ followed by sugar and other ingredients, all enclosed within brackets.

Health Star Ratings

We did our own calculations* to check the Health Star Ratings (HSR) of the yoghurt pouches that displayed them (about 11% of those in our survey). All of them were accurate.��

According to our calculations, the following 21 products have an HSR of 5:

• Chobani (vanilla, raspberry, pineapple coconut)
• Chobani FIT (coconut, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, banana)
• Danone Yopro (banana, mango, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry)
• Sanitarium Up & Go (banana, vanilla, milk chocolate)
• Siggi’s Skyr Yoghurt Pouch (mango, passionfruit, raspberry, vanilla)

*We calculated HSRs using information from the ingredients lists and data in the nutrition information panel. We assumed 0g fibre unless the panel said otherwise (it’s not mandatory to label fibre content).

Additives in yoghurt

Many yoghurt products contain additives, and squeezy yoghurts – for the most part – are no exception. You’ll see them listed, usually as a number, in the ingredients list. Examples include:

Thickeners and stabilisers

These make the yoghurts taste creamy and prevent separation: pectin (440), vegetable gums (406, 410, 415) and starch (1442).

Acidity regulators

These stop the yoghurt becoming too acidic (300, 330, 331, 296).

Colours and flavours

Which are all “natural”, according to the squeezy yoghurts in our review.

‘Vanilla’ doesn’t always mean ‘vanilla bean’

All the “vanilla bean”-flavoured yoghurts we looked at contain actual vanilla bean.����

But if you want a vanilla-flavoured yoghurt to actually contain vanilla bean, we recommend you look closely at the ingredients list.��

Despite most vanilla-flavoured yoghurts showing a picture of a vanilla bean on the packet, only five of those we looked at (Aldi Yoconut Coconut Yogurt, Activia Probiotics, Cocobella Dairy Free Coconut Yoghurt, Chobani Fit and Danone Yopro) contain actual vanilla bean, ranging from less than 0.1% to 1%. The rest just use ‘flavour’.��

Natural yoghurt hard to beat

If you’re after great nutrition, and want to avoid unnecessary added sugars and additives, it’s hard to beat regular natural yoghurt.

Natural yoghurt from the supermarket will contain two basic ingredients: milk and live yoghurt cultures.��

Of the 118 kids’ squeezy yoghurts we looked at, only two were natural:

• Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt Pouch
• Rafferty’s Garden

Alternatively, you can buy it in 500g or 1kg containers, meaning a comparable serving works out at a fraction of the cost. Topping it with chopped fruit will not only add sweetness, but also the nutritional benefits of whole fruits.

You could also pour natural yoghurt into reusable squeezy pouches for an easy snack on the go – slightly less convenient than the supermarket versions, but a good option if you want to cut down your plastic waste.

Probiotics – don’t believe the hype

Probiotics (live ‘friendly’ bacteria) such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidus and Lactobacillus casei are often added to yoghurt.��

Although probiotics can be beneficial for gut health in principle, many products don’t list the number of live cultures on the packaging – so there’s no guarantee that these squeezy yoghurts contain enough of the right bacteria that can survive in the yoghurt then go on to colonise the gut itself.

Even when a product does state the number of probiotics, it only refers to the amount added at the time of production – the number that survives will depend on how the product is stored and whether it’s exposed to air, light or moisture.��

Gluten-free and vegan yoghurt

Gluten-free��

Two in five (41%) of the squeezy yoghurts we reviewed are gluten-free, and still more don’t include gluten or gluten-containing ingredients in their ingredients lists.��

Vegan/vegetarian

We looked at the ingredients lists and any claims on the packaging to find out which products are suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

The following six are vegan:

• Aldi Yoconut Coconut Yogurt (vanilla, strawberry)
• Cocobella Dairy Free Coconut Yoghurt (mango, vanilla)
• Coyo Organic (blueberry, vanilla)

The majority of yoghurts we reviewed (90%) are suitable for vegetarians. Just watch out for animal-derived gelatine in the ingredients list.��

Country of origin

Of the 118 products we looked at, 86 contained 90% or more Australian ingredients.��

Only one product contained no Australian ingredients:��Coyo Organic, which was “Made in Australia from imported ingredients”.

Choking-hazard lids

We found that two different types of screw-top lids were used on the yoghurts�� – a larger ‘mushroom’-shaped lid and a smaller screw-top lid similar to those found on some toothpastes.��

No matter which lid your yoghurt has, both are choking hazards when removed from the pouch and should be kept out of the mouths of children. Three in five (62%) of the products we looked at had a choking warning on the packaging.��

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