For your Christmas food shop, start with a texture your child is happy with: blended fruit or a ‘no bits’ label if they dislike pieces, individual portions for easy serving, or a drinkable format if convenience on the go matters more. Then check the product category, sugar per 100 g, ingredients, allergens and portion size. For children under 3, Manger Bouger guidance recommends plain, unflavoured dairy products.
If your child prefers a smooth texture, labels such as ‘blended fruit’ and ‘no bits’ are more precise than simply saying ‘smooth’. Yoplait offers Petits Filous with blended fruit, while E.Leclerc lists Delisse yoghurts with no bits.
Whether you choose small pots, multipacks or on-the-go formats, the number of units and their weight matter just as much as how easy they are to serve. Check the date and storage instructions on the pack you choose, too.
To compare similar products, check the sugar per 100 g, ingredients and allergens. If the product is for a child under 3, Manger Bouger guidance recommends considering plain, unflavoured dairy products first.
First, choose a texture your child will enjoy. Then compare the recipes of products in the same category before deciding how many portions to buy.
| Criterion | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Texture and portion | Look for ‘blended fruit’ or ‘no bits’ and check the weight of each pot. Fromage frais, petit-suisse and yoghurt are distinct product categories. | If my child refuses pieces, I want a texture they’ll enjoy and a portion that’s easy to serve. Texture would come first for around 42% of consumers in this group. |
| Recipe and age | Compare the sugar per 100 g in products of the same type, then read the ingredients and allergen information. For children under 3, take account of Manger Bouger guidance on plain, unflavoured dairy products. | Before choosing a fruit flavour, I want to know exactly what’s in the recipe and whether it’s suitable for my child’s age. Around 33% of consumers would put this question first. |
| Format and storage | Check the number of portions, their weight, the date on the pack and its storage instructions. | For several meals or a journey during the festive season, I need a format I can serve or transport in line with the instructions on the pack. This would be the main consideration for around 25% of consumers. |
These words describe a flavour or how something tastes, not its sugar content. The Auchan product listing for Petits Filous petit-suisses with blended fruit states that this particular product contains 8.9 g of sugar per 100 g.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g across similar products, and check the ingredients list too. Don’t assume that the figure for one recipe applies to an entire range.
Manger Bouger guidance for children under 3 recommends plain, unflavoured dairy products and notes that 0%, skimmed and semi-skimmed products are not suitable for this age group.
If you’re buying for a child under 3, start with this guidance rather than relying on the packaging design alone, and check the exact recipe.
A pack of small pots and a family multipack don’t provide the same number of servings or the same weight per unit. A pack that doesn’t suit your planned meals could be left unfinished after the festivities.
Count the portions you need, then check the date and storage instructions before choosing a format.
Manger Bouger says that, when displayed, Nutri-Score can be used to compare products in the same aisle or category. On its own, it doesn’t tell you about texture, allergens or portion size.
Use it alongside the nutritional information, ingredients and details of the specific product format.
Fromage frais and petit-suisses with blended fruit, in small portions.
Fruit petit-suisses and drinkable or pouch formats, depending on the product.
Fruit yoghurts in glass pots, worth considering for a dessert served at the table.
Fruit fromage frais available in pots of different sizes.
Fruit yoghurts in multipacks, with or without bits depending on the product.
Yoghurts, fruit fromage frais and drinkable formats in a range of pack sizes.
This product suits anyone looking for an individual portion to take on the go. It’s a strawberry-flavoured milk drink, so it’s different from fruit yoghurts eaten with a spoon.
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Worth considering if you’re looking for individual portions to take on the go rather than a pot to eat with a spoon.
The pack contains four 125 ml cartons. To compare it with other dairy drinks, check the sugar per 100 ml, ingredients and allergens listed on the packaging. Don’t assume it has no bits just because it’s sold as a drink.
If you’re buying for a child under 3, Manger Bouger guidance recommends plain, unflavoured dairy products.
If your child dislikes pieces, look for a specific description such as ‘blended fruit’ or ‘no bits’. ‘Smooth’ doesn’t tell you the exact texture or sugar content, so check the product type and portion size too.
First, compare two products in the same category by their sugar content per 100 g. Then check the ingredients, allergens and weight of each portion. For prepacked foods, the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control notes that this information is included on the applicable food labelling.
No. When displayed, it can help you compare products in the same category, as Manger Bouger explains, but it doesn’t replace checking the ingredients, allergens and portion size. It also doesn’t tell you whether the product contains bits.
For this age group, Manger Bouger guidance recommends plain, unflavoured dairy products. It also states that 0%, skimmed and semi-skimmed products aren’t suitable for children under 3. Packaging aimed at children is no substitute for checking the recipe.
Follow the use-by date and storage temperature shown on the product you buy. For example, the Auchan listing for one Petits Filous product with blended fruit recommends storing it between 0 °C and +6 °C. Don’t apply this instruction to another product without checking its packaging.