To round off a toddler’s dinner, choose frozen fruit based on its ingredients and the texture you can prepare, rather than looking for a “low-fat” label. Santé publique France points out that children up to the age of 3 need more fat than adults and recommends well-cooked fruit blended into an unsweetened purée at the relevant stages of weaning. Fruit can be part of the meal, but it isn’t enough to make a complete dinner.
If your child is at a stage where they need a smooth texture, the type of pack matters just as much as the fruit you choose: pieces will need to be prepared before serving. Santé publique France recommends well-cooked fruit blended into an unsweetened purée at the relevant stages.
You want to tell the difference between plain fruit and a preparation with other ingredients. A Carrefour product listing for Roger Descours strawberries states “100% fruit”; an Auchan listing explains that a purée with no added sugars still contains sugars naturally present in fruit.
Frozen fruit can be an ingredient in the meal or served at the end, once prepared to a texture that’s suitable for your child. To assess the dinner as a whole, consider the other foods it includes too.
When choosing frozen fruit for a toddler’s dinner, start with the texture your child can manage, then check the ingredients and pack size. A “low-fat” label alone doesn’t answer any of these questions.
| Priority | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Texture and preparation | Check whether the product contains whole fruit, pieces or purée, and read the preparation instructions. At the relevant stages, Santé publique France recommends well-cooked fruit blended into an unsweetened purée. | If my child can’t manage pieces yet, I need to be able to prepare a suitable texture; around 42% of consumers would make this adaptation a priority. |
| Ingredients | Read the product name, ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g. “No added sugars” doesn’t mean “sugar-free”. | I want to know whether I’m buying plain fruit or another preparation before adding it to a meal; nearly 33% of consumers would make their choice based first on the ingredients. |
| Practical pack size | Compare the pack weight, the form of the fruit and the storage instructions with how you plan to prepare it. | I’m looking for a pack I can store and prepare for the meal I have planned; around 25% of consumers would prioritise convenience. |
This label tells you nothing about the ingredients, texture or place of the fruit in the dinner. Santé publique France also states that children up to the age of 3 need more fat than adults.
Start by checking the product and how you can prepare it for your child; don’t make reduced fat the deciding factor.
Fruit naturally contains sugars, as Auchan points out for its fruit purée with no added sugars. This claim also doesn’t mean the product contains only fruit.
Read the ingredients list alongside the “of which sugars” line in the nutritional information.
A bag of berries or fruit pieces won’t automatically provide a texture that’s suitable for a toddler. At the relevant stages of weaning, Santé publique France recommends well-cooked fruit blended into an unsweetened purée.
Take your child’s age and chewing ability into account, then follow the product’s preparation instructions.
Picard’s frozen range includes categories such as red berries, exotic fruit, fruit salads and fruit for smoothies.
Carrefour product listings let you check the ingredients in frozen fruit products, including products from other brands sold by the retailer.
Lidl lists a frozen fruit product made with organically farmed fruit.
ALDI lists frozen ALL SEASONS® strawberries and blueberries in 500 g bags.
These products could be used as ingredients to round off a dinner. The plantain slices need cooking; whatever fruit you choose, make sure the prepared texture is suitable for what your child can eat.
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Consider using these as an ingredient in a cooked side dish, rather than serving them as a meal on their own. They need to be cooked through; then check that the texture is suitable for your child.
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Consider adding this fruit to a meal preparation after checking the instructions on the pack. The pulp contains seeds, so check the resulting texture before serving it to your child.
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Consider using this as a fruity ingredient in a meal, but don’t assume that being seedless makes its texture suitable for your child. Check the preparation instructions and adapt the texture before serving.
No, this shouldn’t be your first consideration when choosing fruit to round off their dinner. Check the ingredients, texture and how you can prepare it; Santé publique France points out that children up to the age of 3 need more fat than adults.
No: a purée with no added sugars can still contain sugars naturally present in fruit, as Auchan states for its fruit purée. Check the ingredients and the “of which sugars” line in the nutritional information to find out what your chosen product contains.
At the relevant stages of weaning, Santé publique France recommends well-cooked fruit blended into an unsweetened purée. Also follow the product instructions and consider your child’s age and chewing ability before serving the prepared texture.
Start by checking the product name and ingredients list to distinguish plain fruit from another preparation. The DGCCRF also states that pre-packed food labelling includes nutritional information; check the storage and preparation instructions for the product you choose.
Check the official alerts published by RappelConso to see whether the batch is affected. If it is, follow the instructions on the recall notice before using the product.