Added sugar in baby food could be banned in France from 1 January 2028. On 26 March 2026, France’s National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) passed at first reading a bill that prohibits added sugars in food preparations intended for children under 3. The text was sent to the Senate the following day, where it has yet to be examined.
Here is what the bill provides for, the data it relies on, its exemptions and the steps that remain before it could come into force.
What the text passed by the National Assembly provides for
The corrected bill No. 2442 was tabled by MP Cyrille Isaac-Sibille, of the Les Démocrates group, who is also its rapporteur. It creates a new Article L. 3232-10 in the French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique). The text adopted in the chamber is No. 256 and dated 26 March 2026.
It prohibits manufacturing, importing, exporting, placing on the market or holding for sale any non-medicinal food preparations containing added sugars. The ban covers products presented as specifically intended for the needs of infants and young children.
The definitions used
- Infants: children under one year old.
- Young children: children aged one to three.
- Added sugars: all monosaccharides and disaccharides, as well as any ingredients used for their sweetening properties. The text names honey, syrups and concentrated or reconstituted fruit juices added during manufacturing or processing.
Sugars naturally present in ingredients are not considered added sugars. An apple purée with no added sugar, for example, would still be allowed. The committee report lists lactose, which is essential to an infant’s development, among the sugars the text does not target.
The planned exemptions
Some preparations will be exempt from the ban. They will appear on a list set by an order (arrêté) of the health minister, issued after an opinion from Anses, France’s food safety agency. This list will take into account their nutritional characteristics suited to the needs of little ones. The order will also set the type of sugar and the maximum level allowed in these products.
The committee report specifies that infant formula and growing-up milks are outside the scope of the ban. The text itself does not name them: this point will therefore depend on the order.
Penalties and the date of entry into force
Any breach would be punishable by a fine of €30,000. This amount could be raised to 5% of the turnover, excluding tax, generated by sales of the product concerned. The text would come into force on 1 January 2028, giving manufacturers time to reformulate their recipes.
Added sugar in baby food: why ban it?
The Social Affairs Committee report, registered on 25 February 2026, sums up the central argument in one sentence: no nutritional benefit justifies the presence of added sugars in these products. The stated aim is twofold: to tackle childhood obesity and to avoid getting children used to sweet tastes from a very young age.
The data cited in the report
- According to the report, 41% of weaning foods contain at least one sweet or sweet-tasting ingredient, and 25% contain sucrose.
- A 2023 survey of 207 products by the consumer association CLCV, cited in the report, found sweetening ingredients in 30% of them. The proportion reached 85% for dairy products and 77% for snacks.
- The World Health Organization recommends limiting free sugars to less than 10% of energy intake, ideally less than 5%.
- According to the report, 75% of children aged 4 to 7 get around 15% of their energy from sugars, three times the 5% ceiling.
- According to Santé publique France, the French public health agency, cited in the report, 17% of children aged 6 to 17 are overweight and around 6% are obese.
The report also refers to the WHO nutrient profile model for foods intended for young children, which rules out any added sugar or sweetener. It notes that European rules are less strict on this point. For French figures on the weight of little ones, see our article on overweight in young children and adiposity rebound.
A vote with no opposition, but an impact still uncertain
The vote on the single article received 49 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions, on 26 March 2026. The parliamentary channel LCP reported that the text was passed unanimously, at the end of a day reserved for the Les Démocrates group. Some left-wing MPs nevertheless challenged the exemptions being left to an order.
The rapporteur himself described the text as a “political signal”, according to LCP. The composition of infant foods is indeed largely governed by EU law. How a national ban fits with the common rules on placing products on the market therefore remains to be clarified.
Where does the bill stand in the Senate?
The text was sent to the Senate on 27 March 2026, as No. 484 of the 2025-2026 session. It was referred to the Social Affairs Committee. At the latest update of the Senate’s page that we consulted, dated 30 March 2026, no rapporteur and no examination date were listed.
Until the Senate has adopted it in identical terms, the text is not law. It can still be amended, notably regarding the list of exemptions or the date of entry into force. We will update this article as soon as the process moves forward.
What this changes for parents, right now
There is no need to wait until 2028 to limit added sugars. The ingredients list remains the best tool. The terms to look out for are those the text targets: sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, glucose syrup, honey, concentrated fruit juice. A product with “no added sugar” may contain naturally occurring sugars, which is normal for fruit.
The weaning guidelines published by health authorities point in the same direction: no added sugar or salt in little ones’ meals. Our article on weaning according to Anses sets out these recommendations in detail. The Épifane study on baby feeding also shows how French families feed their children in the first year.
What about growing-up milks?
Growing-up milks would not be affected, according to the report. Their nutritional value is, however, debated. We have gathered the official opinions in our article growing-up milk: useful or not.
Taste is also shaped at the table, through repeated exposure to a variety of flavours. Letting children handle, taste and choose their food helps, as explained in our article on the age when a baby eats with a spoon on their own.
Key takeaways
- On 26 March 2026, France’s National Assembly passed a ban on added sugars in foods intended for children under 3.
- Honey, syrups and concentrated fruit juices count as added sugars; naturally occurring sugars do not.
- A list of exemptions will be set by order, after an opinion from Anses.
- The planned penalties go up to €30,000, or 5% of the product’s turnover.
- Entry into force is planned for 1 January 2028, subject to the Senate vote.
- Reading the ingredients list already lets you spot added sugars.
Sources
- Assemblée nationale, proposition de loi n° 2442 rectifiée visant à interdire les sucres ajoutés dans les aliments destinés aux nourrissons et aux enfants en bas âge, adopted text No. 256, 26/03/2026.
- Assemblée nationale, report No. 2527 by Cyrille Isaac-Sibille on behalf of the Social Affairs Committee (commission des affaires sociales), and committee text, registered on 25/02/2026.
- Sénat, proposition de loi n° 484 (2025-2026), sent on 27/03/2026, page updated on 30/03/2026.
- Assemblée nationale, vote on the single article of 26/03/2026 (49 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions), recorded by Datan.
- LCP, “Sucres ajoutés, éducation à la défense, successions… : huit textes adoptés en une journée”, 27/03/2026.
