Choosing Commercial Baby Foods
Choose plain fruits (not fruit desserts), vegetables and meats. Salt, artificial flavours and colours, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nitrates are not used in commercially prepared baby foods in Canada.

Other Ingredients that may be found in baby foods include:

• sugar (in some fruits and desserts for flavour)
• starch (for thickness)
• water
• citric acid or lemon juice (to stop food from turning brown)

Points to Remember about Baby Food in Jars:

• Read the labels to avoid unnecessary ingredients like starch, citric acid and sugar.
• Plain food will help your baby learn about flavours.
• Fresh and frozen unsweetened fruit juices, unsweetened applesauce or yogurt with no added sugar that you buy for the rest of the family are fine for your baby. For Juice - (Be sure to dilute the juices and wait until baby is drinking from a cup!)
• Meat dinners, desserts and creamed vegetables are not wise choices. You get less nutrition for your dollar.
• The first ingredient listed on the label is present in the largest amount. For example, if ingredients for "beef stew" are listed as: potatoes, carrots, beef, wheat flour, etc., it means that there are more potatoes and carrots in the meal than beef. Serve it as a vegetable rather than as a meat. 
• Make sure the safety seal on the jar of baby food has not been broken. When you open a jar of baby food, listen for a "popping" sound. If it does not make this sound, throw the baby food out. Germs or bacteria may be in the food.
• Opened jars of commercial baby food can be kept covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Do not feed the baby directly from the jar unless the whole amount will be eaten at the meal. The spoon will carry germs and saliva back into the baby food jar, which can cause germs to grow.