1. Cereals

Dry or powdered cereal or starch products to be eaten or cooked with milk or water e.g. porridge, museli, baby rice, plain pasta (fresh or dry).

Excludes

• Cereal-based snacks (e.g. crackers and rusks) - Category 5. Snacks
• Non-dry (wet/ ready-to-eat) foods with fruit content 5% or higher (e.g. oat and fruit breakfast puree) - Category 3. Fruit and vegetable products

Dry cereals

For dry cereals, extract the nutrient data for the DRY PRODUCT rather than ‘as eaten/made-up’. You must also enter values for the dry product weight and liquid volume as instructed on the pack (e.g. For one serving use 18g of powder and 75ml/g of water/milk).

Further notes on dry cereals

• The nutrient data must be entered for the DRY product because manufacturers’ inconsistently provide nutrient data for category 1c products (where baby’s usual milk is added at home), with some including an estimate for milk and others not.
• The NPPM will account for the dry cereal to liquid ratio to calculate the appropriate product energy density.
• Where milk must be added at home (category 1c), a conservative milk energy density value of 60kcal/100g has been included in the product energy density estimation.
• If the dry serving or liquid volumes are not reported on the pack, use similar products on the market to estimate these values. The product nutrient density cannot be evaluated if this information is missing.
• For dry pasta and rice etc. a conservative cooking conversion ratio of 1:2 can be applied for entering the dry and liquid values (e.g. 20g rice + 40g water).

Tip: check the ingredients list for fruit content.

Sub-categories

1a. Dry cereals containing milk (prepare with water at home)

Dry cereals containing milk (or milk powder) to be prepared with water at home.

Excludes

• Crackers or rusks that can be eaten without adding liquid (use Snacks category).

Tip: check if preparation instructions are given on pack.

1b. Dry cereals containing NO MILK (prepare with water at home)

Dry cereals not containing milk (or milk powder) to be prepared with water at home (e.g. dry rice, dry risotto mix, or pasta shapes).

Tip: check if preparation instructions are given on pack.

1c. Dry cereals containing NO MILK (prepare with milk
at home)

Dry cereals not containing milk (or milk powder) to be prepared with baby's usual milk at home.

Excludes

• Crackers or rusks that may be eaten without adding liquid (use Snacks category).

Tip: check if preparation instructions are given on pack.