Rusks in the Ökotest: Not only Hipp fails
Ökotest has taken a close look at 15 different rusks, six of them for babies. The result is sobering. Because with the baby rusks, of all things, the product of Hipp mercilessly fails. Which products are suitable for your baby and child, we tell you here.
It is always good to have rusks in the house – not only because he is the diet of choice for gastrointestinal diseases. Especially parents of babies and toddlers like to use it as a snack for the little ones. After all, rusks (in the best case) contain little to no sugar and are therefore a great alternative to cookies.
Unfortunately, not all rusks keep their promises. Behind products of well-known brands hide real sugar bombs! Fortunately, this only affects two of a total of 15 of the rusk manufacturers tested by Ökotest. The results were published in the October 2018 issue of Ökotest. Which rusks you should better keep your hands off and which are recommended for the whole family, you can read here.
Rusks for babies: What the expert says
Whether rusks for babies are a good choice at all, can be argued according to Ökotest. This is also confirmed by Britta Klein from the network Gesund ins Leben, who is quoted in the test article as follows: “Actually, nothing speaks for rusks for babies. If you still want to give your baby a rusk, you should definitely do so under supervision.”
In her opinion, babies should eat rusks best while sitting. Thus, the risk of choking is lower. According to the expert, children can only really “do something” with it from the age of one.
However, before parents reach for the crispy snack for their little ones, they should make sure that there is neither sugar nor mineral oil in the rusks. Especially in products that are specially made for babies, these substances occasionally hide.
Insufficient: Hipp and Holle fall through
Accordingly, mothers and fathers should avoid thebaby rusks from Hippin organic qualityand theHolle BioMinis Babyzwieback (demeter). Both products contain far too much sugar – at Holle this is a proud 9.6 grams per 100 grams, at Hipp 7.3.
In the case of Hipp’s baby rusks, the testers criticize not only the added sugar, but the saturated hydrocarbons MOSH/POSH and the mineral oil hydrocarbon MOAH contained therein. The mere fact that mineral oil can be found at all is critical enough, according to Ökotest. But in addition, no product can find as much of it as with the baby rusks from Hipp.
For Ökotest definitely two products that are not recommended. At Hipp, the final conclusion is even: “From
our point of view, the Hipp Baby rusks, organic belongs off the shelf – not in the belly of babies.”
These rusks are suitable for babies
In addition to Hipp and Holle, four other baby rusks were tested – all of which can present pleasing test results. Thus, theAlnatura baby spelt rusks from demeterwere able to convince all along the line and received the grade “very good”. TheBabydream mini rusks in organic quality from Rossmann were also awarded the top grade. Ökotest only had something to complain about the portioning.
TheBeauty Baby KiddisBio Mini Zwieback by Müller and theBio Mini Spelt Zwieback by the drugstore chain dmeach scored “Good”. Reason for the deduction: An increased content of mineral oil was found in both products.
Overview: All rusks in the test
Baby rusks:
- Alnatura Baby Spelt rusks (demeter): very good
- Babydream mini rusks in organic quality (Rossmann): very good
- Organic mini spelt rusks (dm): good
- Beauty Baby Kiddis Bio Mini Zwieback (Müller): good
- Holle BioMinis Babyzwieback (demeter): insufficient
- Baby rusks in organic quality (Hipp): insufficient
rusks, organic products:
- Campo Verde organic spelt rusks (demeter): very good
- Naturata wheat rusks (demeter): very good
- Organic spelt rusks (real): good
- Summer spelt rusks (demeter): good
Rusk:
- Der Markenzwieback (Brandt): very good
- Goldähren Zwieback (Aldi Nord): very good
- Crispy rusks (Praum): very good
- Buitoni Classic rusks (Newlat): good
- Good & cheap rusks (Edeka): good
Conclusion: Pay attention to the information!
According to Ökotest, parents should always inspect the back of the packaging more closely for their little ones. How much sugar is there? Is mineral oil added? And also: What portion sizes does the table indicated on the packaging work with? Because sometimes it happens that manufacturers “specify unrealistically small portion sizes in order to reduce the sugar and calorie content,” Ökotest knows from experience. “The most extreme example is the Babydream MiniZwieback, organic: According to Rossmann, a portion weighs just 3 (!) grams.”
Also, mothers and fathers should not be misled by advertising slogans such as “without preservatives”. Because they are forbidden in this product group anyway, which is why it is quite superfluous to want to stand out with them.
Rusks may be a good snack for toddlers from one year. Because as the Ökotest proves, there are certainly rusks that can be nibbled without hesitation. For babies of complementary food, on the other hand, it may still be better to recommend less crispy. By the way, you can find everything about complementary foods as well as delicious, simple recipes in our magazine.