Impact of ingredients on the elemental content of baby foods

•Vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals for 4–6, 7+ and 10+ months babies were analysed.•The minerals and trace elements ratios were constant in the non-vegetarian meals.•Elemental levels in the 4–6 months age vegetarian meals were the lowest.•The Cu, Se and Zn contents in all meals where comparable to those in breast milk.•The Fe, K and P levels were 2- to 4-fold higher than in breast milk.•The reported antagonistic interactions between Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were analysed. The levels of the minerals: Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and the trace elements: Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn were determined in foods for 4–6, 7+ and 10+ months old babies in a brand available on the UK market. The mineral contents in the vegetarian meals for all the age groups were similar, in contrast, when compared to the non-vegetarian options, the Ca, Na and P levels were higher in the former. Both the trace elements and minerals levels in the 4–6months vegetarian meal were the lowest of all the products analysed. The Cu, Se and Zn levels in all the meals were comparable to those in mature human breast milk. Calculations of the following molar ratios: Zn:Cu, Fe:Zn, and Fe:Mn, pairs of elements that have been shown to interaction antagonistically, were higher in the vegetarian meals.