Piccolo debuts ready meals for tots via exclusive Morrisons tie-up

Piccolo has entered the chillers at Morrisons with a 17-strong range of ready meals, yoghurts and mini pizzas created for children between the ages of one and eight.

The products, which were developed in collaboration with a nutritionist, contain natural ingredients and no added sugar.

Piccolo says its new ready meals meet the voluntary babyfood regulations published in August. Portions have been tailored for “little movers” aged one to five and “big kids” aged three to eight, with the two sizes designed to meet children’s differing nutritional needs as they grow.

The Morrisons rollout is being supported by a dedicated Piccolo-branded destination within the ready meals aisle.

“As a mum of three little girls, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to find nutritious meals made specifically for children, that they’ll actually eat,” said Piccolo founder Cat Gazzoli.

“Launching our new range exclusively with Morrisons is a real step change for parents, creating a clear, dedicated space for health-first, nutritious meals.

“This is Piccolo, hand in hand with Morrisons stepping into chilled and beyond, becoming a true family brand, and giving parents choice, clarity, and confidence like never before,” she added.

Babyfood pouch decline

The chilled ready meal range comes in the wake of last year’s BBC Panorama investigation which criticised Piccolo for marketing its Stage 1 babyfood pouches to parents of infants aged four months and up, and for the poor nutrition of some lines. Pure Mango, for instance, was found to contain less than 0.1mg of vitamin C.

Last summer Piccolo said it had started relabelling packets to read ’six months and up’ in 2024. It also said it boosted many of its fruit pouches with ingredients rich in vitamin C to account for vitamins lost during processing.

In August, the government issued new voluntary babyfood guidelines, calling on suppliers to reduce sugar and salt content, add clearer labelling, cut reliance on fruit purées, and provide guidance for parents on feeding with a spoon rather than straight from the pouch.

However, since the BBC’s expose, the overall babyfood category has seen sales fall, with brands named in the BBC investigation suffering the steepest declines.

“The wet babyfood category declined by around 15% following the BBC Panorama report,” Gazzoli told The Grocer late last year, although she remains optimistic that new launches will help reverse last year’s decline.

 This article was updated on 25 March 2026 to give additional context on the decline of babyfood pouch sales in 2025.