Unboxed: 7 nutrient-dense baby foods for parents' peace of mind
Prepared foods make up around half of the global baby food market, and these ethical natural brands are securing organic certifications, avoiding unhealthy additives and making baby food overall better than ever before.
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Only fruits and vegetables grown using biodynamic farming techniques go into these unsweetened baby food pouches, which exemplify the company’s commitment to regenerative farming and making foods that are produced in harmony with the planet. All of the fruit used in the pouches is seasonally grown and handpicked from 30+ year-old orchards. In addition to USDA Organic certification, the products are Certified Biodynamic by Demeter and GMO free.
Committed to ethically sourcing 100% grass-fed and finished bison (a protein source that delivers iron, zinc and vitamin B12 and improves the animal agricultural ecosystem), Serenity Kids mimics the macronutrients in breastmilk by adding to it kabocha squash, spinach and avocado oil. An added bonus is their mission to train infants’ palates to enjoy savory flavors versus the traditional sweet and fruity offerings. Other varieties include Grass-Fed Beef, Free-Range Chicken, Wild-Caught Salmon and Pasture-Raised Turkey, as well as a line of USDA Organic vegetable pouches.
This unique line of snacks made from freeze dried vegetables or fruits added new flavor varieties this year. These are made with red bell peppers, sunflower oil and sea salt, while Two to Mango has freeze-dried mango, coconut oil and basil. They join the equally clever product Keep Calm and Cardamom, which is made with apples. Continuing with its “palates in training” approach of creating tasty and nutritious foods for tots without masking flavors with sugar, all of the snacks are USDA Organic, and marketed for “Ages 12 months to 100-years-old.”
Lil’ Gourmets’ fresh, USDA-certified organic baby meals put nutrition and quality first. These vegetable-first purees are made with real food ingredients (85% of which are veggies) and contain only 4 grams of naturally occurring sugars. These refrigerated meals come in a total of four flavors seasoned with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric, designed to inspire future foodies: Organic Ginger Beets, Organic Sweet Potato Curry, Organic Moroccan Squash and Organic Coconut Cauliflower Mash.
Parents can slip one of these lightweight pouches into their purse or pocket for a convenient, USDA Organic meal that needs only be mixed with water, breastmilk or formula. These Non-GMO Verified, powders are processed using proprietary technology to lock in as many nutrients as possible. This one has just 4 ingredients: potatoes, kale, bananas and onions.
On first glance these fruit puree pouches might seem like the typical baby food, but these USDA Organic, Non-GMO Verified purees also provide babies with a gut-friendly dose of probiotics (500 million CFUs per serving), without any added sugars.
These USDA Organic, Non-GMO Verified baby and toddler purees are marketed by growth stage, making it easy for parents to navigate the sometimes-confusing world of feeding their kids. These refrigerated cups and pouches are cold-pressed to keep in nutrients and come in a wide range of appealing flavors.
These USDA Organic, Non-GMO Verified baby and toddler purees are marketed by growth stage, making it easy for parents to navigate the sometimes-confusing world of feeding their kids. These refrigerated cups and pouches are cold-pressed to keep in nutrients and come in a wide range of appealing flavors.
Parenting is hard enough without having to worry about finding healthy and appealing foods for babies and toddlers. And while some might argue that there’s nothing better than feeding kids a homemade meal, the chaotic pace of modern life means that more and more moms and dads are turning to the convenience of prepared baby foods.
According to Global Market Insights, the global market for baby food will have a projected value of $33 billion by 2025. A growing share of this market will undoubtedly be the prepared segment, which in 2018 represented a 44.6% of the overall industry. All baby foods are not created equal, however. Two 2019 studies from the World Health Organization Europe showed that a large proportion of baby foods contain inappropriately high levels of added sugar. At a time when consumers in general are clamoring for lower-sugar, higher-quality food products, parents who may once have been willing to sacrifice a little bit of nutrition in the name of convenience are demanding healthier baby food options with cleaner and more transparent labels.
One way that they can be confident in the quality of these foods from supply chain to finished product is by choosing brands with USDA Organic certification or ethically sourced ingredients. Not only are there many brands in the natural baby food category with organic certification, but a large number of them also offer a variety of additional benefits for growing bodies constantly on the move. The (almost all) organic brands featured in this gallery offer extras like hidden vegetables, low to no added sugar, low sodium, functional add-ins, and opportunities for babies and toddlers to develop a taste for textures, flavors, ingredients and spices that might go beyond what parents would typically prepare at home.
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