Natural Food Network : Fall
Baby Food Aisle
H ealth-conscious parents are extending their concerns to the foods they give their off spring. According to a recent report by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), baby food is one of the three fastest-growing specialty food categories (along with refrigerated juices and functional beverages, and yogurt and kefir). All three categories saw more than 50 percent increase in sales between 2006 and 2008, with baby food jumping from $34 million in sales in 2006 to $58 million in 2008 a remarkable 70 percent increase. The number of specialty baby food introductions nearly tripled from 2006 to 2007, according to market research firm Mintel International's Global New Product Database. One reason for the sharp increase is the number of new toddler foods entering the marketplace, especially those that address parents' growing demand for healthy and convenient options for their two-to-fi ve year olds. Th ese notoriously discerning consumers or more accurately, their exasperated parents are more and more turning to natural and organic products to satisfy their fi ckle needs. Free from additives and preservatives and with lower sugar content, natural and organic toddler foods not only encourage healthy eating habits but, it is hoped, lead to better behaved and less frequently sick toddlers, while providing numerous long-term health benefi ts. Product innovations abound in this sector, from mainstays such as Earth's Best Organic, a leader in fortifi ed kids snacks, to relative newcomers like Plum Organics, whose huge success with its frozen baby foods led to the recent launch of Plum Kids meals and Plum Tots organic snacks, and HappyFamily with its new HappyBites line of toddler foods. It's definitely a growing market, says Liane Weintraub, co-founder of Tasty Brand, which makes Tastybaby organic frozen baby food and organic baby cereals, and recently expanded into toddler foods with its Organic Fruit Snacks. Weintraub says she is encouraged that even during a recession, parents are spending on healthy food for their kids. Consumers today more than ever are putting emphasis and focus on areas of their lives that are valuable. Personal indulgences for adults have gone by the wayside, and there has been a decline in organic food for adults, but babies and kids brands have not declined. As adults we cut back when the economy is bad; but taking it out on your kids would be an act of desperation, she says. Th ere's so much more information now about the food supply, and scares about tainted food supply, and there's a huge level of fear that comes along with being a parent. Parents are looking for ways they can feel safe on behalf of their kids. Plum Organics founder Gigi Lee Chang, whose company also recently expanded into toddler foods from its frozen baby food beginnings, saw a gap in the market and jumped on in. Many kids of toddler age will only eat pizza, mac and cheese, or chicken nuggets, but is that all they'll eat or is it that those are the only options out there? You give them something quick and it creates the cycle. Certainly for me, I thought there was a need. My son was getting older and I was frustrated with the lack of options. My motivation [with Plum Kids meals] was addressing that need. Chang also points out that toddlers benefi t just as much from organic food as babies do. Toddlers are still going through amazing development in growth. As a parent, you want to give them the purest food you can. Some of the innovations in these new toddler foods include fortifi cation (such as Earth's Best Cereal Bars fortifi ed with calcium, iron, zinc and six B vitamins, Plum Kids meals fortifi ed with DHA, and First Juice's toddler fruit and veggie juices fortifi ed with calcium BABY FOOD AISLE A Surge in Natural and Organic Offerings for Toddlers Satisfy Their Fickle Needs By Samantha Molineaux-Graham Natural Food Network Contributing Editor Natural Food Network 13