Organic baby food vegetables
The Best Organic Baby Foods of 2022
Feeding
written by JACLYN VORAN
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It’s time to start your baby on solid foods—congrats! You and your baby have reached a big milestone.
If you’re anything like us, you may feel overwhelmed at where to start. It seems that everyone has an opinion on what’s best for babies when it comes to, well, just about everything—and starting solid foods is no exception.
Whether you’re taking the puree approach, diving straight into baby-led weaning, or some combination of the two, the most important thing is starting your baby off with a healthy and balanced diet. This means a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products (that don’t include milk since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk or formula until 12 months before offering them whole milk).
With so many baby food options out there today, it’s easy to get confused and to wonder what’s best or if there’s really any difference.
Is Organic Baby Food Actually Better?
Nutritionally, no. When it comes to chemicals and pesticides, yes.
Research does not suggest that organic food provides major nutritional benefits over non-organic food, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, organic baby foods may have lower levels of certain pesticides and other chemicals, the AAP says.
The one thing all experts agree on is that offering your baby a wide variety of healthy options, whether they’re organic or not, is what matters most.
When Should I Start Giving My Baby Solids?
Most experts recommend waiting until your baby is 6 months old to start solids.
The AAP advises that you make sure your baby is physically ready for solids—they should be able to hold their head up and sit in a high chair or infant seat with good head control.
Another sign of readiness? They open their mouth when food comes their way or when they watch you eating. They may even reach for your food.
What Kind of Food Should I Give My Baby First?
To prevent choking, it’s best to start babies on soft or pureed food. Initially, you may want to limit foods to a single ingredient at a time for a few days to watch for any reactions before introducing a new one. After a couple months, your baby’s diet should include lots of different types of food, including breastmilk and/or formula, fruits, vegetables, meat, cereal, eggs, and fish.
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As a busy parent, time isn’t always on your side.
Making baby food from scratch can be stressful and time consuming, especially when it comes to appeasing picky eaters. Luckily, there are several pre-made organic baby food options that take the guesswork out of feeding your child.
Since the National Organic Program of the USDA has developed strict rules and regulations that govern USDA certified organic foods, those carrying the USDA organic seal cannot contain GMOs or any artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. And certain studies show that organic fruits and vegetables have significantly more antioxidant polyphenols than conventionally grown produce. Encouraging an abundance and variety of fruits and vegetables at all ages is key, but organically grown produce can provide some additional benefits without the GMOs or preservatives.
And speaking of ages, our nutrition experts point out that baby food stages aren’t standardized but there are general guidelines that many brands utilize. Keep in mind that every baby develops differently, and some babies are ready for stage 2 before they are 7 months old, while others may not be ready until they are closer to 10 months old.
Talk to your pediatrician to help guide you throughout the process, and remember that it’s important for babies to advance through the stages on their own time.
As a general rule of thumb, Stage 1 foods generally consist of a single ingredient purees and are ideal for babies ages 4-6 months. Stage 2 foods are best for babies ages 6-9 months and start to incorporate more than one ingredient. Stage 3 foods are for babies 9-12 months, and they feature a lot of different textures and new flavors. Stage 4 foods are for babies at least one year of age and typically indicate that table food can be introduced.
A note on heavy metals in baby food: If you’ve heard about concerns regarding heavy metals in baby food, it’s important to know that they are naturally occurring and enter the food supply from natural sources like soil, water and air. It is nearly impossible to completely avoid these metals, but parents can minimize the risk by feeding their baby a variety of foods.
Opt for grain-based cereals and snacks instead of rice-based options and be sure to limit fruit juices. Our experts say you can and should keep giving carrots and sweet potatoes because they contain important nutrients, but given that they grow in the ground, they may naturally contain higher levels of heavy metals so be sure to serve them along with other fruits and vegetables.
To make sure you're giving your child the very best, we put several brands to the test through a panel of kids, moms and editors to see which organic baby food products are the best for your baby. We’ve also included information on what measures each brand is taking regarding minimizing heavy metals in their products. Here are the best organic baby foods of 2022:
Once Upon a Farm
Organic Fruit & Veggie Blend Baby Sampler
Once Upon A Farm
SHOP AT AMAZON
Cerebelly
Organic Baby Puree Pouches
Cerebelly
SHOP AT AMAZON
Holle USA
Organic Fruit Puree
Holle USA
SHOP AT AMAZON
Happy Family Organics
Pouches & Jars
SHOP AT AMAZON
Plum
Organics Pouches
SHOP AT AMAZON
Serenity Kids
Organic Savory Veggies and Ethically Sourced Meats Variety Pack
Serenity Kids
$34 AT AMAZON
ALDI
Little Journey Pouches
SHOP AT ALDI
Amara
Organic Baby Food Pouches
Amara
SHOP AT AMAZON
Gerber
Organic Pouches & Freshful Start
SHOP AT AMAZON
Little Spoon
Little Spoon
This subscription-based baby food service brings a unique twist to the traditional baby food we see on the market.
Our nutrition pros appreciate that the organic baby blends feature nutritious ingredient combinations including chia seeds, buckwheat, pumpkin seed and hemp seeds. Plus, they offer a line of small packs called boosters that act as nutritional supplements to mix into your baby’s food that our mommy testers loved. You can select from four different types of boosters that are carefully sourced with vitamins, minerals, probiotics and organic produce.
Their line of Babyblends purees are now Clean Label Project verified, which tests for over 400 industrial environmental contaminants including heavy metals and more.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Yumi
Blends
Yumi
SHOP AT HELLOYUMI.COM
Tiny Organics
Tiny Organics
These organic baby and toddler meals are conveniently delivered to your door and are packed with super nutrients. Our nutrition pros and testers both love that Tiny products are free from the big 8 allergens.
Curated by a team of chef and neonatal nutritionists, the meals are made fresh and shipped frozen. Their new Tiny Beginnings product line has six different plant-based baby meal options to choose from and is created for 4-8-month-olds.
When sourcing ingredients, Tiny's team shared with GH that they require the farmers to provide heavy metal tests on the lots from the year prior and when they harvest the new lot. The team also does internal lab tests on specific ingredients to make sure it is within the brand's specifications. All ingredients are all sustainably sourced within the US from local farms to reduce carbon footprint and are USDA-certified organic.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
How we tested
Registered dietitians in the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab evaluated dozens of baby food products, specifically analyzing ingredient lists and nutrition labels. Our nutrition experts prioritized USDA Certified Organic options made with wholesome ingredients and free of artificial preservatives, colors or flavors.
We also investigated efforts that the brands are making to minimize heavy metal exposure in their products. In addition to expert analysis, we recruited a panel of parents and little ones to provide real-life feedback on quality, variety, portion sizes, convenience, packaging and more. We’re confident that our top picks are the best organic baby food options to provide exceptional nourishment and quality.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
As deputy director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab for the past two years, Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, NASM-CPT handles all nutrition content, product testing and evaluation. She stays up to date on the latest research to provide evidence-based reporting on all things diet and nutrition, and she also runs large-scale tests and analysis for products ranging from protein bars to supplements. She has a master's degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and has been a registered dietitian for six years, working in the clinical setting prior to Good Housekeeping and obtaining advanced credentials and board certifications in the nutrition field.
As a new mom to a 6-month-old baby girl, Stefani is personally invested in thoroughly vetting and testing baby food products for her family and yours.
Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., NASM-CPT Nutrition Lab Deputy Director Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the deputy director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, where she handles all nutrition-related content, testing and evaluation.
Organic vs Conventional Complementary Foods: What's the Difference - Parents.ru
Pro Nutrition
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HiPP expert
Monogamy usually starts at 60 months of age
it is at this age that the baby's digestive system is ready to accept foods other than breast milk.
Products for the introduction of the first complementary foods should be chosen very carefully. One of the safest options is monocomponent purees. Today, parents can find such products marked “organic” or “BIO” on store shelves: these labels mean that the food consists only of natural ingredients and does not contain any dyes, preservatives, flavors or GMOs. Such monocomponent purees contain only one vegetable, for example, broccoli or cauliflower, which are the safest for a child trying an unfamiliar product for the first time. nine0003 What's the difference?
The main difference and the main plus of bio-products is the method of production. The fruits, vegetables and cereals that go into their preparation are grown according to the principles of organic farming, that is, without the use of pesticides, growth regulators, artificial fertilizers and pest control chemicals. In conventional agriculture today, the use of such substances, unfortunately, is quite common. Their traces remain in the final product, so such food can harm the child, who is still very sensitive at an early age.
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Organic purees, cereals, soups and drinks are safer for the baby, while retaining their natural rich taste and the maximum amount of nutrients. We do not know how the fruits and vegetables sold in the store or in the market were grown, so making your own purée for the first complementary foods becomes unsafe. Only those parents who grow zucchini, cabbage, carrots and other products themselves and are confident in their quality (like Jamie Oliver) can be confident in the safety of home food. nine0003
Organic food is grown only in environmentally friendly conditions, therefore it minimizes the risk of harmful substances entering the child's body and reduces the likelihood of food allergies in the crumbs.
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- tatyana_tomsickova/GettyImages/iStockphoto
Strict control
Baby food goes through multi-level stages of quality control, and organic products go through even more checks by specialists.
Experts observe its production at all stages: from choosing the soil to tasting the purees, cereals, soups and drinks themselves. Only after passing all the trials and tests, organic food receives the Organic or BIO labels, which guarantee the quality, safety and environmental friendliness of the product that will be included in the menu of a small child. Strict checks, environmentally friendly production, the absence of dubious components in the composition - all this makes organic nutrition a suitable option for the first complementary foods, and introducing a child to new foods is healthy and safe. nine0003
More useful materials about proper nutrition for the little ones - in our channel on Yandex.Zen.
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organic products in baby food.
Organic Fruits Organic Meat, Baby Food Raw Materials If you have a small child who you occasionally feed with canned baby food, HiPP food is familiar to you. Looking at the jar, most likely you did not pay attention to the round HiPP BIO sign placed on the label. What is this sign and why does it deserve special attention? nine0037
Organic farming - a source of organic raw materials
Surely you have already met the term "organic farming" - a way of farming without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth regulators, which uses only organic fertilizers and competent crop rotation, as well as biological methods of pest control. For example, with a five-year crop rotation cycle, clover, wheat, oats, buckwheat, vegetables are alternately grown on the field - and then clover again. This reduces the clogging of the soil with weeds, provides it with various nutrients and reduces the degree of natural soil depletion.
Manure is used as a fertilizer in the fields to enrich the soil and increase productivity. nine0003
Growing grains and vegetables organically is more labor intensive. Of course, modern mechanical methods of weed control are actively used, but at some stages manual labor is also required.
Since the use of insecticides in organic farming is prohibited, insect pests are controlled by natural methods - creating favorable conditions for beneficial insects and birds. For example, grain harvesting is not carried out in the middle of the day, when bees are most active, because. mechanical harvesting can kill a large number of beneficial insects. And Colorado beetles are fought with the help of neem tree oil. nine0003
In organic agriculture, cattle graze most of the year on natural pastures in the open. This allows the animals to be strong and healthy, as well as to consume a more varied diet. Poultry is also raised in free-range conditions.
In the cold season, animals receive biofeed grown in organic fields - the same clover used in the crop rotation system, as well as various grains and straw. nine0003
Why is it important to use organic products in baby food?
In addition to the fact that organic farming does not degrade the quality of the soil, groundwater is not polluted - i.e. the ecological state of the environment does not suffer, organically grown products have a natural taste and are more beneficial to human health.
Infants and young children are especially vulnerable - even pesticide residues from food can adversely affect the health of the baby. Therefore The use of organic products in baby food is the key to future health .
HiPP Raw Materials Sources for Baby Food Production
HiPP has a long history of working closely with organic farmers whose farming methods produce the best raw materials while intelligently adapting to the natural cycle.
For the production of baby food, HiPP uses only raw materials grown in accordance with the European legislation on organic production, which contains clear requirements regarding the cultivation and production of organic products . The quality of HiPP BIO goes beyond the general legal requirements for bio products - for this, additional checks of raw materials and products are carried out at different stages of production.
More than 8,000 organic farmers around the world produce organic fruit, organic vegetables and organic meat for HiPP. When buying raw materials that do not grow in the local latitudes - for example, bananas - high organic quality is also emphasized.
To secure its own natural bananas, HiPP has established its direct import system, which includes farms located in the pristine high jungles of Costa Rica. Plants in such farms do not grow crowded, but at a distance from each other - in a completely different way than on ordinary plantations.
No pesticides or plant protection products are used in the cultivation of these bananas. If a plant is affected by a fungal or other disease, it is enough to remove the diseased branch to avoid the spread of the disease. nine0003
Quality control of raw materials and finished products - a guarantee of safety
Immediately after the delivery of raw materials intended for the production of HiPP baby food, the first checks for the presence of harmful substances are carried out, and if there are complaints, the goods are not accepted. Only raw materials that have been tested for the absence of about 1,200 prohibited residues enter the production. Only ingredients that have passed through a multi-level quality control system enter the jars. And only after that the jar receives the HiPP BIO organic quality mark. nine0003
HiPP baby food is produced in several factories throughout Europe. In 2009, plant HiPP appeared in Russia - in the Kaliningrad region.
Currently, this is the only organic baby food production in the Russian Federation with its own vegetable store, microbiological laboratories and autonomous water supply.
All HiPP products that left the assembly line of the Russian factory, are manufactured according to the same company standards , complying with the requirements of European legislation for organic products. A significant part of the raw materials for the production of baby food at the Kaliningrad plant is produced outside of Russia. Only a small part of it is supplied by Russian farmers - these are potatoes, carrots, parsnips. In the near future, domestic organic beef will begin to be used - bulls have already been grown, production is currently being certified.
Raw materials and finished products in the Russian Federation go through the same quality control stages as at each HiPP plant. The contents of each jar are controlled more than 260 times - up to checking the finished product before shipment to the client.
