Home » Misc » Step one baby foods

Step one baby foods


10 Baby Food Purees (Stage 1)

Everything you need to know about making stage 1 baby food, including 10 recipes for tasty purees that are perfect for introducing solids.

Introducing solids to your baby is such an exciting milestone but it can also be an overwhelming time with lots of questions. When is your baby ready for solids? Which foods should you start with? And how do you make homemade baby food?

I’m here to make sure you have all the information you need! Plus sharing 10 baby food purees to give you some ideas of where to start if you’ve decided to make your own baby food.

When To Start Solids

Most pediatricians recommend babies start solids between 4-6 months, but you know your baby best so trust your gut and do what feels right to you (with guidance from your pediatrician)!

I have a great guide for introducing solids to babies where I outline the basics and share my approach, but just to recap, here are some signs that your baby is ready to start enjoying solid food:

  • Baby can hold their head up in an upright position without too much bobbing
  • Baby can sit up with (or without) support
  • Baby has lost the tongue thrust reflex
  • Baby puts their hands or toys in their mouth
  • Baby has shown interest in food such as leaning forward and opening their mouth or trying to grab food you’re eating

How to Introduce Solid Food to Baby

Once you’ve decided that your baby is ready to start solids, it’s go-time. There are different approaches to this including baby led weaning, where you skip purees all-together and let your baby feed themselves with finger foods from the start and traditional weaning, which starts with pureed (or blended) foods.

With Olivia I did a hybrid approach where the first few foods we introduced where purees and then we started with a few finger foods when she seemed ready. I go into more detail on this in my introducing solids post.

To be honest, if you’re planning to do baby led weaning this post probably won’t be that helpful because it’s focused on how to make a variety of single ingredient purees.

What is Stage 1 Baby Food?

If you decide to use purees, you’ll quickly notice that baby food is labeled by three stages. Here is a breakdown of what these different stages mean:

  • Stage 1 (4-6 months) – single ingredient foods that are pureed into a very thin consistency with no chunkiness whatsoever that can be served with a spoon.
  • Stage 2 (around 6-8 months) – slightly thicker consistency and typically includes food combinations and the addition of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, mint, basil, etc. See my stage 2 baby food combos.
  • Stage 3 (around 9-12 months) – thick blended foods with chewable chunks or small cut up pieces of easily chewed food.

Best First Foods for Baby

Solid foods can be introduced in any order, but most pediatricians recommend starting with a single-ingredient food that is easy to digest like pureed sweet potato, carrot, banana and/or avocado. Other options include pureed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified baby cereals like rice cereal or oatmeal.

You just want to be sure the first few foods are pureed super smooth and almost a liquid consistency. You can easily thin purees with breastmilk or formula.

As baby gets more practice with eating you can reduce the amount of liquid and offer purees with a thicker texture.

Food Allergies and Known Allergens

When introducing foods it can be helpful to introduce only one food every three to five days so you can watch for any signs of allergic reactions. A reaction could show up almost immediately or a few days after so it’s recommend to introduce one food at a time when starting out so you can track what may be causing a reaction in your baby. Reactions include: hives or rashes, itching, shortness or breath or more serious reactions like vomiting or swelling of the lips and tongue.

It’s also helpful to be mindful about common allergens. Foods like diary, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy and shellfish should be introduced gradually after less allergenic foods have been tolerated. The previous recommendation was to wait on these foods, but that as since changed and in fact, delaying the introduction of these foods may increase the risk of a child developing allergies.

One food that is off limits until a baby is at least 1 year old is honey because of the risk of infantile botulism.

How to Make Homemade Baby Food

We covered when and what foods to start with. Now lets talk how to make a basic baby food puree! Don’t fret, it’s super easy. Here’s the basic process:

  • Prep: you’ll want to start by ensuring your fruit or vegetable of choice is thoroughly cleaned. Even if you’re using organic fruits and vegetables, you’ll want to washed and dry your produce! Once the produce is clean, you’re ready to peel and chop into chunks. You can skip this step for some fruits or veggies.
  • Cook: some foods like banana and avocado don’t need to be cooked, but many do. For cooking, you can steam, boil or roast. I recommend using a fork to test that they’re tender and soft.
  • Blend: place cooked food into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth (or the consistency you desire), adding liquid (breast milk, formula or water) as needed.

That’s it! You’ve just made a homemade baby food puree!

Best Tools For Making Homemade Baby Food

You really don’t need any fancy kitchen appliances, but there are a few tools that will come in handy when making homemade baby food.

  • Steamer basket – Steaming is one the easiest ways to cook foods for making purees and having a steamer basket is key. I have a really basic steamer basket that fits in most pots, but I also use the steamer basket that comes with my Always Pan.
  • Blender – I’ve been using my Vitamix blender and love how smooth it makes the purees. You can also use a food processor or an immersion blender.
  • Silicone ice cube trays – In the beginning I really liked to make large batches of pureed food and pour it into a silicone ice cube tray with a lid to freeze for later. It was perfect when babies aren’t eating big portions because each cube is about 1-2 ounces.
  • Freezer bags – Once you have frozen cubes of puree you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. I love reusable Stasher bags for this.
  • Storage containers – As soon as you start making homemade baby food you realize that you need lots of little containers. A friend loaned me a bunch of plastic storage containers for keeping homemade baby food and I also invested in these glass containers that are freezer safe.
  • Permanent markers – When storing and freezing baby food you’ll want to label everything with the name of the food and the date.
  • Baby food maker – if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that steams food and blends it there are some cool gadgets (like the BEABA Babycook) that make homemade baby food a breeze!

10 Stage One Baby Food Purees

Ready to get started making some stage 1 baby food purees? Here are 10 easy recipes to get you started. These are the purees I used in the early days with Olivia. She loved all of these, but there are a ton of other purees you can try including pear puree, apple puree (aka applesauce), bean purees (like chickpea or lentil puree) and even chicken puree.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse vegetable! They’re packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and babies love their sweet flavor.

Sweet Potato Puree

3.88 from 8 votes

Sweet potato puree is so easy to make. Just bake your sweet potatoes, peel and blend until smooth! It's a great first food for babies, but can also be used in baking recipes, mixed into oatmeal, added to smoothies or served as a side dish.

Get Recipe

Carrot

Carrots are low on the allergy scale and easily digested by a tiny tummy. They are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body, which is crucial for eye health and overall immune function.

Carrot Puree

4 from 39 votes

How to make carrot baby food by cooking and blending carrots into a smooth and creamy puree. Carrot puree make a great stage 1 starter food for babies.

Get Recipe

Avocado

Avocados are high in heart-healthy fats as well as fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants! They’re incredibly nutritious and super easy to prepare.

Avocado Puree

5 from 3 votes

Avocado is great first food for babies. It contains healthy fats, it’s easy to blend and it’s delicious. Make it in your food processor or blender or simply mash!

Get Recipe

Banana

A great first food to introduce to babies, bananas are naturally soft and mushy, easy to digest and loaded with vitamins and minerals. The best part? You don’t need to cook them!

Banana Puree

5 from 2 votes

Fresh banana puree is a great first food and baby will love it because it tastes sweet! Easily make it by mashing or blending ripe bananas.

Get Recipe

Peas

Peas are naturally sweet and pack a punch with nutrition, containing a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They are also high in protein, with 4 grams per half-cup serving. Fun fact, peas are actually a legume!

Pea Puree

5 from 5 votes

Pea puree is a great first food when introducing solids to babies and all you need is a bag of frozen peas and a blender or food processor!

Get Recipe

Butternut Squash

Technically a fruit, butternut squash is packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Butternut Squash Puree

Make butternut squash puree at home with this simple recipe! Just scoop the seeds, roast, blend and use in recipes that call for butternut squash puree. It's also a great first food for babies!

Get Recipe

Peach

Peaches are naturally sweet and perfect for introducing baby to solid foods. They are rich in many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Peach Puree

5 from 4 votes

Peach puree is so easy to make using fresh peaches! It's a great first food for babies, but can also be used as a topping or mix-in for breakfast, dessert and drink recipes.

Get Recipe

Mango

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, mango is especially high in vitamins A and C. They also contain a group of digestive enzymes called amylases which help little tummies just starting with solid foods.

Mango Puree

5 from 3 votes

How to make a delicious mango puree out of fresh (or frozen) mango. It's perfect for serving to baby or to use in recipes.

Get Recipe

Blueberry

Small but mighty! Blueberries are known as a superfood. Superfoods are usually plant-based and rich in nutrients that are beneficial to your health such as vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fiber.

Blueberry Puree

5 from 1 vote

Blueberry puree is full of antioxidants and vitamins and makes for a quick and easy first food for baby! It can also be used as a topping or mix-in for breakfast, dessert and drink recipes.

Get Recipe

Strawberry

Strawberries pack quite a health punch! They are low calorie, taste delicious and are a great source of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

Strawberry Puree

5 from 1 vote

Strawberry puree is easy to make and naturally sweet with no added sugar! Use it in baked goods, drinks or as baby food.

Get Recipe

How to Store Purees

Freshly pureed baby food should be stored in the fridge and used within 3-4 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing purees in an airtight container. I like using silicone ice cube tray or freezer safe jars because they make it easier to thaw smaller amounts for serving to babies.

How to Thaw Frozen Puree

I recommend thawing frozen purees in the fridge the night before you want to use them. In a pinch, you can also thaw it quickly with a warm water bath. It thaws quickly if you’re defrosting a small amount to serve to a baby.

FAQ

Can I store homemade baby food purees?

Yes! Making large batches of purees and storing them in the refrigerator or freezer makes feeding baby homemade purees a breeze.

Can you freeze homemade purees?

Freezing baby food that has been made with frozen fruit or vegetables is fine, as long as you have cooked the frozen foods first. Do not refreeze foods that have thawed without cooking. I recommend labeling baby food with the ingredient and date before you place them in the freezer.

Can you freeze baby food made with breast milk or formula?

If you are freezing baby food that has been mixed with fresh breast milk you’re fine! However, you should not freeze baby food that has been mixed with previously frozen breast milk. Once frozen breast milk has been thawed, it should never be re-frozen.

If you are using formula, it should be okay to freeze baby food that has been mixed with it. Most formula companies don’t recommend freezing formula, but you’re using such a small amount.

You can also freeze the baby food purees without adding any liquid. You can then thaw the baby food puree in the fridge overnight and then thin the food to the desired consistency with breast milk or formula right before serving.

This post about freezing baby food has a ton of great insight and tips.

Should I use organic fruits and vegetables?

I recommend using organic produce when possible, though I realize this isn’t always in the budget. Either way thoroughly rinsing your fruits and vegetables is an important step whether they’re organic or not.

This list of the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables from the EWG is a good guide if you can only budget for some but not all organic produce.

Is it safe to thin baby food with cow’s milk?

From a nutritional point of view, most doctors recommend waiting to introduce babies to cow’s milk until one year of age. If you need to thin your puree you can use breast milk, formula or plain water.

What is the difference between stage 1 and stage 2 baby food?

Stage 1 purees are very thin with no chunkiness and are single ingredients. Stage 2 baby foods can be more elaborate with food combinations as well as chunkier textures.

More Recipes for Resources

  • Baby Pancakes
  • How to Make Oatmeal For Babies
  • Baby (+ Toddler) French Toast
  • Applesauce
  • Baby Yogurt Melts
  • 6 Baby Food Combinations (Stage 2)

 Be sure to check out all of the baby food recipes here on EBF.

10 Stage One Baby Food Purees

5 from 5 votes

Everything you need to know about making stage 1 baby food, including 10 recipes for tasty purees that are perfect for introducing solids.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Sweet Potato
  • 2 cups steamed and peeled sweet potatoes
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Carrot
  • 1 lb steamed and peeled carrots
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Avocado
  • 1 avocado
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Banana
  • 1 banana
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Pea
  • 2 cups cooked peas
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Butternut Squash
  • 2 cups steamed and peeled butternut squash
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Peach
  • 3 ripe peaches
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Mango
  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin
Blueberry
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • ½ cup water
Strawberry
  • 2 cups strawberries
  • water, breast milk or formula to thin

  • Add veggies or fruit into a high powered blender or a food processor. Blend and add liquid until you reach the consistency you desire. You can make the purees smooth and thin for young babies or thicker and chunkier for older babies.

  • blender

  • food processor

Serving: 1sweet potato Calories: 75kcal Carbohydrates: 17g Protein: 1g Sodium: 48mg Potassium: 292mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and share on social media using the hashtag #eatingbirdfood. I love seeing your recipe shares!

How to Make Carrot Baby Food (Carrot Puree)

How to make carrot baby food by cooking and blending carrots into a smooth and creamy puree. Carrot puree make a great stage 1 starter food for babies.

A couple weeks ago I shared all about introducing solids to baby, my approach with Olivia and what foods we’d tried so far. Honestly, I had no intentions of sharing baby food recipes, but I’ve been having so much fun making it for Liv and everyone has seemed really interested so here we are.

For this first post, I thought I would share a simple recipe for an easy stage 1 food for babies 4 month and up, homemade carrot puree.

Like sweet potato and winter squash, carrot puree makes a great stage 1 food for babies because it can easily be pureed until thin. Carrots are also low on the allergy scale and easily digested by a tiny tummy.

Olivia’s first food was sweet potato puree and then avocado, but carrots came quickly after these two foods.

Homemade Baby Food

Let me start by saying that I know homemade baby food isn’t always an option and that’s okay. When we were on vacation I bought a couple baby food pouches for Olivia. She gobbled them up. That said, the majority of her food is homemade because I really enjoy cooking and making food for Liv has been really fun for me. I also like knowing that she’s eating fresh, nutrient-rich food that’s been made with love. That might sound corny, but it’s true.

When researching how to make homemade baby food I also researched how shelf-stable baby food is made. The shelf-life of jarred store-bought baby food is 2 years, which means you could be feeding your baby shelf-stable food that’s older than they are! Isn’t that wild to think about?!

And while I haven’t tasted store-bought carrot baby food, I imagine that this homemade carrot puree tastes way better!

Carrot Nutrition for Infants

Carrots are a such a nutritious first food! They are high in beta-carotene, a red-orange antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is known to boost eye health and support the immune system. Carrots also contain vitamin C, iron, calcium and fiber, which can be helpful for normal bowel movements in babies.

What Kind of Carrots to Use

I like to use fresh, organic whole carrots. Just wash the carrots well and peel them before chopping and cooking. I know it’s an extra step, but I do recommend peeling them to remove any dirt particles and/or pesticide residue. I also think removing the peel of the carrots makes them taste better. They taste super earthy to me when the peel is on. You can also use baby carrots, which makes the chopping process faster because they’ve already been peeled.

I personally like to buy organic foods for making homemade baby food, but also realize this isn’t an option for everyone so buy what you can afford.

How to Make Carrot Puree
  1. Peel and chop carrots.
  2. Cook the carrot chunks by steaming, boiling or roasting.
  3. Transfer cooked carrots to a blender or food processor. I’ve been loving my Vitamix for blending up baby food. It gets the purees super smooth!
  4. Blend until smooth, adding breast milk, formula or water to thin – the carrot puree will likely be a bit too thick for stage 1 eaters without adding some sort of liquid to thin the puree. I like using breast milk or formula for extra nutrients, but you can use water as well (water used for the steaming or boiling process works great).
  5. Let carrot puree cool and serve right away or portion into storage containers or ice cube trays for later use.
  6. Carrot puree an be stored in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.

How to Store Carrot Baby Food

Once you have the carrot puree blended to the consistency you want, let the mixture cool and then transfer into BPA-free storage containers or into an ice cube tray. I’ve been using silicone ice cube trays and these 4 oz glass storage containers. The ice cube trays are great for younger babies who aren’t eating as much volume because you can defrost one cube at a time. While the 4 oz jars are great for older babies who are eating more than 1 oz at a time.

We had the ice cube trays on hand and I just recently bought the WeeSprout glass storage containers that are specifically for baby food. I like that they have measurements on the side of the jars and that they’re glass instead of plastic (no worry about BPA). They are also freezer, dish-washer and microwave-safe. Plus they come with colorful lids that you can write on with a dry eraser marker to note the item and date.

The fresh carrot puree will keep in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Don’t Forget to Label

I highly recommend labeling any baby food you make before storing! It’s amazing how quickly you forget what day you prepped the food once it goes into the fridge or freezer. #mombrain

How to Reheat or Thaw Frozen Carrot Puree

To thaw frozen pureed carrots, I recommend taking the jar out of the freezer the night before you want to use it so it can defrost in the fridge overnight. If you need to use it right away, you can thaw it using a water bath. Some people will recommend microwaving the frozen puree using the defrost seating but I prefer these two methods:

  • Defrost in the refrigerator: Place frozen puree cubes into a jar or baby’s serving dish, cover, and place in the refrigerator overnight. If you stored the puree in a jar or storage container, simply place the jar the fridge.
  • Water bath: Place frozen pureed cubes in a small container and set in another larger container with warm water. Replace the water as needed. Once defrosted, portion the food into individual bowls, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

Be sure to use any of the defrosted food within 48 hours of being defrosted and do not re-freeze.

Baby Food Combinations with Carrots

Once your baby is ready for stage 2 foods that are combinations, you can blend different fruits and veggies into the carrot puree. Here are some ideas of foods and spices  that pair well with carrots.

  • Green veggies – peas, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, spinach
  • Orange veggies – butternut squash, sweet potatoes
  • Fruits – apples, peaches, pears
  • Carbs – brown rice, lentils, quinoa
  • Protein – beef, chicken
  • Herbs and Spices – cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cumin, paprika, nutmeg, curry, mint

More Baby Food Recipes and Resources

  • Baby Oatmeal
  • Introducing Solids to Baby
  • 6 Baby Food Combinations (Stage 2)
  • Sweet Potato Puree
  • Avocado Puree
  • Butternut Squash Puree
  • Pea Puree
  • Peach Baby Food
  • Banana Puree
  • Smash Cake
  • Banana Pancakes For Babies
  • Baby Yogurt Melts

Carrot Baby Food

4 from 39 votes

How to make carrot baby food by cooking and blending carrots into a smooth and creamy puree. Carrot puree make a great stage 1 starter food for babies.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 oz

  • 1 lb fresh organic carrots
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup breast milk, formula or water, to thin
  • spices or herbs of choice, optional

  • Peel carrots and chop into chunks. Try to make the carrot chunks around the same size so they will finish cooking around the same time. The smaller the chunks, the faster they will cook.

  • Fill a pot with about 1 inch of water, add carrots to a steamer basket and place inside of the pot. Bring water to a low boil, cover with lid and steam carrots for 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender. The cook time will depend on the size of your carrots.

  • Once carrots are tender remove pot from heat and allow carrots to a cool a bit before transferring to a blender or food processor. Puree carrots in the blender or food processor, adding liquid (breast milk, formula or water) as needed to get the desired consistency. If using water, the water leftover from steaming or boiling the carrots works great.

  • Transfer carrot puree into storage containers and store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 1 month.

  • You can boil or roast the carrots instead of steaming. See my tips in the blog post above.

Serving: 4oz Calories: 62kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 2g Sodium: 116mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 9g

Author: Brittany Mullins

Course: Side

Cuisine: Baby Food

Keyword: carrot baby food

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and share on social media using the hashtag #eatingbirdfood. I love seeing your recipe shares!

Why is Nestlé baby food not finding adequate demand?

According to Euromonitor, in 2018, the largest growth in sales in the infant formula segment came from specially formulated foods for babies who have just transitioned from breastfeeding to formula. 123rf.com

Swiss food giant Nestlé is trying to diversify its baby food range and bring innovative products to market. The prospects here are promising. However, many critics are skeptical. And they have a reason to.

This content was published on January 10, 2020 - 11:00

Jessica Davis Pluss (Jessica Davis Pluss)

In the first weeks of life, baby Lindsay Beeson developed a rash, traces of blood on diapers, diarrhea and vomiting. Doctors diagnosed an allergy to cow's milk. Like many other mothers in her situation, Lindsey eliminated milk from her baby's diet and, in addition to breastfeeding, began to gradually introduce complementary foods with hypoallergenic infant formula. In the second year of his life, her son was switched to milk formulas specially designed for babies with allergies. “I knew that they contained a balance of proteins, fats and vitamins similar to the composition of cow's milk. And my son liked the taste,” she said in an interview with swissinfo.ch.

Show more

For global food concerns such as Nestlé, the development and launch of new formulas for infants up to one year of age, including those suffering from allergic reactions, requiring special dietary nutrition or simply picky eaters, is another and very important abroad in expanding the range of baby food.

Speaking to a group of journalists in Lausanne, Thierry Philardeau, Nestlé's Senior Vice President of Strategic Dairy Business Development, recently stated: all babies and their mothers." From a practical point of view, the concern's strategy is to fill the gaps that arise in the nutrition of mothers and their children, regardless of whether the children receive artificial feeding, natural breastfeeding or combination.

The Swiss concern continues to focus on the nutrition of premature babies and children with special medical conditions. And yet, in recent years, he has consistently increased investment in research and development in order to obtain new products for the nutrition of children after the age of six months of life, that is, for a particularly difficult period when breast milk alone is no longer enough to meet the nutritional needs of a child. , and a complete transition to artificial food has not yet taken place.

Artificial demand or valuable nutritional supplement?

Nestlé baby food has a direct impact on the health of millions of children around the world. More than 150 years have passed since Henri Nestlé (1814-1890) invented Farine Lactée, a baby porridge to support malnourished children. Today, Nestlé is the world's largest infant formula company. It has a fifth market share, followed by Danone in second place.

In recent years there has been a real boom in breastfeeding around the world. The profits of infant formula companies have fallen. Therefore, today these companies rely on "older babies" and on related products. According to EuromonitorExternal link , in 2018, the largest growth in sales in the infant formula segment was provided by specially formulated nutrition for children who have just switched from breastfeeding to artificial food.

External content

Today in supermarkets in almost every country in the world you can find the widest range of types of milk powder, dairy product concentrates and breast milk substitutes for children under one year old. It would seem great, but not everyone is satisfied with these products. Activists such as Patti Rundall are sounding the alarm. Since the 1980s, she has served as Director of Strategic Policy for Baby Milk ActionExternal link , an international network of baby food organizations. Since her filing, the world has experienced a number of very large litigations in connection with the production and sale of artificial nutrition from Nestlé Corporation.

Show more

What's the problem? It turns out that, according to her, the Nestlé and Danone concerns are the main initiators of the promotion of baby food for babies and milk formulas for children aged from 6 months to 3 years and further up to the age of nine. They use the same or very similar symbols (logos) as on infant formula, so parents, when they see the brand name, believe that they have a whole product line in front of them. However, new formulas for infant formula are just a marketing ploy.

“There is nothing new in them, so all milk formulas, starting with formulas “6 months+”, as well as formulas for children from 1 year to 3 years and older, are simply not needed, they are just a way to get more money out of parents’ pockets ”, P. Randall told swissinfo.ch. “This product should be removed from the market. But the market has become so huge that no one wants to do it, although everyone knows that they are dealing with violations of the provisions of the WHO Guidelines to stop inappropriate forms of promotion of foods for infants and young children.

More precisely, we are talking about the International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, adopted by WHO in 1981. This document sets standards for ethically responsible marketing, including restrictions on advertising, sponsorship, and giving away free samples of infant formula. The default document proceeds from the fact that, anyway, only breastfeeding is the ideal nutrition for a healthy baby up to six months, which, in fact, Danone, Nestlé and their opponents agree with.

Pressure from the baby food industry

Controversy arises at the gray zone stage, when complementary foods with other foods and drinks can be introduced at about six months of age and older. You can enter, but is it necessary? And this is where the problem lies. Don't concerns create artificial demand, beneficial primarily to themselves? It is really difficult to understand this, the information received by parents from baby food manufacturers, doctors and staunch opponents of factory baby food is often contradictory.

Some scientific studies state that so-called “Third level milk formulas” for children aged one to three years are not needed, but they can help compensate for nutritional deficiencies, especially in cases of malnutrition or lack of certain nutrients substances in local foods”. So what's wrong with giving kids a better chance at delicious and most importantly healthy food?

Show more

Criticism of Nestlé has a long history. About forty years ago, breastfeeding activists first vociferously accused Nestlé of using an aggressive marketing strategy that resulted in mothers declining to breastfeed in favor of infant formula. The ensuing widespread boycott of Nestlé products led to major changes in the formation of marketing strategies.

However, Catherine Watt of the Geneva group La Leche LeagueExternal link , an international public private secular organization to support breastfeeding mothers, says that many women today stop breastfeeding earlier than they should. Why? “This is happening as a result of veiled pressure from the baby food industry, which has an arsenal of advertising in favor of various types of complementary foods and infant formula,” she said. “If there are doubts about whether the baby has enough breast milk, and there is some kind of milk formula in the closet, you just try to use it. And now you are already “under the hood” of the industry.”

Show more

In developing countries, the consequences of such a move can be most dramatic. CTO of the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India BPNIExternal link JP Dadhich is particularly concerned about the high cost of these products, their negative environmental impact and potential risks of infection.

“We can't be sure about the quality of the water that these formulas are based on, which increases the risk of diarrhea. And this is in conditions when there is now enough milk of animal origin in India. After boiling, it is completely safe, in addition, it is quite acceptable here, taking into account the cultural traditions of the country. For children, it is better to use complementary foods from quality local products, continuing to breastfeed the child after 6 months.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also concerned that infant formula designed specifically for babies after one year of age can shorten the duration of breastfeeding by depriving the baby of important nutrients, especially if the products are labeled similarly and are promoted as more healthy alternative to breastfeeding due to the increased content of vitamins and minerals.

The devil is in the details

All this has caused and continues to cause heated debate between governments and food company lobbyists. “One of the challenges with regard to 'level 2' formula (after 6 months) is the need to understand whether foods for children aged 1 to 3 years should be considered specifically as 'substitutes' for breast milk, and if not, what should they be called.” Tom Heilandt of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international food standards group, tells us this.

Some governments would like to ban these formulas so as not to completely "kill" the motivation to breastfeed, while other countries want to leave the choice to consumers. India is a country with some of the most stringent regulations. Here, any products intended specifically for children under the age of two years are categorized as breast milk substitutes and thus fall under the international “Code of Regulations” of WHO. Group NestléExternal link says it has gone further than many other players in the industry by operating under European Union rules coming into effect in 2020.

Show more

At the same time, Nestlé opposes any additional regulation, arguing, based on studies already conducted in many countries, that any artificial nutrition alternative will still be less healthy than any mixture. “There is no point in restricting nutrition advertising for children under the age of one, especially when there are almost no restrictions on advertising Coca-Cola and other fast food anywhere,” says T. Filardo.

Always guilty?

Nestlé recognizes that it needs to proceed with caution given its history of high-profile scandals. “It’s not for you to sell chocolate, we have a huge responsibility. Every year we produce formula for 15 million children, which is equal to the population of the Netherlands,” says T. Filardo. At the same time, the company has already updated its marketing policy several times by creating a system for reporting violations and annually providing reports on compliance with its obligations.

Unlike the pre-1980s era, the company is very clear that "breastfeeding is the best feeding option." At the same time, she wants her food products for children to be almost in no way inferior in quality to breast milk. Critics say it's not enough to be "the lesser of the evils." However, Nestlé argues that if the company is forced out of the baby food market, companies with more than a dubious reputation will take its place. This is especially true in countries with weak regulatory environments such as China, Russia, and the United States.

According to WHO, 58 countries around the world still do not have laws restricting the marketing of infant formula for children under one year of age. “I want to complete the story of Nestlé as a company that allegedly kills children,” says T. Filardo. “Let's move on without forgetting the past. We have drawn conclusions, we have changed. I want to look to the future, I don’t want to bear the stigma of the eternal guilty anymore, especially since someone, and our company, has done more in this area than many other companies. ”

Show more

In accordance with JTI

standards

Show more: JTI certificate for SWI swissinfo.ch

Show more

How a brand of baby food to attract new customers: a case of Flocktory and Nutricia

In the category of baby food, it is extremely important to attract and retain the attention of the audience as early as possible and become the first choice of the user, because it is extremely difficult to switch it later from another brand to your own. After all, if the chosen option suits both mother and baby, why take the risk of trying something new? But this does not mean that switching is impossible. Flocktory, a customer acquisition and personalization platform for retail, brand and other players, and Nutricia, a manufacturer of baby and specialty nutrition, launched a joint campaign, the mechanics and results of which were shared with Sostav.

Task

Increasing the share of sales of the Nutricia brand by switching "non-customers" to the brand's products.

Solution

Step 1 Entry Point

When colleagues from the Nutricia team came to us with this challenge, the first step for us was to define a “window of opportunity” for communicating with the user. This "window" was an early stage, when a future regular customer is just taking his first steps into the world of products for children.

Step 2 - communication strategy

Brand trust and engagement is important for this segment, which can be expressed in personalized communication, useful educational content, support that parents need so much at an early stage.

To build trust and demonstrate engagement, systematic, step-by-step, reasoned personal communication is important, so we decided to work with the entire sales funnel, but on the inventory of a familiar retailer that is comfortable and understandable for the user.

Step 3 — audience and inventory

This is where our partners and friends come into play Detsky Mir, a specialized retailer of goods for children. Based on the audience and inventory within the retailer, we will work with all stages of the sales funnel. Why? Detsky Mir has a credibility of its audience, and the retailer also has the audience's consent to communications, that is, there are much fewer barriers to the perception of brand messages, and they will look more native.

Step 4 - Segmentation

Then we selected from the target audience those to whom the offer of dry mixes is relevant. We subtracted those who had previously bought Nutricia dry mixes from a retailer, and added those who, according to the Flocktory predictive ML model, may have a desire to purchase dry mixes.

Steps 5 — moving along the funnel

Building knowledge — sending a motivational mailing

Letters were sent to the formed audience segment on behalf of Detsky Mir with a motivational promotional offer from Nutricia.

Interest turning into desire - on-site widgets

When the user went to the Detsky Mir website, he was greeted by a widget with a dynamic message about Nutricia products.

Confirmation of desire - triggered email communication

Further, all those who went to the category and to the brand page, but did not make a purchase, received a personal motivational offer from Nutricia on behalf of Detsky Mir.

Results

According to the results of the online campaign, which ran from 06/03/2021 to 10/31/2021:

  • 36% of users who have not previously purchased Nutricia products made a purchase;
  • 42% of them made repeated purchases after advertising activation - a high percentage indicates that the switch took place, which means that the approach works.

Activating new brand users with a sustainable effect based on the audience and inventory of a specialty retailer across the entire sales funnel is a new approach to solving such problems that has shown good results. The combination of the chosen tools allowed us not only to build relationships with the user throughout the funnel, but also to achieve a good return rate: we found new users and received a high percentage of repeat purchases for them.

E-commerce usually uses standard media or trade marketing tools to increase sales. In this case, the effect was achieved through the use of native innovative adtech inventory, available only in e-commerce, in combination with a media impact approach at all stages of the sales funnel.

Yulia Andriyakhina, Nutricia E-commerce Channel Brand Activation Manager:

The infant formula category is characterized by low switchability. Throughout the entire feeding journey, a mother tends to use the formula of the brand that suits her child, so it is always a big task for us to attract a new audience to the brand.

The approach we've taken with Flocktory has shown great results in attracting and retaining new customers for the Nutrilon brand.

Learn more