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Jarred baby foods containing pureed fruits, vegetables and simple mixed meat recipes, as well as simple cereals based on single grains were the norm at the turn of the century. Since, and despite a recession, the category has grown with new players and product and package innovations. These days, baby food products come in numerous forms, including dried/dehydrated snack bites, microwavable prepared foods (shelf stable and frozen) and pouched foods. In fact, it’s the recloseable pouch package, which entered the U.S. market in the early 2000s, that transformed and sophisticated the baby food products category. These products are intended for consumption from about six months of life to two years, when most toddlers are weaned to table food. They are designed to be easy to consume and provide for the nutritional needs of growing babies.
Pouch foods are the rage and their popularity shows no signs of abating. Lifeway Foods Inc. was the first company to put cultured dairy in the pouch. For more than 10 years, the company has been selling ProBugs Kefir, a refrigerated dairy product with live and active cultures. Since ProBugs’ debut, other dairies have entered the refrigerated cultured dairy pouch business.
On the shelf-stable side of the pouch business, this package has helped busy parents feed their growing babies who eat every few hours … often while parents are on the go. The shelf-stable versions typically consist of fruits and/or vegetables, as well as puddings, cereals and heat-processed yogurts. A recent innovation comes from HappyFamily, which has introduced Love My Veggies, a shelf-stable pouch containing one full serving of organic vegetables. Available in three flavor combinations -- Banana, Beet, Squash & Blueberry; Carrot, Banana, Mango & Sweet Potato; and Spinach, Apple, Sweet Potato & Kiwi — the 4.22-oz. pouches are sold exclusively at Target stores. They come four pouches to a box and retail for $5.89.
