After five years of sluggish growth, with Millennial mums preferring to make their own no sodium, no sugar baby food, the baby and toddler food and drink market is now set to boom. Driven by a new generation of working parents, the rise of the middle class in developing markets, and rising birth rates around the world, it’s a market that’s set to put on a healthy growth spurt – just like those growing toddlers.
A healthy start
Baby food and drink processing companies are embracing healthy eating trends by bringing a wider range of salt, sugar and additive free products to the market. With 86% of mums citing nutritional content as a key factor when they purchase baby and toddler food, clean and clear labelling and attractive, fuss free packaging is extremely important. Easy to use transparent pouches showcase foods packed with organic ingredients like superfruits and veggies, helping to educate adventurous palates.
Reinventing baby food
New manufacturing processes are turning the sometimes unhealthy foods that all kids love into new and nutritious versions. Cooking techniques that produce spoonable food with easily chewable pieces aid the transition between puree and solids. Healthy snacks are baked and designed to dissolve easily in toddlers mouths. Processing techniques, that eliminate the need for preservatives like ascorbic acid, preserve colour and nutrients in vegetables like beetroot and carrots. Frozen fries and nuggets now come in healthy vegetable varieties.
Exciting challenges
The baby and toddler food and drink market is an exciting and challenging one. Producing healthy, nutritious and preservative and additive free products from the wide range of ingredients involved, whilst satisfying complex nutritional needs, calls for a wide variety of additional equipment. Used food machinery is one cost-effective way of moving into this growing market. Companies like http://www.clarke-fussells.co.uk/ Clarke Fussells used food machinery suppliers source and thoroughly inspect food machinery suitable for the unique challenges of producing premium baby and toddler foods.
Mums know best
These new developments are being driven by dynamic women who, as mothers themselves, know how challenging and stressful fulfilling a child’s balanced nutritional needs can be. By partnering with organic farms and suppliers, they are using the best quality ingredients available, to create premium products for busy mums that set growing children on the right path to a healthy future.
