From Field to Spoon - What is important to know about baby food?

Gerber baby food brand is one of the best known and most popular products in the world.

But what is hidden in the jar (and today also in the pouch)?

Spotlight on a company over 90 that is all about innovation

In collaboration with Gerber

20/06/2022

Monday, 20 June 2022, 07:45 Updated: 07:53

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"At Gerber, we do everything we can to make sure that the babies and children receive the highest quality animals possible" (Photo: PR)

While the world is talking about the importance of the farm to table trend and the importance of soil and growing methods on our food quality, there is a company that has been doing this for more than 90 years.

The baby food company Gerber has been taking care of the vegetables and fruits that come to the livelihoods of our babies and children in an innovative and high-quality way, well, for 90 years now.

Gerber has recently made headlines again thanks to the presenter who is perhaps most identified with the world of advertising and branding - the baby Anne Turner Cook whose illustrated face stars from the beginning of the brand on the packaging - who passed away at the age of 95 in early June 2022

.

Zela Kostika, Marketing Manager at the Baby and Children Food Division at Barn-Nestle, explains that the fruits and vegetables that come in jars and pouches (the brand's new form of serving, which we will expand on later) go through a controlled and well-supervised journey. Shelves in retail chains all over the world.

"Our babies have unique nutritional needs and it is important that the food they are given is suitable for them," says Kostika. "Smell, food coloring, sugar and salt. It's a net of fruits and vegetables."

"Banana apple the most popular and beloved by many Israelis" (Photo: PR)

What does the process involve?

"The journey from the field to the spoon begins with the selection of soil and fields for cultivation within the framework of our 'clean field agriculture' methodology," explains Kostika. Them for Gerber exclusively.We consider farmers our full partners and know them personally as well as the agronomists.Next select the seeds and how to care for them, taking care of picking at the most accurate time for optimal quality and taste, while maintaining all the nutritional values ​​inherent in fruits and vegetables. "Our babies. Even then, from the transport and packaging to the spoon, the whole process is carried out under strict quality control in accordance with local guidelines and also according to the most stringent Nestlé standards and standards."

I sharpen this section, what I have said is that the production process, which includes a pasteurization process and packaging in airtight packaging, keeps the fruits and vegetables fresh for a long time.

(This is basically what enables the shelf life of the products).

Indeed all our animals are without the addition of preservatives or flavorings nor the addition of sugar or salt.

We can also talk about the meticulous production process that aims to ensure that our babies receive the highest quality fruit and vegetable animals.

Or that our animals are known for their meticulous care and safety.

And that we at Gerber understand how important nutrition is for the baby's development, so we are committed to giving toddlers nutritious and delicious food made from quality ingredients, and committed to giving babies fruits and vegetables that are nutritious, full of flavor and safe for their developing body.

According to her, Gerber's agriculture is responsible agriculture.

"We work to preserve nutrients in the soil naturally by research-proven experience of rotation in crops and resting the soil between them. Every vegetable or fruit of ours grows without genetic engineering, so has always been and always will be," she says proudly.

How long are Gerber animals suitable for?

"The sky is the limit" (Photo: PR)

What happens if there is a drought or other damage to a field or orchard?

"We work so that there is a variety of farmers and a variety of fields all over the world, especially in Europe for the European and Israeli market, so if there is a problem in a particular area - we have an accurate solution from another source, supervised and controlled by the same standards, without

compromising."

"The recommendation is to incorporate solid food in the baby's diet from the age of six months and in accordance with the baby's readiness signs.

"When starting the tasting phase, the recommendation is to first expose the baby to a single vegetable or fruit to test the offspring's response, and only then proceed to combinations of several fruits and vegetables," explains Kostika. To

leave the house. "

"The sky is the limit. There are four- to five-year-olds who still love and eat gerbera, and there are even adults who like to eat gerbera," she says with a smile.

"Banana apple is the most popular and beloved by many Israelis. In the vegetable segment, the puree of vegetable soup is very popular. Fruit salad puree is also very popular. Alongside the old flavors, there are innovations such as mango puree; apple puree, carrot and mango; apricot apple and others," says Kostika. "Along with the variety of flavors, there is a novelty in the form of serving - next to the familiar glass jars, there is the pouch, which is very popular. It is more convenient to leave the house (picnic, garden, trip, the beach) and allows children to eat independently or with a spoon."

(I added 'or with a spoon' because small babies who still can not hold the pouch alone, should be spoon-fed from the pouch as well).

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• health

• parenthood

• Child nutrition

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• Gerber