"baby food" news and stories

In the last year and a half, I have become very sensitive to baby and kids' foods. No, no, I don't have kids, but I do have a baby niece, and my other sister is pregnant with a baby due this summer.

My pregnant sister is lucky because she can ask our other sister about everything she needs to know to be a new mom. However, for those of us who are first-time parents and don't have close resources, the Baby Bistro Box will help with a little bit of those questions, at least when it comes to feeding your baby. The box is shaped like a recipe box, and has information about: prenatal suggestions; nutritional health and safety information; how to introduce first foods; shopping tips; and recipe ideas. I think I may pick up a few of these for the many baby showers I will be attending this summer.

The Baby Bistro Box is $26.

This might be interesting for those with foodies-in-training, as their options can be fairly limited when they're not really up to un-mushed foods yet. The Mercury News has a great guide with tips and tricks for cooking your own baby foods, all of which are useful in helping to select the most nutritious foods and prepare them safely. In general:

• Brightly colored produce, both fruits and vegetables usually pack more nutrients. They are more flavorful, so sugar should be unnecessary.
• Steaming is the quickest and easiest way to cook the vegetables quickly. Puree them in a food processor once they are tender; there is no need to cook them to death.
• Be vigilant about keeping surfaces clean while preparing the baby food, since babies are more sensitive to bacteria
• Refrigerate or freeze foods after cooking and cooling to room temperature without letting them sit out.
• Offer foods multiple times, but start with small batches in case it doesn't turn out to be a favorite.

One of the most interesting suggestions is to freeze the foods in ice cube trays for single-serving sizes after preparing them in large batches. Once frozen, you can defrost a cube or two as needed, and the cubes can be easily stored in a large plastic bag.

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This week, the Wall Street Journal reviewed several companies that make and sell organic baby foods. Unlike Tot Pots, all four companies sell their products online, which means that they're available to anyone with a credit card and a mailbox. Hopefully, you'll have a baby, too, but that's not really a prerequisite to purchasing baby food.

Evie's Organic Edibles uses no preservatives, salt or sugar in their well-flavored foods. The NY-based company offers in-home cooking, delivery and classes, too. Plum Organics were described as "good enough for a grown up" - especially some of their dessert options. Homemade Baby is based in Southern California, has food prepared by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and offers an on-site baby food tasting room for picky eaters, in addition to mail-order. Little Potatoes Baby Food is colorful from fresh veggies straight from the farm and offers different textures for different age groups.

When everyone else seems to be eating organic, locally grown, seasonal foods and is able to identify the exact patch of ground that their carrots came from (kidding), there is a group of consumers that is largely left out: babies. Babies don't have a lot of buying power, but their parents certainly do and as parents become more informed about their own eating choices, they want to pass that knowledge on to their kids by feeding them high quality foods.

Companies like Tot Pots are springing up all over the country. Tot Pots makes organic baby foods that are distributed in the Seattle area. The thing that sets them apart from the other baby foods out there is that they seek out food from local farmers, mostly relying on seasonal foods, and pair them up in combinations that are unusual for baby foods, like Fig Raspberry, Quinoa Vanilla Rhubarb and Black Bean & Banana. They sound so delicious, that I wouldn't be surprised to hear that adults were sneaking tastes when baby isn't looking!

They don't sell their products online, but you can check them out if you're in the area.

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No, I don't have a baby yet, but I will admit that in high school, I used to eat baby food because they were easy to carry to cheerleading practice, and seemed healthier than the normal non-baby snacks.

Gerber has announced a new line of baby foods called Recetas Latinas, fruits, vegetables, dinner, and desserts in Latin flavors. While the fruit and vegetable flavors like mango, manzana (apple) and calabacita (zucchini) sound no more Latin than except for having a Spanish name, the dinners come in flavors like Jamon y Salsa de Papaya (Ham with Papaya Salsa) and Carne Asada.

Now if only Gerber would do an Asian line...pureed unagi sushi as baby food!