Organic - The New Generation of Baby Food

• With 88% of Aussie parents preferring to feed their children organic food the demand for organic produce is growing rapidly in Australia with organic sales increasing by 25% alone in 2006.
• Not all organic baby foods have the same level of nutrition texture and taste. Australia is following international trends that 'fresh frozen' is the better and healthier meal for your baby.

New Parents Drive the Organic Boom

• New parents are among the first demographic segments to flock to organics.
• 88% of Australian parents would prefer to always feed their children organic food if they could and 86% agree that organic food is better for their children than non-organic food.¹
• With the continual increase in childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes and food allergies, parents are more aware than ever of the importance of feeding their babies foods that are wholesome and free from 'nasties'.
• A child's growth in their first five years is more rapid than any other time in their life, and parents want this growth to be based on pure, natural food that does not contain pesticides or preservatives and has not been heat-treated or over-processed.
• Increasingly savvy parents are becoming more and more aware of the impact certain foods can have on their own bodies, so are choosing organic baby food to give their children a head-start on healthy eating habits.
• While organic baby food has been on the shelves for a while, it has mostly been limited to the canned and jarred varieties. The emergence of freshly prepared frozen organic baby food categories is widening the options for parents who want to feed their bubs something fresh, but don't have the time or know-how to prepare gourmet meals for their little ones.

Australia Catches Up with Global Organic Baby Trends

• Organic produce sales in Australia increased by 25% in 2006 to over $400 million dollars*
• Although organic baby meals are a new concept in Australia, the category is well-established in Europe and the United States - where innovative start-up companies began exploring new options to boost the fledgling baby food and drink market several years ago.
• The childhood obesity crisis has been a strong focus for European and American parents since 2005, and the organic baby food boom followed shortly after.
• Australia is now shadowing the same trend, with organic baby food emerging as the childhood obesity rates continue to climb.
• Judging by overseas patterns, the presence of freshly prepared organic baby foods in Australia is set to strengthen significantly. In the UK, supermarket giants have positioned freezers in the baby food aisle. In Sweden, the products of organic baby food company Gapa aren't only found on freezer shelves in the supermarket, but are also served in several trendy family restaurants. In North America, there are signature stores selling only freshly prepared children's meals, and freezers are displayed in non-food outlets, such as Toys R Us.

100% Certified Organic - It's Only Natural
Organic baby produce contains more vitamins, nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants than non-organic baby produce, but to receive organic certification, organic foods need to be much more than just nutritional.

• Food must be grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals or GMOs
• The soil in which foods are grown must be good-quality, wholesome and free from pesticides and fertilisers
• Animals must only be kept free-range and treated humanely

The Baby Food Process
Not all organic baby foods have the same degree of processing - the lighter the processing (heat treatment) the more heat-sensitive vitamins are retained.

• Jars, cans and long-life chilled pouches are preserved by UHT (Ultra Heat Treatment), to prolong their shelf-life. Such high temperatures above 100°C mean much of their nutritional value is lost, particularly vitamins B and C, and texture, colour and taste deteriorates.
• Snap-freezing technology means there is no need for 'treating' the food and no need to add preservatives. Once meals are freshly prepared, a blast freezer reduces the temperature from only 80°C down to -22°C in under an hour, which locks in its natural nutrients and retains its fresh smell and taste.
• According to the US Food and Marketing Institute, snap-freezing is the best process.

The Organic Bubs Process
Organic Bubs 100% certified organic meals are prepared by hand in small batches in their own Organic Commercial Kitchen, using simple home-style cooking methods such as steaming, baking and slow-cooking. Their chefs hand-pick only the finest Australian-grown fresh quality produce from certified organic growers. All ingredients are prepared fresh daily and immediately snap-frozen to lock in all their natural flavour, colour and nutrients, and to avoid over-processing.

The Organic Baby Food Company, Organic Bubs is the brainchild of sisters and mumpreneurs Kristy Carr and Liesa Dailly, who, as new mothers themselves, were becoming increasingly cautious about the hidden 'nasties' in baby food - and extensive research proved they weren't the only ones. They partnered with co-founder Anthony Gualdi, former founder and CEO of Shakespeares Pies, with the vision of creating a product that was healthy, wholesome and as good as home-made for parents who don't have time to cook from scratch. Visit www.organicbubs.com for more information.

¹ The Organic Baby Food Company Pty Ltd, 2006
* 2006 Statistics sourced from BFA - Biological Farmers of Australia

Release Date: 4th March 2008

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