FOOD: Boutique organic baby foods growing in popularity

Tag : gerber baby food

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, June 8, 2008 By JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Press-Enterprise
Concerns about pesticides, preservatives, additives and allergiesmade it easy for Temecula mom Monique Coleman to go organic whenher first baby was born.
She joined a longstanding -- and growing -- group of parents whoopt to make their own baby food.
"It's really pretty simple. It can be elaborate andtime-consuming or you can just cook like you do for thefamily," said Coleman, 39, who mashed avocados and cookedsweet potatoes for her daughters, Madison, 5, and McKenna, 2."I thought it would be a better start for my kids."
Right to Your Door
Organic baby food sales jumped to $116 million between 2006 and2007, an increase of 21.6 percent, according to the Nielsen Co.Natural food markets have increased their stock of organic babyproducts in the past five years, and traditional baby foodcompanies like Gerber have created organic product lines.
The latest evolution is the host of companies that deliver fresh,organic foods to the doorstep, many of them started by parentssearching for an alternative to jarred foods.
Years in the Making
Roxanna Bina, founder of Fifibear's Brasserie, was concerned by thenotion that jarred baby food had a two-year shelf life that made itolder than her infant son, Felix.
"I was already going to the farmers market and thought, 'Whydon't I just puree fruits and vegetables myself?' " said Bina,who froze carrots, peas and peaches in ice cube trays.
Later, she pureed roasted chicken with potatoes and asparagus thatshe had made for her husband and served it to Felix.
Bina, of Santa Barbara, started her company in 2006 after aweeklong family vacation to Bermuda, in which she shipped herhomemade concoctions ahead to the hotel on dry ice.
In addition to home delivery, Fifibear's is carried at SouthernCalifornia Whole Foods Market stores and is expanding across thewestern United States this fall.
Two 4-ounce containers of Fifibear's sells for $5.49. Flavors suchas Provence chicken and exotic asparagus risotto are made withcertified organic foods and fresh herbs before being flash frozen,Bina said.
Try Before You Buy
At pomme bébé in Newport Beach, a tasting bar offerssamples of mango papaya puree and turkey Bolognese, which sell for$4.50 for a 4-ounce container.
The organic meals, made fresh daily by a chef, are more nutritious,tasty and colorful than jarred foods, owner Svetla Lazarova Kibotasaid.
Health experts said parents shouldn't feel guilty if they can'tafford the added expense of organic. The American Academy ofPediatrics and U.S. Department of Agriculture say no tests orlong-term studies show that organic foods are superior toconventionally produced foods.
Case for Organics
Theresa Kiene, founder of Homemade Baby in Culver City, disagrees.Organic practices ensure there are no antibiotics, growth hormones,pesticides and genetic modification of foods, she said.
Her fresh purees, sold at Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other boutiquestores for $1.09 to $1.49 per 4-ounce cup, are higher in vitaminand mineral content, she said.
They also help children develop a taste for whole and healthy foodsearly on, said Kiene, who started making her own food for her threedaughters.
"Many times ... people's first experience with organic is whena child comes into their life," she said.
Made at Home With Love
Jessica Bingaman, of Redlands, started out steaming and mashingvegetables and freezing them for her four children, who range inage from 14 to 5.
Then she realized she could use whatever she was making for therest of the family by putting it aside before she seasoned it.
Having organic baby food delivered is novel but not necessary, saidBingaman, a student midwife and La Leche League leader.
"People want to spend money on this kind of thing because itmakes them feel like they're ... doing a good job. But you can do agreat job of feeding your baby organic food without making itexpensive or complicated," she said.
Reach Janet Zimmerman at 951-368-9586 or jzimmerman@PE.com