Gerber baby food announces launch of new baby food line Freshful Start

Gerber Baby Food announces launch of new baby food line Freshful Start

Manufacturing giant reacts to recent innovations in baby food category 

With today’s innovation being led by hot new startups like Amara and Once Upon A Farm, legacy baby food brand, Gerber, is starting to wake up. Baby food traditionally has been sold in jars and pouches, using high levels of heat and processing to get baby food to supermarkets across the nation. 

But, in the past two years, startups have led the change in the baby food category as parents are asking for a healthier alternative to traditional jars and pouches. Amara’s CEO, Jessica Sturzenegger, states “Consumers today are educated, whether you’re in the middle of nowhere or right in San Francisco, moms today know that the high heat jars and pouches are a far cry from the fresh baby food they would prepare at home”. While most parents aspire to make all their baby’s food fresh, homemade baby food is time consuming and parents are often time both working. Today chopping and blending baby food ends up being more of a dream than a reality for most parents. 

On Monday, Gerber announced the launch of Freshful Start a “make it yourself’ baby food in 50 Walmart stores in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas. According to the Baby Center Food & Nutrition Report,75% of parents are avid label readers when shopping for food for their child and the number of parents leaving the supermarket shelves to make homemade baby food themselves is only growing. The Gerber Freshful Start line will have 15 choices – priced from $3.98 to $5.98. It is unclear yet if they are organic. The concept will include purees, bowls and entrees that can be blended by parents. It is designed for babies and toddlers of 6 to 12 months. Gerber joins the many brands, like Amara and other cold pressure brands, that are providing a viable alternative to homemade baby food for today's busy parents.

 The baby food shelves are starting to provide subcategories of nutrient protected brands, like Amara and HPP brand Once Upon A Farm. 

Parents deeply want what is best for their kids, especially their babies. As natural and “better for you” food brands shift from small local grocery stores to mainstream grocery chains, legacy brands are starting to wake up.

From granola bars to baby food, startup food brands have been quick to respond to the ever changing demands of today’s consumers. Their nimble structures allow them to create products based on actual consumer problems and needs – filling in the white spaces that larger, corporate brands struggle to capture. 

The baby food category has seen startups lead the innovation by offering “better for baby” options that are easy for mom too. Amara, a company bringing parents a promising alternative to fresh baby food, is leading the way by offering baby food that locks in the tastes and textures of fresh homemade – allowing moms to bring their babies fresh baby food, where and when they need it.