'Guilt factor' fuels middle class boom in demand for designer baby foods

Published on Tuesday 16 June 2009 22:44

PLUM, pomegranate and guava purees, or aubergine and sweet red pepper provençal – the demand for expensive "designer baby" food is booming thanks to busy middle-class parents.

Despite the credit crunch, families trying to cut down their household bills will spend a record 491 million on baby foods, drink and milk this year.

This is 50 per cent more than the 319 million spent on baby foods in 2004.

Researchers say a "guilt factor" may be at play, with the increase fuelled by busy working parents who want to make sure their children get good food but are too busy and tired to buy all the ingredients and start making meals from scratch.

Market research firm Mintel, which commissioned the research, found many parents said they would rather go short themselves than cut back on the quality of their baby's food.

Older mothers with high-powered jobs were also found to be particularly keen to buy premium baby products because they had the money to do so– and more sophisticated tastes.

"Parents are on a mission to provide the best for their baby. For parents, the baby's food is high on the list of untouchables, appearing to reflect its direct connection to their child's health and wellbeing," said a Mintel spokeswoman.

The report also revealed that a fifth of all baby food and drink sold is now organic, while food free in additives, salt, sugar and gluten is increasingly popular.

Four in ten parents buy free range products. By 2016, it predicts, UK families will be spending more than 600 million on baby foods.

The German firm HiPP dominates the organic baby food market, selling more than half of all organic baby food in the UK, but smaller "boutique" brands such as Plum Baby, Ella's Kitchen and Babylicious are growing in popularity.

Susie Willis, a former chef and mother of three who launched Plum Baby in 2006, and now has 5 per cent of the UK baby food market and retail sales of 3.9 million in 2007, said: "Mums may be tightening their purse-strings for the rest of the household, but baby remains number one when it comes to giving them the best food."

Ben Cochrane, account manager with Edinburgh-based Family Advertising, said: "Boutique baby food brands are tapping into a consumer mindset where ethics and organic products are important.

"They have done it particularly well and come across as honest, ethical and transparent. They know their customers are well-educated and can find out about ingredients very quickly.

"Busy working parents know how to cook these meals, but these companies have done it for them and they trust them."

Right nutritional balance is crucial

MANY parents would love to have time to make all their baby's food from scratch, but with today's busy lifestyles, this often isn't realistic, and bought baby foods can be a lifesaver for a busy mum.

It's reassuring to see that parents place such a high importance on their babies' food, but it's my opinion that, if they know they are providing a healthy and balanced diet, suitable for the infant's age, anything beyond this is window-dressing.

The organic baby food market is booming, and buying organic is the best way of ensuring that your baby's diet is as close to free-from chemical residues as possible.

But the regulations on all baby foods are extremely strict, so parents shouldn't worry if they can't afford to buy organic. It is possible to buy organic baby foods from supermarkets.

Small companies unavoidably have higher overheads, which are generally passed on to the customers. They may trade on the fact that they are more like home-made baby food than the big companies, but although it's impossible to generalise, you can't assume that they are better.

More important than the brand, or the marketing, is the amount of sugar and salt in a baby's food – you need to keep your wits about you and scrutinise the ingredients and nutritional information.

Salt gives babies a taste for unhealthy salty food, and their kidneys are not mature enough to cope with much salt.

Fruit in baby foods provides all the natural sweetness you need – as well as plenty of nutrients.

• Carina Norris is a nutritionist and author of The Food Manual.

ON THE MENU

"BOUTIQUE" baby food brands include Plum Baby, Ella's Kitchen and Babylicious.

&#149 Plum Baby, the fastest growing baby brand in the UK, was launched by Susie Willis in 2006. Its ethos is "Real food for babies, not just baby food."

Ms Willis, a former PA to Jeffrey Archer, used skills gained running the Purple Plum cookery school to create baby recipes.

Meals include blueberry, banana and vanilla pures, spinach with salmon and parsnip, and chickpea and chicken tagine.

Ella's Kitchen, set up by Paul Lindley, is named after his daughter. Its "down-to-earth" meals for babies and children include "broccoli, pear and peas", and "butternut squash, carrot, apple and pears".

Its slogan is "Absolutely nothing else added except what's in the name".

&#149 Babylicious, specialising in frozen baby meals, was founded in 2001 by Sally Preston, a former food scientist at Marks & Spencer. On offer are tomato and chicken risotto, sweet and sour vegetables, and cheesy pasta with basil.