In the United States and Canada, the leader Nestlé markets snacking formats that are popular with adults, in baby format. Sticks, chips, popcorn… are now marketed under the Gerber brand for babies from 8 months.
These recipes must satisfy babies but also their parents. Nestlé thus offers « practical » recipes that can be held in the smallest hands and are easy to chew. Beyond 12 months, a wide range of products are available:
– Lil’ crunchies are snacks with a melting texture, which makes them easy to chew and swallow. They are flavoured with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, apples or sweet potatoes…
– Wagon wheels, made with « garden apples », are made for little ones who are learning to eat on their own.
The argument of « vegetal » and « healthy eating » is very important for the brand. The vast majority of these ranges are presented in green packaging with fruits and vegetables. Nestlé wants to reduce the proportions of salt and sugar in all its products. According to the brand, baby « appetizers » contribute to good nutrition for children from an early age. Nestlé says that by 2020, it will provide « 750 million servings of vegetables and 300 million servings of high-fibre seeds more ».
However, it is the responsibility of parents to correctly decipher product labels. Fruits and vegetables are actually present only in trace amounts in the products despite the misleading packaging. Despite the virtues cited by the Nestlé brand, puffs still contain 2 g of sugar for 10 g of product and Lil’ crunchies, although being organic, contain maltodextrins, an additive derived from corn starch.
Nestlé therefore aims to educate children from an early age about industrial food and snacking. The products are claimed to be more balanced than traditional snacks, but the list of ingredients is still quite long and complicated. This may well compromise the arrival of the range on the French market, where issues such as naturalness and transparency are at the heart of concerns.
