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The Businesses Behind Organic Baby Foods |
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additional sources for organic baby foods business:
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The Organic Market |
Why Should Parents Care About 'Organic'? |
Ocotober 22, 2006 |
Why is there such an interest in organic foods? It depends. Americans and Europeans go for quality, freshness, and taste. For the Japanese, it is food safety and then nutrition and taste. With the outbreak of mad cow disease and worries of genetically changed foods, organic foods become even more attractive to consumers. Worldwide, organic food sales have increased over the last few years to around $17 billion lead by America, Europe, and Japan. In another 4 years, ITC estimates industry sales rising to $45 billion in US, $46 billion in EU, and $11 billion in Japan. This is due to the rise in consumer demand and the expanding organic food market such as frozen foods, drinks, snacks, and baby foods. |
Food safety is the main concern for Americans buying baby organic foods. American parents may not buy it for themselves, but they will for their children. Compared to adults, babies and children receive more pesticides from conventional foods. Since their bodies are still developing, they are less able to detoxify from the poisons. In fact, they keep the poisons in their small bodies longer than adults. So far, it is suspected pesticides can cause birth defects. Over long term use, it can even cause cancer, nerve damage, and other health problems. In a government test, studies showed when children were placed on an organic diet, the levels of pesticides dropped immediately. When switched back to mainstream foods, the toxic levels rose. Studies are still being conducted to see other long term affects of pesticides. Concerned parent Erin O’ Neal stated, “The pesticide issue just scares me – it wigs me out to think about the amount of chemicals that might be going into my kid” Associated Press. She is definitely not alone with her worry. By the increasing trend of baby food organic sales, parents will not wait to see how the poisons could affect their little ones. |
As a result of the growing consumer demand for organic baby foods, they are being sold beyond the health food stores. Major companies see the profitability of this growing industry. In November 2005, ACNielsen (a marketing information firm) reported organic baby foods sales rose to 18% which is twice the growth from the previous year. Toys 'R Us and Babies 'R Us have partnered with Earth’s Best organic baby food - a popular brand sold at Wild Oats and Whole Foods stores. Yo' Baby Yogurt is in the neighborhood grocery stores along with Gerber's own organic baby food brand called Tender Harvest. However, buyers, should be on the alert because not all organic foods brands are created equal. Some may use fruit purées, excess water, and inferior root vegetables as their main source for ingredients. In turn, it means a less nutritious meal for baby. Fortunately, by asking questions with nutritionists, local grocers, other parents, reading parenting magazines, researching on the internet, or visiting farmer’s markets (as they carry a wider selection), parents can make wise decisions about the nutritional health of their babies. |
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