I recently came across some new items from the baby food section at Target. I’m always excited to find new snack possibilities for my toddler and wanted to give you a quick review before you consider purchasing them. Before I get to Rex’s review, here’s a little background on the company and product technology.
The Company and Concept
The company first entered the baby food market in 2015 with a line of refrigerated savory vegetable purees. In early 2019 they added the freeze-dried snack line. The packaging states they are for ages 12 months to 100 years old. They market the products as “palates in training”. I like their concept. Feed fruits as fruits and vegetables as vegetables. Don’t try to cover up a vegetable with fruit flavors like so many baby products do. Then they take it a step further and add herbs and spices. No sugar no salt. The idea is to start young and train your child’s palates to enjoy vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Last year the company appeared on Shark Tank but did not get a deal. The sharks didn’t care for the product flavors.
Freeze Drying
My first job out of college was as an R&D Scientist for a wonderful family owned freeze drying company. The main reason I love freeze drying is that it retains the shape, nutrients, and color of the food. This can not be said with other dehydration methods. The downside is it’s an extremely expensive process, which means that expense must be passed on to the consumer.
The process of freeze drying involves taking a frozen food and putting it under vacuum to lower the pressure while gently heating it. This takes the water in the product directly from ice to vapor without going through the liquid stage (known as sublimation). The result is a crunchy, rather than chewy product.
The Products
- Fresh Bellies Game The Beet
- Ingredients: Red Beets, Coconut Oil, Ground Thyme.
- Price: $3.19 for a 0.75 oz package at my local Target
- Kosher
- Non-GMO (though not Non-GMO Project Verified)
- Fresh Bellies Keep Calm & Cardamom
- Ingredients: Apples, Coconut Oil, Cardamom Powder
- Price: $3.19 for a 0.75 oz package at my local Target
- Kosher
- Non-GMO Project Verified
The ingredients are pretty straightforward. The coconut oil adheres the ground thyme/cardamom powder to the beets and apples. It may also help soften the vegetables and fruits to make for easier chewing. Many other oils could be used, but coconut oil is the trendy one and viewed as healthy by consumers.
My Son’s Reaction
Rex…was….not….a….fan. With both items he put them in his mouth, spit them out, then continued to make an awful face. What on earth did you give me mom? Normally he just spits something out and moves on. I tried two more times, same response.
The company recommends trying to give a new food at least 10 times. Research shows it can take up to 20 times for a child to like a food. They offer some good advice on their website for introducing new foods that I’d recommend reading.
Unfortunately, I’m not willing to buy these multiple times so they can keep getting refused. Repetition does help, but here’s the thing; Ilove beets, thyme, apples, and cardamom. I did not like these and neither did my husband. They simply fell short on creating something that tastes good. These were waaaaay over-seasoned. I understand that they are trying to use as few ingredients as possible, but a few milligrams of salt or a gram of sugar would help the flavor soooo much, and that little amount will be fine for a child. They are flavor enhancers. Use them!
As a food scientist, I see a major issue with using a one ingredient seasoning that is the root of the flavor issue in these products. By using only one ingredient, there isn’t a way to control the amount of coverage/seasoning. The product will either be completely covered in the herb/spice or not at all. This is why you so often see maltodextrin in seasoned snacks. Maltodextrin is known as “carrier”. It has little to no flavor itself but extends the seasoning by providing something to mix spices, herbs, and flavorings with. If you were to mix powdered thyme with maltodextrin 50/50, you would cut the level of thyme flavor in half, which would be a big improvement.
I wish I could recommend these products, but I can’t. I love the concept of palate training and freeze-dried foods can be a healthy and convenient snack. In a way, it seems they are going against their own principal of letting fruit be fruit and vegetables be vegetables (“unmasked veggies” as they call it). They covered the natural sweetness of the beets and apples. Fresh Bellies missed the mark here.