More parents are buying organic for their children, according to an article in yesterday's USA Today. Sales
for organic baby food has risen 18 percent in just the past year, and 57 percent since 2001. Organic baby food brands
like Earth's Best are appearing in more stores, including Babies "R" Us, and Gerber has come out with its own line of
organic food.
What's fueling this desire for organic baby foods? Some parents say it's the uncertainty about the effects of
pesticides and artificial ingredients on children. A new study of children who switched to an organic food diet found
that their pesticide levels dropped drastically, the article reports. If the cost of organic foods and products is
prohibitive, another option is to choose produce like bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, and pineapple, which have fewer
pesticides according to the Environmental Working Group. [Thanks to
Bonnie for the tip.]
1. We started using some of the organic brands because they had different flavors that Gerber didn't have. Well, that and my son won't touch the Gerber meats (and neither will our puppy, who's usually more than happy for a taste of baby food.) He's mostly off the prepared baby foods now, but I like the Earth's best because they seem to bridge the gap between purees and table food better than Gerber.
Posted at 6:55PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Caitlin