5 myths about industrial baby food
Once upon a time, the range of baby food on store shelves was very limited, so our grandmothers and mothers often offered the kids self-made mashed potatoes from vegetables from their own garden or from the nearest store. Now ready-made mashed potatoes from jars have become more accessible and varied, but more and more stringent requirements are imposed on the quality of the “jars”. However, some parents in an old-fashioned way trust more home products, relying on various myths that are very far from reality. Today we will tell you what speculations about industrial baby food exist, and explain how everything really is.
Myth 1. Homemade food is better and safer than industrial food
Today, experts recommend industrial products for young children. The choice of specialists is conditioned by several criteria. First of all, it should be noted that high-quality raw materials are used in a large food or industrial industries that meet hygienic requirements for safety indicators. Also, such a product has a degree of grinding corresponding to each age category and a balance in macro- and micronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals).
Industrial food is often enriched with substances that are good for the health of the child: vitamins, minerals, as well as pre-and probiotics for better digestion. All this gives the “store” product additional useful properties and functionality.
In addition, it is worth remembering that cooking at home does not allow you to control the temperature conditions that are optimal for preserving nutrients in the product. As a result, mashed potatoes may be overcooked or undercooked. In production, there is special equipment that allows you to carry out such a control, as well as to achieve the required consistency of the product and the degree of grinding, which is very important for young children.
industrial baby food
Myth 2. If, after the introduction of any industrial baby food, the child has a rash, then the allergy will be on all products of this brand
There are the “big eight” foods that are most common food allergic: cow’s milk, chicken eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, seafood, wheat, and soy. But problems can arise not only because of these products and their components, but also because food additives, flavors, dyes, and preservatives of both natural and artificial origin can be the cause. These ingredients are often found in adult products.
To minimize the risks of developing food allergic reactions, it is necessary to give preference to proven industrial products intended for baby food of a certain age. Parents should not give up their favorite brand of baby food if they suspect an allergic reaction! On the contrary, since the composition of industrial products for baby food is stable, and the raw materials and ingredients meet stringent requirements, if any problems arise, preference should be given to these particular products. But first of all, of course, you should seek the advice of a specialist. It is he who will help determine the nature of undesirable reactions, and then he will draw conclusions and give more specific, individual recommendations for nutrition. Important to remember,
Myth 3. There is a lot of “chemistry” in industrial food, which is why it is stored for so long
Artificial ingredients, genetically modified foods, and dyes are prohibited from adding to jars intended for baby food by the legislation of the Russian Federation.
Then the question arises, why do these products last for so long? At large food enterprises, food products are bottled in jars and other types of packaging under aseptic conditions, practically without human intervention. Here, multi-stage quality control is adopted at all stages of production. That is, inspections take place from the moment of incoming control of raw materials to the release of finished products, all this allows you to fully control the process and avoid the slightest deviations from the established standards. Products for baby food are poured into special packaging, which is hermetically sealed. It is the aseptic conditions during filling and the tightness of the packaging that guarantees the safety of the product for a long time.
industrial baby food
Myth 4. In industrial food, mashed potatoes and juices are made from powder
All juices and nectars for baby food are made from natural raw materials prepared in a special way. An example is the production process of directly squeezed apple juice: first, the apples are sorted by hand and washed thoroughly. The selected fruits are subjected to five degrees of cleaning. The result is a juice that contains pulp with dietary fiber needed by a growing body.
If we are talking about multi-component products with several types of fruits in the composition, then here, in order to maintain the correct recipe, all ingredients are added automatically, under the control of technologists.
Myth 5. Household vegetables, fruits, and milk are better than industrial food
All suppliers of raw materials for the production of baby food are subject to strict selection, in which the quality of the products is the main criterion. Control begins when the raw material is still with the manufacturer. For this, representatives of the baby food company regularly check agricultural facilities. They check in what conditions the animals are kept, how vegetables and fruits are grown, what fertilizers are used, how the harvest takes place, etc.
At home, it is impossible to check the content of nitrates or other elements dangerous for the child’s body in vegetables and fruits. It doesn’t matter if they are grown in their own garden or purchased at the farmer’s market, in any case, it is impossible to check their safety for a child at home. In the production of industrial baby food, to assess the quality and safety, many checks are carried out using high-precision laboratory equipment under the control of a whole pool of specialists: veterinarians, chemists, technologists, and microbiologists. All raw materials are checked without exception: vegetables, fruits, milk, and cereals.
In order to understand the multistage nature of this process, let us take as an example the domestic enterprise “PROGRESS”, located in Lipetsk, and producing baby food “FrutoNyanya”. All milk tankers arriving here undergo compulsory sanitization. At the same time, the accompanying documentation of the incoming batch of raw materials is checked. Then the milk is sent to the laboratory, where it is tested for the presence of antibiotics and microbiological safety indicators. If found, the entire batch will be immediately rejected and returned to the supplier. Only after passing all laboratory tests, dairy raw materials are allowed before production. Therefore, parents can be sure of the high quality of raw materials from which products for children are made.
Parents often face such myths, as well as other problems of raising children. To help mothers and fathers, the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, with the participation of the FrutoNyanya brand, has published an Encyclopedia for Parents. The book was published under the editorship of the President of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leila Namazova-Baranova. This publication contains the recommendations of the leading practicing doctors and scientists of the country on preparing for the birth of a baby in the family, childhood diseases and their treatment, advice on the care and nutrition of children from birth to 18 years old. The authors tried to make the book as useful and complete as possible, but at the same time accessible. Therefore, each parent can find answers to their questions in the encyclopedia
