I haven’t had much luck finding out the environmental impacts associated with baby food. But common sense tells me that buying locally produced organic fruit and veg and preparing it at home is probably going to be a pretty eco-friendly option. So for the past three weeks this is what I have been doing to varying degrees of success.
The range of commercial baby food you can get these days is extensive. Organic savoury or sweet options are available in jars and now in the freezer section. The packaging is generally recyclable. But how do the environmental impacts of commercial baby food stack up against home made?
| Commercial | Home made | |
| Raw materials | Food from numerous sources depending on recipe. The impacts of which will depend on the farming methods/origin.
Recyclable packaging and labels |
Provides the option of selecting local, in season, organic produce. Go super local with produce from a veggie patch. |
| Manufacture | Manufacture of packaging including jars and labels required. Preparation and cooking of product in bulk. Food is sterilized at very high temperatures to ensure it has a long shelf life. | Steaming/poaching on the hob and blending require gas/electricity. Preparing in bulk reduces how many times the hob/blender is used (and washing up). As the baby grows food won’t need to be pureed and the family meal can be mashed up. |
| Transport | Transport of packaging and raw food to food processing plant. Transport of product to shop and then to home once purchased. | Transport of raw food to shop. Transport of product from shop to home. |
| Storage and use | Long shelf life if unopened. | Refrigerator or freezer. Freezers are on anyway and more efficient when full, so impacts of storage are minimized (providing the food is left to cool first). |
| Waste | Packaging required for transport potentially recyclable. Jars and labels can be recycled. This will require separation and transport to recycling facility. | Peel can be composted or added to a worm farm. Storage containers are reusable. |
Looking at the lifecycle steps of commercial and home made baby food, the energy required for creation of the commercial food is likely to be more due to the more complex transport and packaging requirements. Cooking up home made recipes in bulk works well as it reduces the chef’s work load as well as energy and washing up.
Commercial baby food can be great when you run out of time or when you are out and about. Preservatives, colours and flavours won’t be found in baby food for children under 12 months, but ascorbic acid is often added to make up for nutrient losses during processing. An article by Choice magazine notes that the more processed the food is (ie jars and cans which are heat treated) the less heat sensitive vitamins are retained. The brands Baby boost; Organix; Little tummy tucker; and Motherly came out on top when describing exactly what ingredients they contain.
So for the time being I’m going to inflict my home made baby recipes on my daughter. The next decision I need to make is whether she goes veggie or whether she eats meat like her dad. If so the meat will of course be free range. Don’t get me started on animal welfare…..
If you need some ideas of what to cook and puree here are some useful sites:
Recipe ideas – Home made baby recipes
How to cook baby food – kidspot
What not to feed the baby – kidspot
i’ve been trying to do the homemade thing too. it’s quite hard to start with but it gets more fun as you create new things and find out what your baby likes. banana is a hit.