Convenient and nutritious finger foods, pouches and smoothies designed for each developmental stage were the highlight of children food brands Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food, Once Upon a Farm, Cerebelly and others at Natural Products Expo West.
Earth’s Best revealed three “play and learn” finger foods at Natural Products Expo West, designed to improve motor skills at key development moments, explained Emily Rosen, director of marketing at Earth’s Best’s parent company Hain Celestial.
The organic portfolio of finger foods includes Crunchy Sticks, Melty Hoops and Munchy Fingers, which focus on the motor skills of children aged 6 months and up. The products feature an on-pack callout to the various motor skills that they are designed to improve, including gripping and pincer grasp, Rosen explained.
Hain Celestial worked with a pediatric developmental specialist “to create a finger food that is the right size, the right shape and the right texture, so that it dissolves in the mouth,” Rosen added.
Also, Earth’s Best infant formula is embracing the branding of the play and learn products, which “retains what the brand is known for but also modernizes it a little bit,” Rosen said. The rebranded infant formula features a white background and Earth imagery, similar to the play and learn finger foods.
Earth Best’s streamlined branding and messaging will help the brand address the baby food market “with a holistic brand voice,” Rosen said.
“Our new food philosophy is around ‘good food made fun.’ This is really important. So, ‘good food’ is all about simple ingredients that you would find in your pantry pulled together to create recipes from our kitchen to yours, and the ‘made fun’ is equally important because we know that kids learn through play. It is about how do we make sure that everything we are delivering from birth to backpack is fun for the kid and fun for the caregiver?” Rosen elaborated.
The global baby food market – which includes formula, snacks, cereals and prepared foods – is expected to be worth $79.74 billion in 2025 and is anticipated to grow by 6.17% CAGR from 2025-2030, Statista reported.
FDA aims to improve the quality, safety and nutrient content of infant formula while bolstering the supply chain through a series of initiatives called Operation Stork, the agency shared in a statement.
The agency will issue a Request for Information in the coming months to conduct the first nutrient review of infant formula since 1998. Additionally, it will boost testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant formula and advocate for increased transparency and clearer labeling from manufacturers.
“FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr shared in the statement.
Once Upon a Farm also released at Expo West three organic products designed for children 1-3 years old, including:
Earlier this year, Once Upon a Farm released two preservative-free refrigerated protein bars – available in oatmeal chocolate and cinnamon – that contain 8 grams of protein and are Non-GMO Project Verified.
Brain health-focused brand Cerebelly introduced two new flavors of its smoothie pouches, spinach strawberry banana and sweet potato banana blueberry.
Lastly, GoMacro showcased its line of Kids MacroBars, initially launched in 2020, and expanded with new flavors throughout the years, including cinnamon roll in 2022.
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