Gerber Innovates to Satisfy Tiny Tastes
Baby food, arguably, may be one of the most scrutinized categories in the grocery store. Baby food manufacturers and marketers must appeal to a parent’s highly discriminatory ideas about health and nutrition, while at the same time pleasing to a baby’s preferred tastes and textures. Since 1928, The Gerber (www.gerber.com) family has made it its business to help nurture happy and healthy babies as they grow.
“It’s important our food is as delicious as it is nutritious at Gerber,” says Sarah Smith-Simpson, senior scientist of Child Development and Consumer Insights for Nestl Nutrition Meals and Drinks.
Thus, in April 2015, the early childhood nutrition leader revealed its latest category innovation, Gerber® 3rd Foods® Lil’ Bits® Recipes, featuring a unique and revolutionary cooking method that gives recipes perfectly-sized soft pieces in order to help babies master the essential chewing developmental milestone.
Gerber invested more than $100 million in technology to create Lil’ Bits recipes and worked with 80 experts who spent more than 120,000 hours developing the product. This research found that as older babies develop side to side movement of their tongue, they can begin to move small, soft pieces of food to their jawline for mashing — the early skills of chewing. So, introducing pureed foods with soft pieces at this time allows children to explore multiple textures before transitioning fully to solid, table foods.
To ensure the product has a baby-approved taste, Gerber then hosted 80 taste tests and shared more than 30,000 spoonfuls of Lil’ Bits recipes with a panel of babies.
“We hold ourselves to high standards – no other company is currently offering a product comparable to Lil’ Bits recipes,” says Smith-Simpson.
The line’s original seven fruit and veggie-based flavors, like Banana Apple Strawberry and Sweet Potato Apple Carrot & Cinnamon, was expanded in December 2015 to include Lil’ Bits Dinners that mimic the savory items often served at dinner time.
“That’s why we’re so excited to introduce Dinners as part of the Lil’ Bits Recipes line — we’re providing that next step for children who are on their way to table food,” says Aileen Stocks, chief marketing officer, Nestl Infant Nutrition North America.
New flavors, like Chicken Itty-Bitty Noodle, Garden Vegetable & Beef, Autumn Vegetable & Turkey, Mac & Cheese, Herbed Vegetable, Pasta & Chicken, Roasted Vegetable & Chicken, and Carrot Peas & Corn, are now available at most major retailers.
“It’s important our food is as delicious as it is nutritious at Gerber,” says Sarah Smith-Simpson, senior scientist of Child Development and Consumer Insights for Nestl Nutrition Meals and Drinks.
Thus, in April 2015, the early childhood nutrition leader revealed its latest category innovation, Gerber® 3rd Foods® Lil’ Bits® Recipes, featuring a unique and revolutionary cooking method that gives recipes perfectly-sized soft pieces in order to help babies master the essential chewing developmental milestone.
Gerber invested more than $100 million in technology to create Lil’ Bits recipes and worked with 80 experts who spent more than 120,000 hours developing the product. This research found that as older babies develop side to side movement of their tongue, they can begin to move small, soft pieces of food to their jawline for mashing — the early skills of chewing. So, introducing pureed foods with soft pieces at this time allows children to explore multiple textures before transitioning fully to solid, table foods.
To ensure the product has a baby-approved taste, Gerber then hosted 80 taste tests and shared more than 30,000 spoonfuls of Lil’ Bits recipes with a panel of babies.
“We hold ourselves to high standards – no other company is currently offering a product comparable to Lil’ Bits recipes,” says Smith-Simpson.
The line’s original seven fruit and veggie-based flavors, like Banana Apple Strawberry and Sweet Potato Apple Carrot & Cinnamon, was expanded in December 2015 to include Lil’ Bits Dinners that mimic the savory items often served at dinner time.
“That’s why we’re so excited to introduce Dinners as part of the Lil’ Bits Recipes line — we’re providing that next step for children who are on their way to table food,” says Aileen Stocks, chief marketing officer, Nestl Infant Nutrition North America.
New flavors, like Chicken Itty-Bitty Noodle, Garden Vegetable & Beef, Autumn Vegetable & Turkey, Mac & Cheese, Herbed Vegetable, Pasta & Chicken, Roasted Vegetable & Chicken, and Carrot Peas & Corn, are now available at most major retailers.