If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of academics, industry experts, health advocates, and our first parents’ panel, covering everything from the infant gut and toddlers’ dietary habits, to changes to the Happy Meal. Here are the highlights...
We kicked off FOOD FOR KIDS with a panel of six parents, with some cutting down on juice over concerns about sugar, some concerned about microwaving food for their kids, and some experiencing "label fatigue."
Sugar was a big issue for the parents on the panel, with one Mom saying she was more concerned about added sugar in kids' foods than whether they are organic or non-GMO, and another saying she worried about the amount of sugar in yogurts targeting kids. Read more HERE.
A blend of water, coconut water, vitamins, minerals, and natural flavors, KidsLuv “is the better-for-you juice alternative that skips the harmful sugars while adding essential vitamins to your kids’ diets,” said founder and CEO Ashi Jelinek, the first of three winners of our 2018 trailblazers challenge.
Think cheese pizza, chicken nuggets and mac & cheese are the only options on the kids’ menu? Think again, said our second 2018 trailblazer, Canada-based Nom Noms World Food, which is gearing up to introduce kids in the US to fresh prepared meals and wraps that “take tiny tastebuds to 13 exotic destinations around the world," said co-founder Lisa Sohanpal.
A direct to consumer service for infants and toddlers, Raised Real’s plant-based meals are delivered frozen in pre-portioned, ready to steam packages and made with ingredients sourced from organic and sustainable farms, said Santiago Merea, co-founder of Raised Real, our final 2018 trailblazer.
"When you own the experience from start to finish, you can make sure that at every step of the way you are generating trust."
The ‘generational loss’ of a specific variety of beneficial bacteria (B. infantis) in the infant gut - likely due to multiple factors including formula feeding, c-sections and antibiotic use - could increase kids’ risk of developing a plethora of health problems, from allergies and eczema to type one diabetes and obesity, said Dr David Kyle at Evolve Biosystems, who has been studying baby poo to unlock the secrets of the infant microbiome.
Babies born in the US and other western countries "have biomarkers of major gut inflammation during a key development window of the immune system," and typically lack B.infantis, which digests the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in breast milk to release nutrients for the infant and maximize the growth of beneficial bacteria, which is critical to building a healthy gut microbiome, added Dr Kyle.
A spin-off from UC Davis, Evolve Biosystems is on a mission to recolonize the infant microbiome with B.infantis, which used to dominate the guts of babies born in developed countries, and still dominates those of babies in developing countries - where allergies and autoimmune disorders are far less prevalent, said Dr Kyle. Read more HERE and HERE.
There is growing evidence behind the theory that nutritional deficiencies and excesses in the maternal diet can ‘reprogram’ the way in which the offspring’s cells divide, differentiate and respond to their "metabolic milieu," said Dr Robert Murray, professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University.
Babies' brains can be permanently changed by hunger, a poor diet, and lack of stimulation, said Dr Murray: "Early life is a one of a kind opportunity to wire the brain... Meal time is exploration time..."
There are 85bn neurons in the brain, most there at birth, said Dr Murray, but what matters is building synaptic connections between them. "Stimulation and experiences – use of the five senses – is what build connectivity for life."
"New food tastes, colors, smells, and combinations are a part of a child’s learning. So after six months, the goal for feeding is to offer as many different foods as possible, over-and-over to help the child learn to enjoy it. Some are easy, like fruit and cereals. Some are hard, like green and yellow vegetables. But parents shouldn’t give up when their child doesn’t like a food at first. The more the toddler explores new foods, the more that they’ll enjoy it."
"New food tastes, colors, smells, and combinations are a part of a child’s learning," said Dr Murray. "So after six months, the goal for feeding is to offer as many different foods as possible, over-and-over to help the child learn to enjoy it. Some are easy, like fruit and cereals. Some are hard, like green and yellow vegetables. But parents shouldn’t give up when their child doesn’t like a food at first. The more the toddler explores new foods, the more that they’ll enjoy it."
Parents should try to ensure that kids get a mix of fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, and quality proteins, at each meal or snack, said Dr Murray, who said that, "By the age of two, the child will assume the eating habits of the family."
Thanks to high pressure processing (HPP), chilled babyfood is now creeping into more grocery stores, but it's still easier to buy fresh pet food than fresh babyfood, said Once Upon a Farm co-founder Ari Raz, who said a high percentage of parents try making their own fresh babyfood but end up quitting because "life gets in the way."
"With some persistence, very young children will eat salmon and kale," said Dr Erin Quann at Nestlé Nutrition/Gerber. "But then we enter the chicken nuggets and French Fries phase," with the dietary rot setting in remarkably early as milk is displaced by grain products, sweets and snacks.
According to Nestle’s FITS study, 27% of young kids do not consume a single discrete serving of vegetables on any given day, and among those who do, French Fries are the #1 ‘vegetable’ consumed.
Meanwhile, 30% of one-year-olds drink sugar-sweetened beverages on any given day, despite the fact that The American Heart Association says kids under two should avoid consuming any added sugar.
Snacks contribute nearly a third of daily calories for 2-4 year olds, more than any individual meal, said Dr Quann. "Diet patterns are shaped very early and mimic the typical American diet by about two years."
“I’m not saying parents are not responsible for their children’s eating patterns, but we need to stop pretending that the answer is just that parents need to grow a backbone and say no. Food marketing affects children’s food choices and their preferences … and it puts children’s health at risk,” said Dr Margo Wootan from the CSPI. Read more HERE.
According to Dr Stephen Taylor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the prevalence of food allergy in children has doubled over the past 10 years, while the severity of cases also seems to be increasing, along with the percentage of children with multiple food allergies. "There are now two kids with food allergies in every elementary school classroom."
Enjoy Life Foods - which makes foods free from 14 allergens - started tapping into the allergy-friendly trend early, said chief sales and marketing officer Joel Warady. "17 years ago, retailers though we had landed from Mars. We said, just wait..." The focus now is ensuring not just that there are options for allergy sufferers, but that they are tasty and nutritious, with less sugar, and more (gluten-free) whole grains, he said.
Warady also noted that gluten-free sets in some retailers are shrinking as they consolidate these products into 'special diet' sets featuring Paleo, keto and FODMAP friendly options.
Chicken nuggets, said Kidfresh co-founder and CEO Matt Cohen, are not inherently unhealthy, and pizza doesn’t have to be a nutritional disaster, "it just depends what recipes and cooking methods you use."
Kidfresh, he says, is simply taking foods that children already recognize and love – cheesy quesadillas, pizza, tater tots, meatballs, spaghetti and chicken nuggets - and creating healthier versions with less fat and sodium, more whole grains and hidden veggies, and a cleaner label.
Whether you're making snacks for kids or anyone else, a successful brand is "visible, visceral, and memorable," said Simon Thorneycroft at Perspective Branding. "We need more clarity and simplicity around messaging."
In fact some of the most successful brands in the children's food space, from Justin's and Applegate to Kroger's Simple Truth, are not 'kids' brands' at all (no comic sans serif font and cartoons), said Fred Hart from Interact Boulder, who urged brands to "Define your story, make it ageless [appeal to parents and their kids], and challenge visual conventions in your category."
Forget Mommy bloggers and Gwyneth Paltrow, the conversations your brand should try and be part of are real, face to face, interactions between parents and trusted healthcare professionals/pediatricians, said Brian Levy from Pulse Health & Wellness. "Your marketing plan is incomplete if it doesn't include some outreach to health professionals."
Delegates headed to the Signature Room at the 95th in Chicago after day two of the conference to check out the incredible views... and continue conversations over drinks.
Diane Schmidt from Healthy Fare for Kids has worked with dozens of chefs in the Chicago area from Rick Bayless and Beverly Kim, to foodservice providers at Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, and McCormick Place to find out how to make a healthier kids’ menu a win win for kids, parents, chefs and food businesses.
In 2018, McDonald’s USA made these changes to its Happy Meal menu, said Cindy Goody, chief nutritionist:
- Listing the hamburger, 4-piece and 6-piece chicken mcnuggets as entrees (so the cheeseburger is only available upon request).
- Replacing small French fries with kids-sized fries in the 6-piece chicken mcnugget meal.
- Reformulating choc milk to reduce the amount of added sugar.
- Offering Yoplait Go-GURT low fat strawberry yogurt with no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors, and less sugar.
- Adding, by the end of this year, bottled water as a beverage choice.
"We've had a decade of volume declines in juice and soft drinks,"said Howard Telford at Euromonitor. "Water, low-calorie and zero-calorie beverages are really offsetting these declines..." While firms are using natural sweeteners such as stevia extract to replace sugar in kids' beverages, they are also adding water, and some have a less sweet flavor profile, he said. "I think this era of 'everyday' sweet products may be coming to an end." Read more about the beverages panel next week.
Revolution Foods - which delivers 2m school and community meals per week nationwide - is on a mission "to build lifelong healthy eaters by making kid-inspired, chef-crafted food accessible to all," said Pat Donovan, VP, national partnerships and customer experience.
Schools buy processed meat products such as chicken nuggets because they’re familiar, convenient and affordable, said Seattle Food Tech founder Christie Lagally. So if you can offer them a plant-based alternative that tastes the same, looks the same, cooks the same, and costs the same – and it’s better for your health and the environment - why wouldn’t they switch?
And finally... a huge thanks to our platinum sponsors Cargill, DSM, and the National Dairy Council; our gold sponsors Ardent Mills, Beneo, Sabinsa and the Welsh Government; and our supporters Peatos, Foodminds, A2 milk, and DuPont Nutrition and Health; without whom this event would not have been possible. See you in Chicago next year at FOOD FOR KIDS 2019!
