“He was also very active so we were out and about with him every day. We found it particularly difficult organising, storing and heating his meals safely when we were away from home.
“So we began looking into some convenient options for when we were on the go. What we found was quite horrifying. It was almost impossible to find a savoury meal on the supermarket shelf that wasn't loaded with fruit — in fact, fruit was often the main ingredient. And almost all had some kind of filler such as tomato paste or rice flour bulking it up. The percentages stated in the list of ingredients often only added up to 30 to 40 percent.
“I did not want George to have fruit in savoury purees for several reasons — fruit masks flavours and if you are masking the real flavour of vegetables, your baby is less likely to accept them as he or she gets older,” says Emily.
“Studies have shown that babies have a natural tendency to like sweet foods because breast milk and formula are sweet so they need to be ‘trained' to like savoury flavours.
“Also fruit is high in sugar . . . say no more.”
Long story short, a year and a half later when Emily was 34 weeks pregnant with their second baby, the couple launched Petite Eats, a 100 percent natural New Zealand-made baby food that uses organic produce and free-range meat.
“There's absolutely no fillers, no preservatives, no added sugar or salt . . . no nasties,” says Emily.
“We use only ingredients that you would find at home.”
The purees come in 150g clear pouches with flavours like chicken and root vegetable medley; beef cottage pie; carrot, pumpkin and turmeric; and apple and beetroot.
All the ingredients are listed on the packets — eg beef cottage pie for babies aged eight months-plus contains: carrot 40 percent, beef 20 percent, kumara 20 percent, potato 18 percent, garlic 1 percent, and paprika 1 percent.
Some time later, when daughter Willa was about to start solids, Emily looked at George's old bibs and bowls and decided it was high time to launch a collection of feeding essentials such as sippy cups, suction bowls and spoons, silicone bibs, bibs with sleeves and no-spill snack containers.
“Each item can be easily cleaned and is designed to minimise the ‘mess' that solids bring.
“Most of the products are made from silicone which is naturally antibacterial, dishwasher and microwave-safe.”
Petite Eats has also engaged their own nutritionist, Charlotte Chapman, from My Foodie Family, to offer expert advice and recipes that parents can make at home using the purees as a base.
“We created Petite Eats Purees so that parents would have a convenient food option for their babies without sacrificing the health benefits of homemade meals. We wanted to provide something parents could actually feel good about giving to their babies,” says Emily.
• The puree undergoes a special manufacturing process to ensure it is 100 percent safe and shelf-stable.
