How We Evaluated Brands
For this updated guide, I once again turned to Dr. Hopkins, who has provided research for many of our guides.
One thing Dr. Hopkins discovered right away is that a big benefit of fresh and frozen baby foods is that they aren’t pasteurized. Cold-pressure stabilization is a key difference between the baby foods in this guide and shelf-stable jars and pouches.
In the end, all of the brands of either fresh or frozen baby food that we recommend are:
- Certified organic
- Comprised of only whole food ingredients, without juices or concentrates
- Free of preservatives, fillers, colorants, and additives
We also considered the processing and packaging when looking for the best baby food brands. Most of the cups used for fresh or frozen baby food are made of #5 polypropylene. This type of plastic is recyclable and free of PFAS, phthalates, BPA, and BPS, the materials we are most worried about.
The companies we spoke to also assured us that their blends are not cooked in plastic or poured into plastic while hot. Still, we think the best baby food comes from the one brand delivering their food in glass jars.
Why Should I Choose Organic Baby Food?
I’m likely preaching to the choir here, but: feeding your kids organic food is important.
- Research shows that children have twice the pesticide levels (measured in urine) as adults eating a similar diet.
- Kids’ have developing organs and immature filtering systems (as the immune system is not fully formed).
- Some types of organic produce and dairy has been shown to be higher in antioxidants and other nutrients than food that’s been sprayed with pesticides.
- And of course there is the major benefit to the environment and farm workers, too.
The Best Baby Food Has Clean Label Project Certification
Since there are concerns with heavy metals in baby food, Dr. Hopkins and I wanted to identify brands that can offer some assurances that their products are not contaminated.
Unfortunately, we were not able to get Certification of Analysis from most of the brands we reviewed–even those that told us they test their products via third-party labs.
Luckily, five of the brands are part of the Clean Label Project, which tests products for contamination with heavy metals, pesticide residues, and plasticizers. The following brands have CLP verification, in addition to checking the other boxes for being Good Stuff:
- Bambino’s
- Lil’ Gourmets
- Little Spoon
- Once Upon a Farm
- Yumi
Keep reading for our deeper review of these brands plus a few more that we consider Good Stuff.
