Last summer, we featured a list of 14 sustainable food companies you can trust , which we compiled with the help of GoodGuide, a company that rates the health, environmental and social aspects of companies. We asked GoodGuide to use its rating system to devise a list of food producers that are independently owned, create a wide range of healthy products and do their part to benefit the world, both ecologically and socially. When they came back with their list, Plum Organics was one of the top scorers.
At the time, I was pregnant, so I was overwhelmed with choosing baby prep gear—not worrying about baby food, which seemed a far distant concern. Fast forward almost a year and my baby is now 6 months old (!!!) and starting to try a few foods (so far, bananas and sweet potatoes).
Great timing, then, that Plum’s PR department just so happened to send out a sample pack of its “Just Veggies” line for babies ages 4 months and up. As his second food was sweet potato and he’d already had some pureed potato we cooked up at home, the Just Sweet Potato veggie blend was a perfect thing to give him. And he loves it!
But more important, here are a few reasons I love it:
- Plum Organics features fruits and veggies that are gently cooked and minimally processed.
- They’re all certified organic and have no high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial ingredients or GMOs.
- They’re packaged in BPA- and phthalate-free packaging.
- Their manufacturing and transportation processes focus on waste and energy reduction.
- The company tries to source as much food domestically as possible.
- The foods are unsweetened and unsalted.
- Even the “just veggies” are mildly flavored with herbs (peas with mint and squash with cinnamon!), giving babies the chance to expand their palates. The “Second Blends” include interesting pairings designed to help babies become adventurous eaters (Sweet Potato, Mango and Millet; Zucchini, Banana and Amaranth; Blueberry, Pear and Purple Carrot—yum!)
So, after trying the free samples I’m lucky to get from time to time as an editor, I’m thinking, OK, so how much do these wonder convenience foods cost (this was not part of our article last summer). The answer? A very reasonable $9 for a six-pack at Target.com. I’m sure many of you already know all about Plum Organics, but I wanted to share my latest baby find.
(Of course, I’m still going to be making a lot of foods at home. Here are a couple favorite recipes if you’re more of a maker than a buyer.)
