Babies have taste buds too, and they like to use them. But finding the best ways to appeal to their delicate and emerging sense of flavor can be tricky. The goal is to create products that balance flavor and nutrition in such a way as to train babies’ palates to prefer nutritious foods. The processors who crack this code recognize that not only will it lead to healthier babies, but the parents will throw themselves at their feet in gratitude.
Infant and toddler nutrition concerns are about to become even more important than ever. The USDA will soon issue its 2020 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and they will include, for the first time, guidelines for kids aged 0-2 years. Previously, all iterations of the DGAs were for persons over 2 years of age.