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CR Rafferty’s Garden Pear and Superberries puree

Rafferty’s Garden Pear and Superberries | Chewsday Review

We’re back in the baby food aisle this week, looking at ‘super’ puree options. Today’s Chewsday Review features Rafferty’s Garden Pear and Superberries puree.

Ingredients

Positives

This is a product made of fruit, with a small amount of citric acid. Unlike other baby foods the ingredients aren’t watered down.
Sugar is not listed as an ingredient, which means that no sugar was added during production. This is a requirement for baby food marketed under 12 months. There will still be some sugars present in the final product due to those that occur naturally in fruit, but this isn’t a bad thing!
This product also has no added salt.
Total fat and saturated fat are within guidelines, which I would expect for a product made from fruit.
This is a convenient option when you need a fruit puree. This pack can be kept in the pantry or in a baby bag for emergencies.

Negatives

Considering this pouch is basically just pureed pear (give or take a few berries) it sure costs a pretty penny! At $2.15 per pack this works out to $17.90 per kilo. Pre-prepared baby food like this is always more expensive than any fruit or veg off the shelf.
Squeezie packs are convenient and less messy than spoons, but they really don’t help children to develop biting and chewing skills that they need for other foods. They also don’t let children experience the smell or visual component of foods. I’d prefer this puree decanted into a bowl and eaten with a spoon/dipper or spread onto toast.
Baby food with a long shelf life is traditionally heat treated to prevent it from spoiling. Rafferty’s Garden claim to use as little cooking time as possible in their processing, but pressurised heat treatment will still reduce the vitamin content slightly.

Marketing

I can’t help but cringe at the name “superberries”. Some fruit like acai berry have been coined as “superfoods” because they are rich in antioxidants, but so are most fruit and veg! All fruits and vegetables could be considered “superfoods” and adding 2% acai berry isn’t going to make much difference here.
“4+ months smooth” Remember that babies do not need to be on solids by 4 months, and in fact, most are not ready to eat at this stage. Research has shown that an age guide like this on a packet makes parents worry that they’re starting solids too late (when they’re not!). Staying on very smooth textures for too long can also be an issue for some babies who then find it difficult to then tolerate lumps and bumps in their food.
“No added salt, sugar or juices, artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or GM ingredients.” All true.

Alternatives

Finding a fruit based commercial baby puree isn’t tricky. If you are looking for a more complete meal, I’d suggest one with some veg and some iron rich ingredients. At least this fruit puree isn’t trying to disguise itself as a veg or meat puree (if you have read my past reviews this is often the case!).
Homemade puree is always going to be your cheaper option and gives you more control to offer new textures and flavours. Keep squeezie pouches like this for emergency situations or when you’re on-the-go.
Baby Mealtimes members can access my guide for choosing pre-packaged puree here.