why organic

At chowbaby, we recognize that organic farming not only protects the earth and the water supply so our children have a cleaner and safer world to grow up in, but also keeps potentially harmful chemicals out of our babies' especially vulnerable bodies. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, sludge sewage, bioengineering, antibiotics, or ionizing radiation that have no place at our children's high chairs.

The reasons to choose organic foods are plentiful:

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency, children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences, standard chemicals are up to 10 times more toxic for children than for adults. This is due to the fact that children take in more toxic chemicals relative to body weight than adults and have developing organ systems that are less capable of detoxifying chemicals.
• According to the Food and Drug Administration, half of the produce currently tested in grocery stores contains measurable residues of pesticides.
• According to the Food and Drug Administration, laboratory tests of eight top-selling baby foods reveal the presence of 16 pesticides, including three carcinogens.
• In blood samples of children aged two to four years, concentrations of pesticide residues are six times higher for those eating conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables compared with those eating organic food.
• According to the Department of Health and Human Services, organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are now found in the blood of 95% of people tested. OP levels are twice as high in blood samples taken from children than in adults. Exposure to OPs has been linked to hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and motor dysfunction.
• The Centers for Disease Control reports that one of the main sources of pesticide exposure for children comes from the food they eat.

Source: Organic Consumers Association. US Government Fact Sheet. Available at http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/wic-faq.pdf.

fresh is best

Studies show that babies who are fed nutritious, quality diets grow into stronger kids and better-adjusted eaters than those who are fed poor diets. While breast milk or formula will provide all the nutrition your baby needs during the first year of life, chowbaby recognizes the important role the introduction of solid foods plays in your little one's long-term health and development.

Processed baby and toddler foods can contain sugars, starchy fillers, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. While some would argue that these things are not bad for your child, we can at least agree that their presence dilutes the nutritional value of the actual food. In addition, all processed baby foods (even organic ones) are cooked at high temperatures so the food can maintain a long shelf life. That means the foods you're feeding your child are often older than the child you're feeding them to. And as a result, the vitamins and minerals that maximize your little one's development during the critical first years are destroyed.

Like you, we at chowbaby understand that fresh is better. Our handmade baby and toddler food is cooked quickly, minimally, and without additives — and immediately frozen in single-serving sized cubes or muffins to preserve the delicious taste, texture, and nutritional content of the produce. Organic ingredients eliminate agricultural chemicals from the finished dish. More seasonal choices ensure a better-balanced diet with greater variety than standard processed fare. And our unique recipes will expose your child's developing palate to an exciting range of flavors. Perhaps most important, the perishable nature of our non-heat-treated food means that you're always feeding your child at the height of wholesomeness.