Baby food packaging: Safety and sustainability top-of-mind for consumers, says Nestlé’s Gerber

05 Nov 2020 --- The most widespread baby food packaging challenge is advancing environmental sustainability while meeting consumers’ safety and freshness expectations. This is according to Sina Hilbert, brand manager and sustainability lead at Gerber, who speaks to PackagingInsights about boosting baby food packaging sustainability via innovative solutions.

A Nestlé subsidiary, Gerber is aiming to increase the environmental sustainability of its baby food packaging while ensuring food safety is maintained.

Earlier this year, Nestlé released a single-material pouch for Gerber’s baby food products. The “designed-to-be-recycled” pouch is made from polypropylene (PP) and developed in partnership with Gualapack, a manufacturer of pre-made spouted pouches. 

Progressing plastics recycling
The move is in line with Nestlé’s commitment to make 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. The company also notes that the initiative is an important milestone in creating a wider market for food-safe recycled plastics.

“Many parents rely on plastic – and pouches specifically – for its convenience, durability and portability. However, municipal recycling infrastructure in the US currently struggles to recycle most flexible packaging, including pouches. Gerber has made this issue a priority,” explains Hilbert.

To address sustainability concerns while keeping convenience top-of-mind, Gerber’s aim is to provide parents with a recyclable option when shopping for baby food pouches.Earlier this year, Nestlé released a single-material pouch for Gerber’s baby food products. 

“We launched the IncrediPouch, the industry’s first single-material spouted baby food pouch designed for the future of recycling. Moving from a multi-material design to a single-material design increases the value of the recycled material for the recycling industry, ultimately making pouches easier to recycle,” notes Hilbert. 

“We’ve been working to design unnecessary plastic out of our packaging and have reduced our plastic footprint by over six million pounds since 2018. We also launched a national recycling program with TerraCycle.”

TerraCycle team-up
In 2019, Gerber partnered with recycling specialist TerraCycle to involve consumers in a free recycling program. Caregivers can mail in packaging that is not municipally recyclable using a pre-paid shipping label. 

Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic and remolded to make recycled products. 

Additionally, for every pound of packaging waste sent to TerraCycle through the Gerber Recycling Program, collectors earn a US$1 donation to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice. 

US recycling first
Parents are looking for sustainable packaging options that maintain the same level of convenience, durability and portability, reiterates Hilbert.

“With Nestlé as a founding member of Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF), a research collaborative committed to creating recycling solutions, we are helping to expand curbside recycling for the pouch – and all baby food pouches – beginning with a pilot program in Pennsylvania [US].”

MRFF’s pilot program in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is the first US curbside recycling program accepting flexible plastics, alongside other recyclable materials.

Nestlé is committed to making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.  Nestlé also recently invested US$30 million in the Closed Loop Leadership Fund, the private equity fund of circular economy investment firm Closed Loop Partners, to upgrade US recycling infrastructure and secure access to food-grade recycled plastics.

Last year, Nestlé inaugurated its first Gerber NutriPuffs cereal snacks plant in Shuangcheng, China. The RMB100 million (US$14.2 million) investment runs parallel with Nestlé’s commitment to make all its packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025. The snacks are presented in 100 percent recyclable cans and flexible packaging.

Ensuring food safety
Gerber’s other top priority remains the safety and wellbeing of babies, according to Hilbert. “Any materials we use have been reviewed by our packaging team and are safe for babies.”

“For the food and beverage industry in general, there is the challenge of ensuring packaging is sustainable and meets consumers’ needs for safety and freshness. Gerber has made this a priority as we develop new products and rethink our packaging to ensure we’re providing the best future for babies.”

Major players are developing innovative packaging to ensure ingredient safety and traceability. 

Notably, Danone launched a digitally-enabled data service for baby formula applications called Track & Connect that gives consumers and retailers greater transparency on the product’s farm-to-fork journey.

Moreover, to strengthen parents’ trust and empower them in making more informed milk formula purchasing decisions, FrieslandCampina unveiled TrackEasy#, an industry-first smart packaging innovation, for its organic milk formula.

By Kristiana Lalou