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Indian baby food brand rolls out made-to-order meals for infants

Indian toddler snack food company Timios has moved into the baby food category with the launch of its made-to-order baby porridge line that comes in 12 varieties that are made with a mixture of fruits and vegetables along with wheat, millet and rice.

This new line features USDA and India Organic Certified organic ingredients, and each portion is crafted and shipped out to customers the same day that an online order is received. While the porridge mix is made fresh only when a customer orders it through the Timios’ direct-to-consumer channels, the powdered mixture has a shelf life of nine months. This extended expiry date allows Timios to also sell its porridge at 350 retail locations as the concept of made-to-order infant nutrition continues to gain traction in India.

Company co-founder Aswani Chaitanya told industry publication Food Infotech that the impetus behind the made-to-order concept was derived from an idea to combining the nutrition of fresh-made food with convenience for modern parents. For busy parents that rely on packaged products, he said that the current manufacturing supply chain results in the reality that “Parents have no choice but to choose food products that are manufactured months in advance. In some cases, it’s surprising to note that the baby food might be older than the baby.”

For Timios’ freshly made and store-bought infant porridge, when parents are ready to serve their children, they can cook the baby food in two to three minutes, according to the company. To encourage the freshest products, Timios offers a subscription model where consumers can order products specifically formulated for six-month, eight-month and 10-month old infants.

For each of the age ranges, the company's porridge recipe differs. While all contain a combination of grains and produce, as the children age, more vegetables are added according to the servings size requirements specified by pediatric research and regulatory guidelines.

While the “Made to Order” line of baby porridge is a new addition to the Timios portfolio, it has a good chance of becoming a popular one. Due to increasing concerns over infant health and its effects on overall development, the global baby food market is set to grow from $50 billion in 2017 to $69 billion during 2018-2023, according to a report by Research and Markets.

In addition to infant food, Timios already has a variety of products aimed at toddlers, including pre- and probiotic bites, melts and energy bars. Going forward, the company intends to introduce more baby food products, including baby cereal, teething biscuits, pureed fruit and vegetables and freeze-dried finger food.