UConn EFNEP hosted a baby food-making class which was a success!  9 parents register and picked up baby food-making kits. Three mothers with infants attended consistently, for one mother English was a second language, and another mother was from a family of 7 with her youngest just 7 months.  They discussed how to make homemade baby food, food safety and the kitchen tools necessary for preparing baby food at home. They cooked together to prepare homemade turkey puree and homemade applesauce. They discussed important resources for families like local food pantries as well as the WIC and SNAP programs, eligibility and how to apply.  During the initial discussion a great video was shown from The University of Maine Cooperative Extension on How to Make Home Made Baby Food and encouraged the mothers to come back to it if they needed a refresher, https://youtu.be/cili44BebXY  A nice discussion was had about preparing homemade baby food and safely introducing complementary foods as well as allergen foods.

One participant said “There were so many tools provided in this workshop that I will use moving forward. I will use the recipes that were shared in class and also the recipes that were given in the recipe book provided. I am more confident in the food I choose to give my baby and how to prepare it. I also learned the rules for storing food and keeping the temperatures safe for my baby.” 

Baby food and feeding infants have become a topic of interest recently. Politico posted an article about the recall of formula from brands Similac, Alimentum and EleCare.”Infant formula, it should be noted, is one of the most regulated food products in the U.S. Formula plants are inspected annually, which is much more frequent than a typical food facility. Still, inspectors uncovered several issues, including lapses in basic plant sanitation and handwashing ( see eFoodAlert here for more details) https://efoodalert.com/2022/02/20/cronobacter-and-powdered-infant-formula/“