Voluntary Testing
At Little Étoile®, we are not only committed to sourcing high quality organic ingredients from approved suppliers, but we meticulously test across a range of allergens, toxins and nutrients, to ensure safe and trustworthy products for your little stars. We employ strict quality management, whereby the quality and safety of ingredients and products are checked and controlled throughout the entire process, from farm to pouch.
Allergen Friendly
Little Étoile Organic is free from the 8* most common allergens
At Little Étoile Organic, we follow have in place a strict allergen management program that complies with The Allergen Bureau’s VITAL program (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling). Finished products are tested before release to the market to ensure that cross-contamination has not occurred.
Every single finished batch of baby food is tested by an accredited laboratory to ensure our products are free from the 8 most common allergens.
These include egg, gluten, milk (except in custard varieties), peanut, soy, crustacea, sesame, and fish.
Our procedures comply with and exceed the requirements and standards specified by the Allergen Bureau.
Although allergies don’t affect every infant or toddler, for the 1 in 10 who are affected[1], it’s a scary and occasionally life-threatening condition, which is why we consider risk prevention and clear food labelling a mandatory aspect of our role in food safety.
*Based on list by the Australian & NZ Food Authority – FSANZ, except milk in custard variety
References
- Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) (2019). Food Allergy. Available at https://www.allergy.org.au/images/pcc/ASCIA_PCC_Food_Allergy_2019.pdf
Heavy Metal Testing
We are more than just organic — we test for heavy metals
A recent US study testing 168 different brands of baby foods, found toxic heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium) in 95% of the product s analysed¹. Unfortunately, you can’t trust that even if a product is organic, it won’t contain heavy metals. They occur naturally in the environment and certain fruits and vegetables absorb more than others during the growing process, either through the soil or water. Studies have shown contamination of up to 6 times the recommended limit when testing some brands of organic baby products[2].
“Infants are especially sensitive to toxins. This is because their organs are still developing, and their bodies are less able to detoxify.” – World Health Organization[3]
This is why we have every single batch of Little Étoile Organic voluntarily tested for these heavy metal contaminants by an accredited lab in Australia. We do not release any pouch to the market until we have the results confirming that they are safe for infant consumption.
References
- Jane Houlihan, MSCE, and Charlotte Brody, RN, Healthy Babies Bright Future (2019). What’s in my baby’s food? A national investigation finds 95 percent of baby foods tested contain toxic chemicals that lower babies’ IQ, including arsenic and lead. Healthy Babies Bright Futures. Available at https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_
- Brian P. Jackson et al. (2012). Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup, Environmental Health Perspectives, volume 120, issue 5, 2012, pages 623–626, ISSN 0091-6765, doi 10.1289/ehp.1104619 on.
- Gardener H, Bowen J, Callan SP. Lead and cadmium contamination in a large sample of United States infant formulas and baby foods. Sci Total Environ. 2019;651(Pt 1):822‐827. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.026
- World Health Organisation (2018). Childrens Health and the Environment. Available at https://www.who.int/ceh/capacity/Children_are_not_little_adults.pdf
Nutrition
We are accurate and honest about nutrition
Our organic baby food delivers simple recipes with premium nutrition. We utilise staple ingredients that are optimal for healthy palate development. Each pouch is designed by our team of nutritionists to provide a variety of essential nutrients for your growing little stars.
Food safety regulations require baby food pouches to go through a retort sterilization process to kill off residing bacteria that can be harmful to baby’s health. So, what about the nutrients inside? While some nutrients may be affected by heat treatment, pouches still retain high levels of many essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
How do we know this? Because we implement a rigorous quality management system including testing of nutrients at the time of batch release as well as during a product’s shelf-life, as part of a comprehensive stability testing program. What we claim on our labels is based on the results we have obtained, following the implementation of part of our quality management system. With Little Étoile Organic, you can feel confident in the quality of nutrition your baby is truly receiving.
Nutrition claims like “source of” or “good source of” are regulated by food authorities, and can only be made if the nutrient level meets certain criteria ¹. We are proud that every single Little Étoile Organic pouch meets these nutritional criteria to support any claims we make.
References
- Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00333. Schedule 4.
Discover the Little Étoile range
Little Étoile is a Division of Max Biocare Pty Ltd, a part of Australian owned healthcare companies established in 2000.