Baby Food: which flour is best?
The Better Foods Group is the biggest Portuguese milling group. It manufactures flour and other foodstuffs. The Group’s mission is to make the best flours and foodstuffs, using the best cereals.
The flour products manufactured in the Better Foods Group’s factories are used in various sectors and the Group is market leader in raw materials for baby food.
When babies are being weaned, cereals are usually the first foodstuffs to be introduced as a complement to their diet. This is because they complement breast feeding by providing a variety of essential nutrients, including proteins, vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds.
The mother’s milk or milk fortified with iron will provide the ideal nutrition for a fast-growing baby during their first few months of life. As their physical capacities mature, they will go through what is known as weaning. This is when the baby begins to be introduced to complementary liquid, semi-solid and solid foods and the composition and consistency of their diet progresses gradually.
The importance of cereals in infant nutrition
The inclusion of cereals in these complementary foods is essential since they provide nutrients that are important for the child’s growth and development.
Three types of flour commonly used to make baby foods and which offer different characteristics and nutritional benefits are rice, wheat and wholemeal.
The Better Foods Group specialises in the manufacture of raw materials for baby foods, and, in this segment, the following products stand out:
– Rice Flour
Rice flour, made from finely ground grains of rice, is a popular choice as an ingredient in baby foods for several reasons. Grains of rice can provide various nutrients including B-complex vitamins, minerals and hypoallergenic proteins. Being gluten-free, it is a safe option for babies who could be sensitive to or intolerant of this protein. Rice flour is known for its easy digestibility, making it gentler on delicate digestive systems.
Additionally, the profile of amino acids found in rice is very similar to that of the amino acids found in breast milk. And, apart from the benefits already mentioned, rice can provide growing babies with stable energy, an ideal foundation for their daily activities.
– Wheat Flour
Wheat flour, obtained by grinding wheat grains, is another very commonly-used ingredient in foods for babies and children. Unlike rice flour, wheat flour contains gluten, a protein that adds elasticity and structure to dough.
Wheat flour is a product that has been widely used in the baby food industry due to its nutritional properties and functional characteristics. Rich in carbohydrates, it offers a fast source of energy for growing babies. It contains essential nutrients such as iron, B-complex vitamins and dietary fibre, so it is good both for the digestion and for general health.
– Wholemeal Flour
Wholemeal flour is made by grinding the whole grain and it has the highest nutritional value of the three types of flour mentioned. It retains the structure of the bran and the germ, both of which are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Wholemeal flour is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which provide growing babies with a source of sustainable energy.
Group’s commitment to sustainability
Baby food plays an essential role in meeting the fundamental nutritional and energy needs for adequate growth and development. The Better Foods Group uses high-quality raw materials to make its range of dietary ingredients. They are manufactured using the best technology to ensure that they perform well in terms of taste, nutritional value and texture in end products intended for babies and children.
The Better Foods Group is always investing in continuous innovation and sustainability and offers the best products in response to the needs of a better and nutritious market.
All the raw materials used in our baby foods are home-grown, in order to foster the production of cereal crops in the country. This means that the supply chains are rigorously monitored.
For over two years now, the Group has been working on a regenerative farming project using home-grown products, with a view to adopting eco-friendly farming practices, while always encouraging the use of national producers.
The Better Foods Group also supports its customers by offering solutions that are specially adapted for specific age groups and uses. Furthermore, it has extensive understanding of the ways in which products behave in different contexts, including their interactions with other components during industrial processes.
Created in 2018, the Better Foods Group was the result of a merger by two of the leading companies in the sector: Ceres and Germen. It comprises four milling factories, a frozen foods company and two logistics complexes. As such, it is one of the most important B2B groups in the Portuguese food sector, with a focus on cereal processing and everyday foods.
