When Packaging Becomes a Baby Bottle in the Twinkling of an Eye

The to-go drink for babies: Ready-to-drink milk for babies has become established and is now available almost everywhere. The individual portions are particularly interesting for breastfeeding mothers who only feed occasionally and for whom a large can of powder is not cost-effective.

Baby food packagings of Aptamil. — Die Marke Beba von Nestlé hat trinkfertige Anfangsmilch im Tetrapack im Sortiment. Im Gegensatz zum Milchpulver in den großen Dosen muss die Babymilch nicht aufbereitet werden.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it clearly: breast milk is the best food for babies. But not every woman can and wants to breastfeed her child. Infant formula has been a proven alternative for many parents for decades. Feeding an infant with a bottle requires some preparation: sterilizing the bottle. Boiling the water and leaving it to cool. Removing the milk powder from the large packet, measuring it out and stirring it in. Allowing the milk to cool to drinking temperature. If you are on the go, you don’t want to take the large pack with you, so you have already taken out a few spoonfuls of powder and stored them in a container. But there is another way: with liquid milk that is already prepared and filled in individual portions in a plastic bottle. Although this is still a niche market, ready-to-drink baby food has now established itself. The small bottles with disposable packaging can now be found in almost every drugstore and grocery store.

The major manufacturers entered the market years ago and have gradually expanded their range. “The category is interesting for us because it makes an essential contribution to the healthy nutrition of babies and toddlers if breastfeeding is not possible,” David Klöckner-Molitor, Head of Nestlé Nutrition in Germany, told Lebensmittelzeitung. Nestlé has been offering ready-to-drink formula for babies up to the age of six months and follow-on milk under the Beba brand for some time.

Beba Baby food packagings. — Beba from Nestlé has ready-to-drink formula milk in tetrapacks in its range. Unlike the milk powder in the large cans, the baby milk does not need to be processed.

It is probably mainly practical reasons that make the ready-to-drink products attractive to parents. The milk only needs to be heated in a bain-marie. However, if this is not possible, children can also drink it at room temperature, according to Hipp, for example. The manufacturers do recommend decanting the milk into a baby bottle. However, the teats that babies drink from can sometimes be twisted directly onto the packaging – for example when one is out and about. “The ready-to-drink solutions are more practical than the open powder packs. This is because the baby food can be administered flexibly at any location without having to prepare it from a powder first,” says Marcel Rieser, dm area manager for the range.

Large Portions Have a Limited Shelf Life

Nestlé manager Klöckner-Molitor sees further advantages. Liquid milk is suitable for mothers who are breastfeeding but are supplementing – and therefore do not need large quantities of powdered milk. One can holds 5.8 liters of milk and must be used up within four weeks. Liquid milk, on the other hand, is available in portion sizes of 90 or 200 milliliters – and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours once opened. The individual portions are also practical as a test format to see whether the baby accepts the milk. Or for grandparents who only occasionally feed their grandchildren.

The ready-to-drink milk is also used in maternity clinics due to hygiene requirements and quick preparation. “It’s less about convenience; it’s about quality and maximum safety,” says Danone, the producer of the Aptamil and Milumil brands.

One disadvantage of single portions in bottles or Tetrapaks: compared to powdered milk filled in cans or cartons, there is significantly more packaging. This stands in the way of manufacturers’ aims to use less packaging material as part of their sustainability strategies. However, Hipp’'s position is very clear: “In the case of liquid milk, the socially sustainable aspect of child welfare outweighs the ecological aspect of avoiding waste.” Nevertheless, the manufacturer is careful to conserve resources. The bottles are made of HDPE plastic, which is more than 90 percent recyclable.

Last year, Nestlé abolished the shrink-wrap around its liquid milk bottles, which consisted of two different plastics. Now, both the bottles and the labels are made of polypropylene and are therefore easier to recycle. According to Danone, the company is also working on improving the recyclability of all product packaging, including that for ready-to-drink dairy foods. However, it is crucial that “any measures taken are in line with product safety and practicability”, as the consumers – small babies – are extremely sensitive.