The rise of plant-based diets means that more parents will be raising children meat- and dairy-free, seeking wholesome and balanced offerings to ensure their little ones are able to access the essential nutrients needed for a strong and active growing body. The Plant Base explores what the key priorities should be for manufacturers developing offerings for children and toddlers.

While meat and dairy can offer key nutrients to growing children, the increasing number of parents choosing to raise their child on a plant-based diet – whether for reasons relating to animal welfare, the environment or allergies – means that including these nutrients in a wide range of vegan foods will be essential to ensure healthy development is not impacted.

A study from University College London (UCL), published in 2021 and carried out in collaboration with the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw, found that children on vegan diets have a healthier cardiovascular profile and less body fat than their omnivore peers.

However, it also found that a plant-based diet could affect children’s growth, bone mineral content and micronutrient status. The study found that children following vegan diets were on average 3cm shorter, had 4-6% lower bone mineral content and were more than three times more likely to be deficient in vitamin B12 than the omnivores.

Supplementing vitamin B12 is widely seen as one of the most important nutritional considerations for those following a vegan diet, with omnivores gaining much of the vitamin – which is essential for many aspects of health including nervous system and energy levels – from meat, fish and dairy products.

For companies innovating in the plant-based children’s nutrition space, ensuring products can offer these crucial components of a nourishing diet will be one of the most important factors.

Stephanie Banham-Eichner and Jenna Liut, co-founders of Kiddiwinks – a developer of plant-based, flavoured milk alternative drinks for children – said that there is a gap in the market for for healthy beverages that taste like a treat but fill important nutritional gaps in kids’ diets.

They told The Plant Base that most drinks marketed to children, such as juice, fruit drinks and soda, do not contain enough nutrients such as protein, fibre and essential vitamins, and are “loaded with sugar”.

© Kiddiwinks

“Milk is the gold standard drink recommended by paediatricians because it’s a familiar, easy way to get children to consume certain nutrients integral to their growth and development, but the landscape has changed,” Kiddiwinks’ founders said. “Cow’s milk protein allergy is now the most frequent food allergy in infants and children and up to 75% of the population is lactose intolerant.”

“While plant-based dairy has become extremely popular with adults, most dairy alternatives fall short from a nutritional perspective. This is typically fine for adults who don’t rely as heavily on nutrients from dairy, but it is a real issue for growing bodies.”

The company’s milk alternatives contain a blend of oats, chickpeas and chicory root, offering 8g of plant-based protein per can, 6-8g dietary fibre and a prebiotic for microbiome support. The drinks also contain essential vitamins B12, A and D as well as potassium, calcium and iron, and contain no saturated fat or cholesterol.

“Chickpea is a nutritional powerhouse,” Kiddiwinks’ founders commented. “It is new to the milk alternative space and helps create a nutritional profile that is high in protein and fibre, especially when combined with oats and pea protein. Oats also have an inherent sweetness, which helps create a delicious flavour without as much added sugar. It also has a creamy, smooth texture that is similar to traditional dairy.”

Achieving the right texture that children will enjoy is another key consideration to ensure a successful kids’ product range. Kiddiwinks’ own research found that children in its focus groups found almond milk to be “thin” and “watery,” so the company took this into account when developing its offerings. The flavours are designed to resemble flavours well-loved by kids such as Hershey’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but with less of the sugar.

Little Spoon, a company that provides organic meals for babies, toddlers and children, also works to balance the importance of an enjoyable eating experience for kids alongside ensuring a complete, well-rounded nutritional offering.

The company recently added two new offerings to its plant-based range for children, featuring finger foods made from ingredients like cauliflower, grains and spinach.

Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer at Little Spoon, commented: “We love the challenge of making veggies fun and craveable for kids, which is why we centered the development of our new plant-based offerings around textures and classic kid-loving finger foods. We believe that healthy, nutritious food can and should taste delicious.”

“Our Mini Spinach Bites and Ancient Grain Cauli Fingers are plant-based plays on chicken nuggets and sliders. The kid can still have fun with finger foods, while the parents can take pride in serving meals rich in vegetables like spinach, cauliflower and peas.”

Balancing high-quality tastes and textures with high protein content and allergen-friendly ingredients is critical to Little Spoon.

© Little Spoon

“Our thoughtful R&D process and collaboration with experts enables us to build meals that offer the same craveability as our non-plant based offers while maintaining balanced nutrition critical for a child’s healthy development,” Vranich concluded.

Professor Jonathan Wells, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and leader of the 2021 UCL study, said that a global shift toward plant-based diets is recognised to be crucial in preventing climate breakdown, and the research team “strongly” supports this effort.

“Our research shows that we need to provide more advice to the public as to how they can eat healthily on plant-based diets. This is particularly relevant for children, as they may have higher nutrient needs while they are growing.”

A well-planned plant-based diet for children can provide the essential nutrients needed for a growing body, however it is important that the food industry plays its part in delivering this and ensuring that kids’ offerings are sufficiently healthy and nourishing. With the rising in popularity of plant-based diets, more research, education and awareness is likely to come to the forefront, providing the necessary support where needed.

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