Most mothers with infants and toddlers purchase commercial baby food based on the 'beef (cow) content' and sodium levels. This means that baby food that contains a lot of meat for protein intake and has lower sodium content is the standard for selection.
However, a baby food that has recently shown greater progress than beef baby food has emerged. It is baby food made using seafood such as abalone. Seafood baby food has been reported to be particularly popular in the ambient baby food sector compared to frozen baby food.
According to Babybonjuk, a baby food company under the Bongroup, the sales proportion of ambient baby food utilizing ingredients like abalone or white fish is increasing. Last year, the proportion of baby food using seafood in ambient baby food sales was 12%, and this year it has grown to 19%.
This is a change that emerged following the launch of oatmeal mushroom abalone porridge and abalone nutritious rice in May of last year. As of May this year, the sales figures for oatmeal mushroom abalone porridge and abalone nutritious rice have been reported to have increased by 359% compared to May of last year. Sales figures for June and July of this year have also been reported to have increased by about 74% compared to the previous year.
Babybonjuk points out that the increase in overseas travel is a reason for the success of seafood-based baby food. A representative from Babybonjuk noted, 'With the rising demand for overseas travel, we have developed ambient baby food that is easy to carry, and customer demand for seafood-based baby food has been confirmed through sales figures.' The increase in overseas travel has also led to more family travelers abroad and more purchasers of ambient baby food.
The reason people buy seafood-centered baby food is due to customs issues. Depending on the country, many places prohibit the importation of meat products. Guam, which has a flight time of about four hours, is a representative example, as are the nearby Japan and Taiwan. All of these are popular destinations for parents with infants and toddlers.
In fact, on internet mom cafes, posts regularly appear asking if it is permissible to bring beef baby food when going to Guam with a 10-month-old or to Okinawa with a 7-month-old. These posts receive responses such as, 'Since meat is generally prohibited from importation, it would be tough if it gets confiscated, so it is advisable to buy baby food locally or bring baby food focused on vegetables or seafood from home.'
Of course, most parents with infants and toddlers prefer baby food that their child has tried and had no issues with. They worry that their child might have a reaction to baby food purchased abroad for the first time.
As consumer responses have been positive, the variety of seafood baby food is also on the rise. A representative from Babybonjuk said, 'Due to the positive response for oatmeal mushroom abalone porridge and abalone nutritious rice, we launched scallop cheese rice, crab meat barley rice, and white fish vegetable porridge in March, and we plan to focus more on developing new menus so that consumers can have various choices.'
Will the consumer response to baby food made with scallops, crab meat, and white fish be just as good as that of baby food made with abalone? It will be interesting to see how far the baby food trend shift caused by increased overseas travel will continue.