Is your packaging recyclable?

Our pouches are recyclable via soft recycling programs.

Are Little Étoile's food pouches certified Halal?

All varieties, except Chicken veggies & brown rice, are currently certified halal by the Australian Halal Food Service. 

Are your products vegan friendly?

Our Apple Banana & Pear, Pear Mango & Banana and Sweet Potato Pumpkin and Corn varieties are all vegan friendly.

What does Certified Organic means?

The organic certification is strictly regulated to ensure food is produced as nature intended from start to finish, without synthetic fertilisers or processes. To be certified organic, you must employ  ‘whole systems organic compliance’ which means that everything from the soil the crops are grown in or harvested on, right through to the manufacturing, packaging and handling stages, complies with a comprehensive accredited organic system.

Are Little Étoile's food pouches certified organic?

Yes! Our pouches are Australian Certified Organic (ACO). ACO Australia’s largest certifier of organic and biodynamic produce. Being responsible for more than half of the world’s organic produce, Australia has some of the most stringent testing requirements in the world for acquiring organic certification, and ACO holds international accreditation for standards of integrity, impartiality and objectivity.

Why does little Étoile test for heavy metals? Should I be concerned that they are harming my baby?

A recent US study testing 168 different brands of baby foods, found toxic heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium) in 95% of the products analysed¹. What about organic? Unfortunately, you can’t trust that if a product is organic it won’t contain heavy metals, heavy metals occur naturally in the environment and certain fruits and vegetables absorb more than others during the growing process, either through the soil or water. Infants are especially sensitive to toxins, so it is important to minimize exposure where possible, as overtime they can build up in the body and affect the growing brain. While it is not a regulation to test for heavy metals, we are committed to producing the safest baby food possible and therefore we voluntary test every single batch of Little Étoile Organic for Mercury, Lead, Arsenic and Cadmium.

Reference:

 1. 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_

2. 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.

Why is allergen-friendly important for my baby?

Although allergies don’t affect every infant or toddler, for the 1 in 10 who are affected², it’s a scary and often life-threatening condition, which is why we consider risk prevention and clear food labelling a mandatory aspect of our role in food safety. It is important to introduce allergens to babies one at a time, in a controlled way. By choosing ‘Allergen-friendly’ your baby is only exposed to allergens in a safe and controlled environment.

Reference:

1. 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"

What allergens does Little Étoile test for?

We test every single finished batch using an accredited laboratory to ensure our products are free from the 15 most common allergens, as determined by the Australian & New Zealand Food Authority (FSANZ): Egg, gluten, milk (except in custard),  peanut, soy,  macadamia, crustacea, almond, hazelnut, sesame, walnut, fish, pistachio, cashew, and lupin. At Little Étoile Organic® we have a strict allergen management program in place that complies to The Allergen Bureau’s VITAL program (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) and involves testing during the manufacturing process and further testing when each batch is finished, to ensure cross contamination has not occurred.

What are the benefits of food pouches?

Mom life is busy and there isn’t always time to prepare meals from scratch. Our pouches provide a ready-to-eat nutritious meal or snack that is convenient and easy. Whether you are heading out and need a quick and mess-free meal to take with you and need a helping hand at home for mealtime, our pouches can be used as on their own or added to other foods such as yoghurt, pasta or rice to complete a meal.

What is the age range suited for Little Étoile's food pouches?

Our pouches are designed for babies and toddlers from 6+ months.

How do I know if I have a defective pouch?

If the seal under the cap is broken or pouch feels unusually bloated, then you may have a defective pouch. If you think you have a defective pouch, do not consume, please contact info@ec-health-global.com.my to feedback to us and arrange for a replacement.

Once opened, how long can the food pouch last?

Once opened, refrigerate at 1-4°C and use within 2 days.

How should I store the baby food pouch?

Store unopened below 25°C in a cool, dry and clean place.

How should I serve the food pouch for my baby?

You can serve the pouches at room temperature, warm (place pouch in a jug of warm water), cool (place pouch in fridge) or frozen (place fruit flavours in the freezer for a cool treat on a hot day!). Make sure DO NOT microwave the pouch. Always check the food temperature before feeding to baby. 

How can the product have a long shelf life if you don’t use preservatives?

The shelf life of our Little Étoile Organic baby food pouches relies on selection of safe and nutritious organic ingredients, manufacturing processes with just the right amount of heat to cook, kill any harmful microorganisms (bacteria) and conserve the maximum amount of nutrients. Our choice of packaging ensures that the contents are protected from air and moisture getting into the pouch. Air introduces Microorganisms into the food, combined with moisture and heat, causes spoilage very quickly. Hence, through our knowledge and application of food technology and science, an unopened Little Etoile Organic pouch at room temperature has a long shelf life completely safe and nutritious for the baby.

How do I know if my baby is ready to start eating food pouches?

It’s important to only start introducing solid foods once your baby is ready, you will know when they are ready once you notice that your little one can hold their head up straight, watches you carefully as you eat and reaches out for your food. You can start introducing food pouches as soon as your baby is ready to start other solids foods.

Where does your meat come from?

Both the chicken and Beef meat is sourced from Australian certified organic suppliers. Our products are proudly made in Australia.

Why do you add citric acid and vitamin C to your recipes?

Fruit acids such as citric acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are naturally occurring in fruits. We add these into our pouches to naturally preserve the fruit purees and ensure they keep fresh (just like you would add a squeeze of lemon to an avocado to keep it from browning).

Do you add sugar into the any of your recipes?

Our recipes are predominantly free from added sugar and use the natural sweetness of fruits and vegetables where possible. The only variety with a touch of sugar added is our Vanilla Custard, as this pouch is designed as a dessert, not an every day food we added a small amount of sugar to balance the flavours and make the most tasty vanilla custard that babies love!

Is your packaging BPA free?

Yes, our pouches are free from BPA and phthalates.

Are the nutrients retained after heat treating during the manufacturing process?

We test each batch after the heat-treating process to ensure nutrients are retained after the process. While some small losses do occur due to heat treating, the nutrients remain in high concentrations.