Stephanie Burnette, Contributor 12:26 p.m. EDT May 7, 2014 The baby food market expanded 28 percent during the last five years. A good bit of the increase can be attributed to disposable food pouches. This month’s Take 5 looks at the ups, downs and in-betweens of this booming trend. •  The average baby food pouch holds about 100 calories of pureed food (typically a mixture of fruits, vegetables and grains). As of this month, they still cost 30 – 60 percent more than a jarred equivalent. The inner layer of the pouch is made of BPA-free polypropylene, the outer layer is printed foil and they are 10 times lighter than a classic glass jar. •  Pouches are amazing for on-the-go moments. In an airport? Baby gets fed in a sterile, efficient way. Need a snack? Toddlers can squeeze to self-feed. •  Spoon-feeding helps develop oral motor skills and a proper swallowing mechanism. Eating baby food from a pouch is more akin to drinking from a straw. •  TerraCycle and Ella’s Kitchen created the Baby Food Pouch Brigade, which recycles any brand of pouch or cap. Download a prepaid shipping label and mail them in for a reward-based program. Learn more at www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/ellaskitchen.html. •  Reusable options are flooding the market, such as Little Green Pouch and Squeeze’Ems. Prices range from $4 – 6 per pouch, but can be used indefinitely. You fill them and you clean them.

Ella’s Kitchen has partnered with TerraCycle to create the Baby Food Pouch Brigade, a free recycling program for baby food pouches and caps. Parents can find out more about how to recycle [their pouches] with Terracycle at ellaskitchen.com.

We always encourage parents to recycle their pouch to help reduce waste. Ella’s Kitchen has partnered with TerraCycle to create the Baby Food Pouch Brigade, a free recycling program for baby food pouches and caps. Parents can find out more about how to recycle with Terracycle at ellaskitchen.com

If your family recycles like mine does, then anything resembling paper, plastic or metal goes into the appropriate recycling bin. However did you know you may be depositing products that cannot be recycled through typical processes? I am guilty of this — I had been mixing in kid food pouches with my regular plastics. Oops! A solution exists thanks to TerraCycle. It offers national programs (a.k.a Brigades®) to collect previously non-recyclable or hard to recycle waste like drink pouches, chip bags, and water filters. The waste is then made into new products ranging from recycled park benches to backpacks.