This Amazing Michelle Obama-Inspired Baby Food Is Helping Hungry Families

Here's a startling fact: one in four New York City children is at risk for hunger. Tiny Organics' Michelle Obama-inspired baby food was created with those kids in mind: For the month of May, the plant-based meal makers will donate 100% of all proceeds from their special edition "Michelle My Broccoli Belle" recipe to the Food Bank for New York City. A joint effort with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), this super-powered mini meal is meant to help feed the Big Apple's most hungry, and cultivate "a vegetable-loving generation" in the process.

"We are honored to announce our collaboration with Partnership for a Healthier America as it solidifies Tiny Organics' commitment to ensuring that every child across the U.S. has access to the healthiest foods from the earliest days," said Tiny Organics co-founder and co-CEO, Betsy Fore, in a press release. "We are proud to partner with PHA to represent the baby food category, as there is deep alignment between our organizations and greater mission."

It makes perfect sense for PHA to team up with Tiny Organics to honor Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative, particularly on a veggie-heavy meal (let's not forget the former First Lady's efforts to get kids to eat their vegetables). The Tiny Organics product line is based on the idea that kids should be introduced to their first 100 flavors (all made with no sugar or salt) before the age of two. In response to the growing number of children ingesting added sugars in their food — 84.4% on a given day according to 2019 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — Tiny Organics wants to encourage healthy eating habits in babies and toddlers that will last a lifetime (an important part of preventing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions).

Through the month of May, shoppers who subscribe to Tiny Organics and purchase "Michelle My Broccoli Belle" (including broccoli, bell peppers, and sweet potato chunks) will be feeding one nutritious, organic meal to their own baby and another to a hungry child in New York City.

For the one in four children in NYC who suffers from hunger, Food Bank New York City is there. The organization serves 58 million free meals per year and offers nutrition programs 50,000 children, teens and adults. But they can't do it alone. With NYC's food insecurity rate 12% higher than the national average, kids in the city are especially at risk.

"Michelle My Belle" can be purchased as part of a Tiny Organics subscription (a 12-pack subscription is $65.88/$5.49 per cup; a 24-pack subscription is $112.56/4.69 per cup). To help Food Bank For New York City directly, visit foodbanknyc.org.

Studies:

Herrick KA, Fryar CD, Hamner HC, Park S, Ogden CL. "Added Sugars Intake Among U.S. Infants & Toddlers," Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020 Jan; 2019 Nov 14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31735600?report=docsum