Fruit is healthy, that’s something we all agree on. But what happens when fruit turns into a shelf-stable purée that can sit unopened for two years? How much of the actual fruit is left after it’s processed, pasteurized, heated, strained, sweetened, and sealed?
In the rush of daily life, fruit purée often feels like a lifesaver for parents. It’s convenient, fruity, and kids love it. But when we take a closer look at the label, the contents, and how it’s made – pasteurized fruit purée has more in common with a fruit product than actual fruit.
What happens to fruit during pasteurization?
Pasteurization involves heating fruit to high temperatures to kill off bacteria and extend shelf life. But at the same time, this process:
- destroys most heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C, which is essential for immunity
- breaks down fiber, reducing satiety and slowing digestion
- dulls natural flavor, which is often “fixed” with added flavors and sweeteners
The result? A product that looks and smells like fruit, but has lost much of what made fruit valuable in the first place.
Freeze-Dried Fruit: Fruit that stays true to itself
Enter a different kind of process: freeze-drying (or lyophilization). Freeze-dried fruit is made by removing only the water content from fruit – under extremely low temperatures and vacuum pressure – keeping everything else intact.
Unlike pasteurization:
- it retains up to 90% of the nutrients from fresh fruit
- contains no added sugars or additives
- keeps its natural taste and aroma without artificial boosters
- has a fun, crunchy texture – perfect for snacking or stirring into porridge
Kids don’t just learn flavor. They learn habits.
If they grow up eating fruit from a pouch, which is often just heat-treated purée with added juice concentrate, real fruit may seem bland by comparison.
But if they’re introduced early on to the taste of actual apple, blueberry, or raspberry – fresh or freeze-dried – they develop a healthy relationship with nature, flavor, and food.
Freeze-Dried = The New Snack Generation
It’s easy to pack. No fridge needed. No mess, drips, or spoons. And your child gets what they really need: vitamins, minerals, fiber, and real flavor.
Let’s not call everything “fruit” just because it once was fruit. Because it’s not about feeding kids something “fruity and sweet”, it’s about helping them recognize what real fruit looks like, smells like, and nourishes like.
