A major conversation is set to erupt next week following the BBC Panorama documentary The Truth About Baby Food Pouches, airing on Sunday, April 28th. The programme is expected to spotlight alarming practices in the baby food industry—raising serious concerns about ultra-processed pouches loaded with sugar and stripped of nutrients.
But one British farmer believes the industry doesn’t just need reform—it needs a revolution.
Charles Fermor, a Kent-based farmer and father, is co-founder of Freddie’s Farm, a children’s snack brand offering what could be the UK’s only non-ultra-processed kids’ food. Now, he’s stepping into the baby food debate with a game-changing, patented new method that could force the entire industry to rethink how it feeds the youngest consumers.
“When visiting a baby food factory, I saw some awful, mostly rotten fruit being blitzed and boiled until it all tasted the same,” Charles recalls. “I was horrified. That’s not baby food – it’s homogenised gunk.”
His response? A revolutionary technique that gently processes whole fruits and vegetables, retaining their natural flavour and nutrition—while uniquely removing harmful free sugars released during preparation.
“We start with ripe, fresh fruit, gently process it, and remove the free sugar juice – which ends up in cider, not baby food!”
The result: a significant reduction in sugar content—by as much as 33% compared to market-leading 100% apple pouches—without sacrificing the food’s natural qualities.
The timing of Charles’s breakthrough could not be more urgent. With childhood obesity levels rising and mounting scrutiny over the health claims made by big baby food brands, this new method offers a viable and immediate alternative to the ultra-processed status quo.
Unlike traditional pouches—which often rely on intensive heat treatments and concentrate-heavy blends—Charles’s approach avoids overprocessing entirely. And because the snacks stay shelf-stable without artificial preservatives, they align with growing consumer demand for clean-label, genuinely nutritious products.
“Parents deserve real, healthy options – not ultra-processed junk food in disguise,” says Charles. “As the industry shifts towards more vegetable-led recipes, we have to avoid repeating the same mistakes we made with fruit-based purees.”
With a patented, scalable process now in hand, Charles hopes to license the method to other baby food manufacturers, helping them create better products that genuinely support child health.
As Panorama lifts the lid on what’s really inside baby food pouches, Charles Fermor offers not just criticism—but a solution.