• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 17, 2008

Fourteen months after Gerber Products Co. recalled its Organic Cereals from the market, the company has relaunched the cereals.

The cereals were recalled because a limited amount of the original product could potentially contain lumps of cereal that might present a choking hazard, although no injuries were reported, stresses Valerie Shukovsky, marketing manager for Gerber Organic.

"We examined the situation and determined that it was caused by a manufacturing issue and not related to product ingredients or formulation," Shukovsky explains, emphasizing that safety has been Gerber's top priority throughout its 80-year history. "To ensure we are providing the best products to parents, we upgraded our manufacturing processes used to make our Organic Cereal product."

The relaunched Organic Cereals are available in two varieties, Whole Grain Oatmeal and Whole Grain Brown Rice.

The company has also added three new varieties of dinner purees fortified with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) to its existing six varieties: Garden Vegetables with Whole Wheat Pasta, Vegetable Risotto with Cheese and Macaroni and Cheese with Vegetables. DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that helps support brain and eye development in infants, is found naturally in breast milk and many infant formulas.

Gerber has also added a new organic dinner puree, Chicken with Country Vegetables and Rice. Like its other organic dinners, this variety has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Gerber, part of Nestlé Infant Nutrition since September 2007, has a policy of not discussing marketing and advertising campaign specifics. Shukovsky did note that all of the company's product development is driven by the concept that "Good things are growing at Gerber" to support a baby's ongoing nutrition and growth development.

The expansion of DHA-fortified and organic varieties within Gerber's premium line "are great examples of how Gerber uses nutrition and innovation to help parents establish healthy eating habits for their children from the very beginning," Shukovsky added. Gerber "is committed to conducting ongoing research on feeding infants to develop improved and innovative new products to meet infants' and toddlers' nutritional needs," she said.