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It’s easy to get caught up in the news and activities of the industry’s global giants, but what about the smaller firms pushing boundaries with bold ideas? In this instalment of Start-up of the Month – which celebrates small and earlier-stage companies and their innovations – we speak to Edward Van der Lande, founder of More Toddler Meals, which provides freeze-dried, lightweight toddler meals that only require hot water to prepare, making them accessible and nutritious for young families.

Can you tell us about the story behind More Toddler Meals’ establishment and long-term mission?

More Toddler Meals was born out of my frustration with the lack of genuinely healthy and convenient toddler meals on the market.

We're a foodie family, but when I was deployed overseas with the Army for six months, I was so conscious of how difficult it was for my full-time working wife to find the energy and inspiration to cook for our then toddler every day. Having used dried rations in the Army, I knew the same technology could be applied to kids' food, as the drying process gently removes water but none of the goodness, and the meals then just need water added to be ready in minutes. This way, we can achieve both the high-quality meals that toddlers need to develop and the convenience busy parents crave.

Our mission is to help parents feel proud of the meals they serve their toddlers no matter where they are. This mission is underpinned by two principles: firstly, mealtimes are incredibly important for families, even in our busy lives, and secondly, no parent should feel guilty when they use a commercially available product.

What trends and consumer expectations are you seeing influencing the toddler and kids’ nutrition market, and how is this influencing your product development?

Parents expect higher-quality products for their kids. The data shows that whilst volume sales have dropped by around 20% in recent years, value sales have increased by roughly 4%. To be honest, this doesn't affect our product development because our products are created based on our fundamental value: designing high-quality meals with real ingredients and flavours.

What sets More Toddler Meals apart from other brands in this category?

We are bringing innovation to the category unlike anyone else. Whilst there are some great quality frozen kids' brands in the market, we're deliberately staying in the ambient aisle as we want to ensure parents can get premium and genuinely convenient products. We are the only brand with dried products on the market, which brings a lot of opportunity but also challenges.

How do you approach recipe development and balancing nutrition with taste?

The starting point for recipe development is the meals I cook for my own kids, as I want all our products to be relatable to parents. I then want all our meals to be low in salt and sugar and a source of protein and fibre. There are strict regulations around the macronutrient composition of baby food, so I clearly need to ensure compliance.

From a taste perspective, although we don't add any salt, I believe flavour is so important to help little ones develop a love of food. As our meals are cooked by hand in bratt pans, we ensure we retain flavour by cooking the food properly and adding aromatic herbs and spices. The drying process also has very little impact on the taste of the finished product, which is another great thing about it.

What has been the biggest challenge for the company so far and how did you navigate this?

I think educating parents on the benefits of dried food vs other products is an ongoing challenge. I am trying different messaging on our packaging, social media and at events to understand what resonates best. On socials, I also use user-generated content that shows the different places where our meals can be used, making the products more relatable rather than relying solely on the virtues of dried food.

What has been the company’s biggest achievement to date?

I think listing with Ocado was the biggest validation for me as it proved a serious retailer was willing to launch an innovative product into the category.

Where do you think the biggest opportunities are in children’s nutrition?

I think there are two big opportunities in kids' nutrition: first, high-quality meal, drink or snack products that are far superior to existing products and second, hidden benefit products made with more vegetables and better ingredients that unsuspecting children won't notice.

I would love to see the market dominated by high-quality products for kids, but I think that's unrealistic as it's expensive and will require a massive change in consumer behaviour. That's why I think option two is equally important for improving kids' nutrition by stealth.

What’s next for More Toddler Meals? Any exciting plans or collaborations ahead that you can share with us?

A lot is happening! We're launching two new products later this year including a bean chilli with couscous. I'll be making an appearance on TV in the autumn, and we'll continue to build our community online.

If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring start-ups in the food and beverage industry to help them navigate the sector’s challenges and opportunities, what would it be?

It'd be to not underestimate how competitive and challenging this industry is, so you need to have a very clear idea of what your USP is and how you have validated that. Why would a consumer buy your product over something else? I'd suggest it needs to be deeper than 'it has slightly less sugar' or 'tastes better' – does it offer additional value to a consumer that existing options don't?