Pre and postpartum women are fast becoming a key consideration for savvy food and drink developers, who are offering health-boosting and satisfying products that transcend ‘pill popping’ in order to give this market the nutrients they need.

Differentiating itself from the existing – and extremely competitive – meal delivery scene, subscription-based start-up Barley + Oats in New York is targeting pregnant and breastfeeding women with a nutrient-rich meal service that reduces the need to cook.

Customers can select from a wide range of rotating dishes, all crafted in conjunction with nutritionists to ensure they contain ingredients that boost and support maternal health and foetal development. Meals include Mom’s Lentil Loaf with Heirloom Tomato Jam, Mashed Potato & Braised Fennel and Probiotic Kale Lemon Caesar Salad.

Ingredients have been carefully chosen to specifically benefit mothers and babies at this particular stage of life. These include folic acid (prevents neural defects), choline (promotes memory), fish oil (good for brain development), ginger powder (relieves nausea) and fenugreek (stimulates milk production).

Appealing to millennial mothers wanting clean ingredients, the company uses only organic grass-fed meat and fresh organic produce. For more on the eating and grocery-shopping habits of this target audience, see Millennial Mothers: Feeding Families.

For more on the increased accessibility of health-boosting foods, see Healthification of Fast Food. Meanwhile, Brand Stretch explores how product developers are reaching niche consumer audiences with differentiated and targeted offers.

See ‘Wine’ for Pregnant Women and Next-Gen Functional Food for earlier coverage of pregnancy-friendly digestibles.