60% of mothers currently buy organic baby food, which is widely available. Non-organic foods risk contaminants such as pesticides, which have a bigger impact on babies than adults because the proportion of food they eat to body weight is higher.

According to the Ethical Company Organisation the most ethical suppliers of baby foods are Babynat and Baby Organix, with the big suppliers such as Cow & Gate, Farley, Heinz and Milupa (all of which have GM food connections) trailing behind. Commercial foods, especially ready made in jars, are very poor from a packaging viewpoint, as they contain very small amounts relative to the size of package.

If you fancy making your own organic baby food there are recipes at Organix , Parents.com , and Mumsnet . Babies can eat most things an adult eats, provided it is pureed – you can buy a hand held blender for under £10. Make batches, and freeze them in ice-cube trays. For teething, try apple or carrot sticks.