ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Fresh Fields here, the retailer of natural and health-oriented groceries, prominently featured a bouncing baby in an ad last month for some of its pesticide-free products.
Touting Earth's Best organic baby food, the ad ran in The Philadelphia Daily News July 26, the same day the Environmental Working Group released a study that claimed pesticides are commonly found in the three major baby food brands: Gerber, Heinz and Beech-Nut.
"You'll be amazed by all the wonderful things you can grow without pesticides," said the ad's headline, next to the drawing of a happy tot. Four-ounce jars of Earth's Best were featured at two for $1. A descriptive sentence near the price read, "Proof that the best things in life are pesticide-free." Other sale items included organic produce.
A Fresh Fields executive told SN it was a coincidence that its baby ad appeared on the same day the study was released. However, a source at the Environmental Working Group -- a nonprofit research organization based in Washington -- said baby food manufacturers were told ahead of time of the study and perhaps these companies told their retail customers.
A similar ad, which ran in the Aug. 2 edition of the Washington Post, did refer to the study.
"We can give you all sorts of reasons to buy foods grown without pesticides," the ad read. To the right of that headline was a picture of a baby, accompanied by another headline that said, "But you may only need one." This ad also featured Earth's Best baby foods at two for $1, and said, "The best things in life are pesticide-free."
Copy on the bottom of the ad said: "The recent study that discovered pesticide residues in baby food is one more reason to shop at Fresh Fields. Here you'll find the area's best assortment of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, pastas and breads. Not to mention Earth's Best Organic Baby Food. These are just some of the great tasting, good for you foods that make Fresh Fields a completely different kind of supermarket."
When SN visited the brand new Fresh Fields store in Millburn, N.J., Earth's Best (the only baby food brand the chain carries) was merchandised in wire baskets within a baby products section of approximately 8 feet. The section also included diapers, cookies and juices.
Underneath the wire bins, Fresh Fields offered an 11-inch by 4-inch information card describing the benefits of its baby products. "You love your children, so you want them to get all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they need -- without extra sugar, salt, artificial ingredients or environmental contaminants," the card read.
Fresh Fields also had signs extolling the virtues of the diapers it carries. Referring to its Tushies diapers, the company claimed, "These are the only disposable diapers made with natural blend cotton. [They] have none of the acrylic acid polymer salts, dyes or perfumes of the leading brands."
