Our Story
Welcome to the next generation of healthy
Introducing the new partnership between the experts behind GERBER® products and NESTLÉ® GOOD START® formulas. We’ve joined together to develop the START HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY™ Resource Center—bringing you the most innovative and trusted feeding solutions from birth through preschool.
Over the years, generations of parents have trusted us to help them nurture their babies. And every day, millions of parents choose our brands to provide their children with nutritious foods that will lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy independent eating. Our shared commitment will continue to provide you with the essential nutrition information and products to support the healthy growth and development of your little ones.
The brands you grew up with
Gerber: More than 80 years of raising happy, healthy babies
Gerber Products Company got its start in the summer of 1927—in the kitchen of Daniel and Dorothy Gerber. Following the advice of their pediatrician, Dorothy and Daniel hand-strained solid foods for their 7-month-old daughter, Sally. Then, discovering an innovative way to save time, they started to strain fruits and vegetables at the family’s Fremont Canning Company.
Soon workers in the plant requested samples for their babies, and the legacy of Gerber baby foods began. By late 1928, strained peas, prunes, carrots, spinach, and beef vegetable soup were ready for the national market. Read more about the Gerber baby story.
Gerber Timeline
1928
Introduces GERBER® strained vegetables
1932
Develops first baby cereal
1963
Develops the safety button cap—the first tamper-evident packaging of its kind
1977
Initiates the "use-by" dating system on its baby food jars, ensuring parents and caregivers of the products' freshness
1986
Establishes the consumer help line to answer parents' questions about baby care and nutrition
2002
Launches the START HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY™ pediatric nutrition campaign to educate consumers and professionals on the importance of starting good eating habits early.
Introduces GERBER® GRADUATES® LIL' ENTREES® products
2003
The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) findings are released at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) meeting
2004
The first-ever Feeding Guidelines for infants and toddlers are released and published in the ADA journal
2005
Continues to expand the GERBER® GRADUATES® line of products with Puffs finger foods and launches FRUIT SPLASHERS® purified water and fruit juice blends beverage, with 40% less sugar than the leading 100% fruit juice
2008
Expands the GERBER® GRADUATES® line to include YOGURT MELTS™ snacks, the first-ever shelf-stable yogurt snack with live and active cultures. Also introduces GERBER® GRADUATES® for Preschoolers, flavorful age-appropriate healthy meals and snack options specifically targeted to preschoolers. These were the first children's meals to earn the label "healthy meals" from the FDA
2009
New FITS study results will be released in September
To learn more about GERBER® products, click on the product names above or visit the products section.
Nestlé Nutrition: An innovative leader in formula
Our roots stretch all the way back to 1867, in the town of Vevey, Switzerland, when a local pharmacist named Henri Nestlé was asked to look in on a neighbor’s child who couldn’t breastfeed. The baby thrived on a special mixture Henri created. And Henri’s formula now is recognized as the world’s first infant food.
That same spirit of caring and innovation remains the guiding force behind Nestlé Nutrition today. In 20 research and development centers all over the globe, Nestlé Nutrition scientists, doctors, and dietitians continue our tradition of world leadership in infant nutrition.
Our commitment has led to innovations such as NESTLÉ® GOOD START® formulas that are designed to provide gentle nutrition for developing tummies: in milk-based, soy-based, and older-baby varieties.
Only NESTLÉ® GOOD START® milk-based formulas contain COMFORT PROTEINS®—100% whey proteins that are broken down to be gentle on your baby’s developing digestive system. And for a lactose-free alternative, Nestlé offers GOOD START formulas with easy-to-digest SUPREME SOY PROTEINS.
Our newest formula—GOOD START NATURAL CULTURES™—is the only formula that contains beneficial cultures like those in breastmilk to help support your baby’s healthy immune system.*
* Provides the probiotic cultures Bifidobacterium lactis (B. lactis), similar to the beneficial cultures found in breastmilk and the digestive systems of breastfed babies.