As you may remember, earlier this year The Family Food Co. and Pots for Tots joined forces to continue our aligned mission of reframing family convenience food to support parents at mealtimes and beyond.
We understand that having two brands on our website might be a little confusing, so we're here to talk about the similarities (and small differences) between our Pots for Tots and The Family Food Co. meals and packaging…
Let's start with the packaging!
While they look different, what’s really important to know is that the packaging for both brands is sustainable and recyclable. We make sure the Pots for Tots cardboard pots, The Family Food Co. trays, our delivery boxes, and even the dry ice sachets are recyclable, so we don't contribute to plastic waste and you don't feel guilty about ordering over and over again.
The Pots for Tots pots are made from a paperboard material with a PE lining that is also recyclable - the PE lining in the ensures the tray remains watertight and no liquid seeps into the container!
We've received feedback saying that The Family Food Co. trays don't look recyclable - understandably, many convenience meals available are not - but we'd like to reassure you that:
Our trays are made from fully sustainable fibre and are lined with a very thin layer of PET to make them leakproof and film sealable. The PET lining only makes up around 2% of the weight of the tray, meaning there is a 98% reduction in plastic use vs. a standard CPET tray. As the amount of PET used is so small, you can recycle the trays in your normal paper recycling, along with the sleeve. Unfortunately, the plastic film that is used to seal our trays is not currently recyclable. We are looking at ways in which we can improve on this, but for now, please remove the film from the trays before putting them into your recycling bin.
A note! With both our cardboard Pots for Tots pots and The Family Food Co. trays, please make sure to clean/rinse them before recycling.
And now, to the meals!
We produce our Pots for Tots and The Family Food Co. meals in exactly the same way, in the same kitchen in Brixton - all handmade in small batches by our talented team of chefs. There is nothing processed about our meals whatsoever!
One question you ask is if our meals are organic. We'll be very honest, there are strict laws around when businesses can use the claim ‘organic’ on their products and packaging. In order to do this, the business selling the product has to apply and pay for organic certification from a recognised certification body, which is a very costly and complex process. As a small business, this is unfortunately not viable for us at the moment, however we would like to reassure you that ingredient quality and standards are our highest priority:
- All of our dairy is organic
- Our eggs are free range
- Our chicken and beef comes from free-range high welfare farms in Kent
- Our fish is all sustainably sourced
- We work with a local supplier for all of our veg.
A note! Be aware that many small brands use the organic claim when they haven’t actually been certified; we would love to be able to do this also but we are sticklers for the rules. Lucy Upton, our in-house Paediatric Dietitian and Nutritionist, keeps us in line with this!
Nutritionist-approved meals…
Lucy ensures our meals are meticulously balanced for your children. Kids have unique nutritional needs that differ from adults, and Lucy's expertise ensures that our meals contain the right proportions of essential nutrients. This includes not only the "big" nutrients like energy, fat, protein, and carbohydrates but also the "small" ones, such as vitamins like iron, and calcium. You can have peace of mind knowing that your child's health, growth, and development are our top priorities.
As a collective of parents, our ultimate priority is always the health of our children and yours - which is why we only cook and deliver food to you that we would serve to our own families at home.
If you have any questions about our meals or packaging, please drop us a DM on Instagram or email us at hello@potsfortots.co.uk. Click here to order our meals directly to your door.
Love, Cherrelle & team Pots for Tots x