Backed by a world-famous research facility, Numico has been providing nutritional baby food to European families since 1946. Now distributed in 100 countries in Europe and Asia Pacific, Numico continues to be one of the leading producers of food for the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers.

Looking to expand the market for baby food and find new ways to differentiate the brand, Numico began a partnership with IDEO. At the outset of the work, Numico sought to make nutritional excellence its point of differentiation, building on its legacy of research and innovation. To reveal additional opportunities, IDEO and Numico conducted research with a number of mothers and families with babies. From the observations and conversations, the team found that an emphasis on nutrition was most effective when understood in the context of the baby's growth and development. This insight led to further focus on understanding moms and the emotional side of feeding. It also highlighted the value in Numico addressing the benefits of nutrition rather than the straight science of its products.

Working closely with Numico, IDEO conceived of "Feeding for Life," a nutrition reassurance and responsibility program that leverages Numico's position as a market leader in baby food and reflects the brand's commitment to helping mothers optimize their children's nutrition. Feeding for Life is delivered through products adapted closely to babies' and toddlers' changing needs, identified by label icons that assist mothers in understanding the needs of her baby at each stage of development and at every consumer touchpoint. Also included in the program are online services for mothers and caretakers that provide access to practical advice from experts, and menu planning tools and recipes, with other service and lifestyle solutions currently in development.

Feeding for Life will be rolled out in 12 European countries in 2007.