As I perused packaged salads in the supermarket, a few from Dole featuring Baby vegetables caught my attention. Since they weren’t with the baby food, I wrote Dole to find out what was going on…

Dear World’s Largest Producer & Marketer of Fresh Fruits & Vegetables:

I’ve been eating Dole foods since I was a kid. I also understand the importance of getting your brand name in front of children as early as possible so they spend a fortune during their lifetime on your products.

My concern pertains to your Dole Baby Spinach, Baby Arugula, Baby Romaine and Baby Garden Blend bags. How in the world do you expect a baby to eat them? They don’t even have teeth and those leaves are huge! What age do you recommend parents start feeding kids your Baby veggie products?

When babies consume the contents of Dole Baby vegetable bags, how fattening are they when salad dressing is added? I think it’s very important for babies to cut down on baby fat so they don’t develop high cholesterol before kindergarten. What’s your opinion on that?

A Dole Consumer Response Specialist responded with:

Thank you for sharing your comments about DOLE® Salads. It’s always a pleasure to hear when consumers enjoy our products.

Many people are responsible for the quality products that have made Dole a trusted name. We like hearing of your satisfaction and will share your report with the people who have made this possible.

While we know babies do not have teeth to chew salads, many parents use our Spinach and Spinach Baby Blends to make pureed baby food.

We hope that you will continue to enjoy our products.

Final Thoughts:

Should Baby Spinach be called Baby Spinach?

This image is for debate and dramatization purposes only. It is not a product photo or advertisement endorsed by Dole and this baby may not even be eating solid foods yet. No babies were fed salads while creating this image. One baby was Photoshopped with a packaged salad, which shouldn’t be confused with Photosynthesis, a process designed by nature that some leafy plants including spinach may experience.

Even Dole acknowledged that babies don’t have teeth and can’t chew these salads. That’s why labeling them Baby this or Baby that can be confusing. As a result, I wonder how many clueless parents are trying to feed their babies Baby Spinach, Baby Arugula, Baby Romaine or Baby Garden Blend — without pureeing it. You know they’re out there. Just like there are couples trying to get pregnant that think Immaculate Conception involves soap.

While many adults may be infantile, the vast majority doesn’t eat baby food. So, if you’re going to sell salads, why Baby them if they’re not specifically for babies? Even when you buy spinach, arugula, romaine or a garden blend that isn’t of the Baby variety, you never see it packaged as Senior Spinach, Adult Arugula, Mature Romaine or Geriatric Garden Blend. Perhaps “Baby” should be replaced with less confusing descriptions such as: Young Spinach, Adolescent Arugula or Ritalin-Free Romaine.

Considering the subject matter, Dole didn’t treat me like a baby. They kindly enclosed four 75¢ OFF coupons toward Any DOLE® Salad or Cut-Vegetable Item. Also included were brochures titled, “All About Spinach,” “Be the Ultimate Backyard Kahuna — Recipes & Grilling Tips” and “Classic Pineapple Recipes.” I must admit that many of the recipes were worth drooling over.

If you’re looking for packaged salads from a produce industry leader, check out the offerings from Dole. However, if you’re struggling to learn more about what’s behind the name of a product, send out a cry for help and Write The Company.