This Healthy Grab-and-Go Is Rolling Out Meals for Kids

Pure Fare, a healthy grab-and-go eatery in Philadelphia, will launch Pure Fare Kids on July 8th. / Photograph by Laura Brzyski.

For Philadelphia’s Pure Fare, clean eating is not a fad—it’s a lifestyle. Since 2011, the healthy, fast-casual eatery has been dishing up gluten-free, nutrient-rich breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as fresh juices, snacks, and desserts. The goal: help on-the-go people sustain healthier consumption habits.

Pure Fare’s mission isn’t just for adults, though. Five years ago, they launched an organic baby food line. On July 8th, Pure Fare will debut a food line made exclusively with children’s nutrition in mind.

Pure Fare Kids will feature plant-based, gluten-free breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner — all tailored to kids’ taste buds. The kid-friendly grab-and-go options include chocolate chia pudding, cinnamon apple overnight oats, vegan macaroni and cheese with coconut bacon, and seasonally-inspired frittata bites. Good thing the line’s slogan is “Made For Kids, Loved By All,” because there’ll be no shame if any adults want to get in on these.

Kriti Sehgal, founder of Pure Fare, decided to move forward with the kids’ line this past February. The recipes were developed by Tracy Kardon, who also created the purées for Pure Fare Baby. “[Creating a kids’ line] seemed like a logical next step after the baby food line,” Kardon says. Moving from organic purées and to solid, whole foods was a natural transition for Kardon, who keeps a vegan kitchen for her nine-year-old and six-year-old. “It has always been very important to me to be transparent about what ingredients are going into [my kids’] meals,” Kardon says. “While our meals [at home and for Pure Fare Kids] are simple, there is thought behind every ingredient.”

That’s why the labeling for every Pure Fare Kids item will feature a description for the purpose behind each ingredient. For instance, the packaging for their snack balls, made from cacao, dates, oats, walnuts, and cinnamon, reads: “Healthy fats are vital to child development and brain health. Have you ever noticed that a walnut resembles a brain? It’s our reminder that walnuts provide essential Omega-3 fats, and can improve mental clarity and overall mood. Combine these with fiber rich carbohydrates from oats and dates, plus superfoods like cacao and cinnamon and you have a nutrient dense breakfast or snack. Psst, moms: they taste like a truffle!” The hope is to not only ease parents’ minds, but allow children to make the connection between what is on their plate and how they’re feeling physically and emotionally. We are what we eat, after all.

Pure Fare Kids will be available at Pure Fare’s 21st and Sansom location and CHOP’s food court starting July 8th.

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