FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHY CHOOSE JUCA
We are born from a passion for fine food. We believe it is important to introduce children to a range of flavours from the outset to help them develop a diverse palate and a lifelong love of high quality, nutritious food.
We know that modern parenting often means a need for convenient options. We believe that shouldn’t mean that quality and nutritional value need to be compromised. We are changing the face of pouch-based meals for babies with our small batch recipes that are crafted with superfoods and the finest of ingredients.
Five meals. Five genuinely different recipes. Not one base recipe repeated across the range. Each meal has its own combination of vegetables, proteins, grains, legumes, herbs and flavours. Created with chef Jed Gerrard, our meals are genuinely savoury, made without filler ingredients and developed for good taste. We focus on what actually goes into each pouch, not simply what we can say about it.
Our five savoury meals were developed with chef Jed Gerrard. Each is created as a recipe in its own right, bringing together ingredients for flavour, balance and variety, rather than starting with one formula and changing the name.
INGREDIENTS & SOURCING
No, our meals aren’t certified organic. And that’s a considered choice.
At JUCA, we prioritise Australian-grown vegetables, quality ingredients and genuine variety across our recipes.
Australia has established standards governing agricultural chemical use and pesticide residues in food, including conventionally grown produce. We believe it’s important to look beyond an organic label and consider where ingredients come from, how they’re grown and what they bring to the meal.
Requiring every vegetable to be certified organic would limit the range of Australian-grown ingredients we can reliably source. And for us, introducing developing palates to a genuinely varied world of vegetables and flavours matters more than being able to put another claim on the pouch.
That doesn’t mean we’re against organic. We’re happy to use Australian organic ingredients where they’re available and right for the recipe. We simply don’t believe certification should determine which vegetables make it into our meals.
No grain fillers. No fruit fillers. No vegetable fillers. Nothing added simply to bulk out the meal.
Fillers are ingredients used primarily to bulk out a meal, often as a cheaper alternative to more expensive ingredients. Puréed apple and puréed pumpkin, for example, can be used to make up a substantial proportion of a baby food recipe without adding much cost.
There's nothing wrong with apple or pumpkin. What we think matters is why they're in the recipe and how much of the meal they make up.
We don't add refined starches such as tapioca or corn starch to our recipes.
Some of our recipes naturally contain starches from ingredients such as vegetables, grains and legumes.
We use wild-caught pink salmon sourced from Northern Europe. Australia’s salmon industry is based on farming, and the wild-caught salmon we want for this recipe isn’t commercially available from Australian suppliers.
For JUCA, how an ingredient is sourced matters as much as where it comes from. We choose wild-caught salmon over an Australian-origin claim because it reflects our sourcing values. We choose the ingredient, not the claim.
No. We don’t add salt to our recipes. Any sodium shown in the nutrition information comes naturally from the ingredients.
No. We don’t add sugar to our recipes. Any sugars shown in the nutrition information come naturally from the ingredients.
SERVING, STORAGE & SAFETY
JUCA meals are intended for babies from around six months who are developmentally ready for solids. Consider your baby’s individual readiness and the textures they can manage, and ask a health professional if you have concerns.
Unfamiliar flavours can take time. Offer small amounts without pressure and keep exploring different foods and textures appropriate to your baby’s stage. Every baby is different.
JUCA meals contain no added preservatives, natural or artificial.
Our meals undergo a carefully controlled cooking and sterilisation process, where temperature and time are precisely managed to ensure food safety while protecting the flavour and quality of our ingredients.
Combined with our airtight, food-safe pouches, this means JUCA meals can be stored at room temperature until opened, without the need for preservatives.
JUCA meals are shelf-stable, with a best-before date printed on every pouch. Because our different recipes are produced at different times, the production and best-before dates will vary across our range.
The production date of a pouch is not, on its own, an indication that the meal is unsafe or that its nutritional quality has been compromised. Our meals are specifically produced and packaged to remain safe and stable over an extended period when unopened and stored as directed.
The date printed on JUCA pouches is a best-before date, not a use-by or expiry date. A best-before date relates primarily to product quality and indicates the period during which the product is intended to retain its quality when unopened and stored as directed. It is not a food-safety cut-off in the way a use-by date is.
Always check that the pouch is intact before serving and follow the storage instructions on the pack.
Not before opening. Once opened, refrigerate promptly and use within 48 hours, following the instructions on the pouch. Discard food that has been in contact with your baby’s spoon or mouth rather than returning it to the pouch.
Yes, JUCA meals are the perfect travel companion when you want to ensure you can offer your baby high quality, nutritious options when convenience is needed.
As JUCA pouches don’t need to be refrigerated until after being opened, they are the perfect addition to your travel pack to keep your little one well fed during your trip.
Our meals do not contain any binding agents or anything artificial. We always recommend that you shake each pouch well before opening. This will ensure an even consistency of our rich and nutritious flavours for your little one to enjoy.
FOOD SAFETY
At JUCA, we adhere to Australia’s stringent food safety standards, which are among the highest in the world.
JUCA meals are produced in Australia in line with Australian food safety requirements. Our meals undergo a commercial sterilisation process and are sealed in airtight pouches, allowing them to remain safely shelf-stable without refrigeration until opened. Our production and packaging processes are carefully controlled to ensure the safety and quality of every batch.
Australia has some of the strictest food safety standards in the world, which is governed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), which sets maximum allowable limits for heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in food products, including baby food. All JUCA meals undergo extensive testing to meet Australia’s strict food safety regulations.
Yes. All our meals are nut free and the facility we make them is also nut free. So there is no risk of cross-contamination from other products.
Each JUCA meal is vacuum-sealed in BPA-free pouches, which help lock in nutrients while preventing contamination. Our packaging process meets strict food safety regulations, so you can trust that every pouch is safe for your baby.
SHIPPING + RETURNS
WITHIN AUSTRALIA
As long as Australia Post can locate your address, we can deliver our meals to your door Australia wide.
INTERNATIONAL
We can deliver to over 50 countries. All countries that we ship to can be viewed at checkout.
Orders are fulfilled and shipped from our Melbourne warehouse. We have a 1-2 business day handling time on processing and dispatching.
WITHIN AUSTRALIA
We partner with Australia Post for all shipping within Australia. We offer both Standard and Express shipping options.
- Standard - the average transit time is 2-9 business days.
- Express - the average transit time is 1-3 business days.
Please note that your delivery address may influence these times.
INTERNATIONAL
All international orders are shipped using standard Australia Post. You will receive a tracking update to your provided email address, with expected delivery times direct from Australia Post.
Yes, we offer an option of express shipping for orders delivered within Australia.
The average transit times provided by our delivery partners is 1-3 days. Please note that your delivery address may influence these times.
We deliver within Australia with the following options:
- Standard flat rate shipping fee of $19.95 AUD.
- Express flat rate shipping of $29.95 AUD.
- Complimentary standard shipping is available on all orders over $199 AUD.
For international orders, your price will be displayed at checkout.
We cannot refund or exchange consumable infant products if you change your mind.
If for any reason you have a query or concern about your order please contact us at hello@juca.au.
Starting 29 August 2025, the US government will remove the de minimis exemption, meaning all shipments entering the United States, regardless of value, will be subject to duties and taxes.
Effective 22 August 2025, our distribution and shipping partner has paused shipping from Australia to the United States.
We are working with our partner to address this situation.
CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS
Customer accounts let you log in to view your orders, profile information and saved addresses.
When you log in, the details stored in your account are auto-filled during checkout for a faster checkout experience.
If you have purchased from us previously, then you already have an account. You can log in with using the same email address used for that order.
If you have not yet purchased from us, simply enter your email address and a new account can be created for you
When you enter your email address, you will receive an email with a one-time, 6-digit code that they need to enter to log in. No need to remember a password!
Please note: If you have a Shop account, then you'll be prompted to sign in via this app.
Yes. Once you've logged in you can update your profile information. This is your name and the address you'd like your orders delivered to.