Competition is hotting up in the babyfood aisle as Heinz and Ella's Kitchen launch a raft of new products tapping into the latest trends in scratch cooking, health and convenience.

Heinz is rolling out Organic Stock Cubes for use in home-cooked babyfood that contain 0.47g less salt per 100ml of made-up stock compared with ordinary cubes, together with a biscuit range for toddlers.

The stock cubes, which are available in chicken and vegetable variants (rsp: £1.49 for six), replace Heinz Liquid Stock, which was launched in January 2008, but scrapped last June to make room for the cubes.

"The cubes are 90% cheaper per ml than the liquid stocks they replace and contain the same low level of salt, but are much easier to store," said senior brand manager Jack Wallace.

Heinz's new biscuits, which are free from colours and preservatives and contain added iron, were targeted at the 73% of parents currently opting for adult versions when buying biscuits for their toddlers, the company said.

They would "fill a gap in the market for more suitable treats for little ones". The range comes in Toddler Chocolate Cookies and Plain Chocolate Chip Cookies (rsp: 59p for six).

Separately, Ella's Kitchen has added two cooking sauces to its organic portfolio The Italian One and The Indian One each containing one of the recommended 5-a-day (rsp: £1.19).

To complement the sauces, it has also launched pasta and rice boil-in-the-bag sachets, both of which are mixed with vegetables (rsp: 1.59 for four). New recipes have also been added to Ella's savoury menu and fruity desserts range.