From baby formulas to prepared foods, ready meals, and even recipe boxes intended for little ones, the categories of baby food and kids are expanding.
According to Statista, UK baby food market revenue reached over £ 1.4bn in 2020 and is projected to grow steadily to reach nearly £ 1.7bn by 2025.
Euromonitor International, which tracks trends in the baby food category, suggests that some similarities can be seen between the baby and toddler food segments.
The company’s market research analyst, Marie Breban, who specializes in food and nutrition, explains three main trends.
No claims of added sugar
Across all food categories, the ‘no added sugar’ claim is gaining traction. To make such a claim, the product in question must not contain any added mono or disaccharides or any other food used for its sweetening properties.
In packaged foods, and indeed in general, baby foods have the highest proportion of claims with no added sugar, according to Euromonitor.
“I believe that consumers increasingly believe that avoiding sugar is important to their health and recognize that it also applies to infants and children.” Breban featured this post.
“These types of statements are likely to provide reassurance for parents and consumers of baby and child food.”
The British baby food company Piccolo is one of the proponents of the claim that there is no added sugar. Launched in 2016, the brand’s range includes formula milk, purees for four months, texture meals from seven months, teething sandwiches, as well as cooking sauces and bouillon cubes.
Piccolo’s 12+ month lineup includes Tomato Basil Risotto and Pea and Zucchini Risotto, which feature no added sugar claims.
“According to the baby guide, where possible, our products do not contain added sugar. Many contain natural sugars (mainly fruit bags), so it is important for the consumer to understand that there are no added sugars. ” Piccolo founder Cat Gazzoli told FoodNavigator.
“Regarding our Risotto in particular, which are made with no added sugar, although it is a tasty product, many brands with adult equivalents do indeed contain added sugars. And it’s these adult alternatives that parents would choose if we didn’t offer them no added sugar in the baby category, so we are very proud to provide families with these options. “
Piccolo suggested that such claims can also influence purchasing decisions among health-conscious buyers.
“With the increasing number of health-conscious consumers, purchasing decisions are being driven by nutritional claims, such as ‘no added sugar,’ more than ever, and the infant category is no exception.” Gazzoli said.
“The importance of looking for products made with quality organic ingredients and a balanced nutritional profile has seeped into the way new parents shop for their babies, which is exactly what we hear from our consumers and why our kitchen range, including our Risotto, is responding to the needs of parents. “
Euromonitor’s Breban suggested that the growing trend of no added sugar claims could align with Public Health England’s (PHE) draft proposal for baby food and drink trade guidelines.
These ‘reducing sugar’ guidelines are intended for foods and beverages made for children up to three years of age.
This is because PHE found that two-thirds of commercial baby snacks are sweet, and these products contain the highest average sugar content of all products.
Under the proposed guidelines, almost no free sugars would be allowed in any product, with the exception of small amounts in lemon or lime juice as a preservative, a small amount of fruit ingredients in main meals and dry cereals, and lactose in the whey powder in dry cereals.
Total sugars should not exceed 12g / 100g in desserts and breakfasts, or account for more than 30% of the energy in sandwiches and sandwiches.
According to the draft, the industry is expected to meet the final guidelines by 2023.
Organic food for the little ones
Another top-of-the-line trend, according to Breban, is organic. “Organic has now become a ‘safety’ factor, [gaining] in importance in child nutrition “, They told us.
Organic baby foods are those that are grown or processed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. According to Research and Markets, the global demand for organic baby food is increasing due to the growing awareness among parents that they adequately meet the nutritional requirements of their babies.
The market research firm estimates that the global market for organic baby food will reach $ 12.6 billion in 2017.
According to Euromonitor, parents tend to pay more attention to higher-quality products, such as those that do not contain pesticides, for their children than for themselves. “So here, it really is a question of safety and trust that plays a special role,” Breban said.
Organic is also a trend in countries that have experienced food scandals in the past, the market research analyst continued. In 2018 in China, for example, milk and infant formulas were among the food products adulterated with the toxic substance melamine.
British baby food brand Organix prides itself on using only certified organic ingredients. For Mandy Bobrowski, Organix’s chief marketing officer, feeding fresh, organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible means that the food not only tastes great, but is free of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and thus is “ kind. with small stomachs, our planet and wildlife too. ”
“Organic crops also have a much higher nutritional quality than their non-organic counterparts. This means that eating organic food can lead to a higher intake of antioxidants, which are very beneficial from a nutritional point of view.”She told FoodNavigator.
According to Bobrowski, parents with weaning-age children and young children seek high nutritional standards for their little ones, and providing organic food “certainly helps them do just that.”
“They want to do their bit not only to safeguard the health of their families, but they are increasingly motivated by the ethical aspect of their purchases and, more importantly, by their impact on the environment. By marketing our products As organic foods, parents feel confident that they are doing the best for their little ones and at the same time doing their bit for the environment. “
Euromonitor’s Breban expects the health-focused baby food trend to continue. “By the time your toddler turns three, you won’t stop worrying about his [health], ” She was excited. “Most likely, you also care for your children.”
Expansion from baby to toddler
Another trend observed by Euromonitor in the baby food market is the extension of the age ranges of companies, towards small and small children.
“The historic and biggest baby food players are now getting to see some [stagnation] in birth rates, and even a decline in Western Europe, so there are some strategies that are being looked at, as to how to widen the target market, by age group, actually.
“It’s about developing foods for children, rather than just for babies.”
Although it is not immediately available to comment on this trend, British brand Ella’s Kitchen is one such company that has expanded beyond baby food to the toddler category.
Founded in 2006, the company entered the ready-made food category for children in 2013. And in 2018, the brand introduced its first range of frozen foods for children from weaning to three years of age.
Ella’s Kitchen toddler tray meal line, aimed at children 12 months and older, includes organic pork and bean stew and vegetable moussaka.
The general trend is for companies to ‘escort babies’, Breban explained, “From birth with baby milk formula, then slowly, gradually into baby food prepared with jars and bags, and then weaning them with baby food, before extending that even further with, say, prepared baby foods.”
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