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Baby Foods Market Assessment
Key Note Publications Ltd, Jan 2001
Despite falling birth rates, the baby foods and milks market continues to grow, increasing by 28.2%, in value terms, between 1995 and 2000. Changing lifestyles - associated with the increased number of working women, starting a family later in life, and acceptance of the need to make some sort of financial provision for having children - are amongst factors contributing towards ability and willingness to pay for quality products, some of which are sold at a premium. A number of the findings from the consumer research commissioned especially for this report, confirm widespread acceptance of combining work and bringing up babies, from a very early age.
A steady stream of product innovations, whether it be new recipes, introduction of organic lines, new milk formulations or finger foods, have contributed towards market growth, in what might otherwise be a static or even declining market. Increased targeting of older toddlers, in order to keep mothers in the market for longer, has been seen as another opportunity by manufacturers to grow the market, despite a static or falling birth rate.
The report discusses the dynamics and trends surrounding increased sales of organic baby foods. The German-owned baby foods manufacturer Hipp has gained substantial share in the UK as a result of its organic range. Even mainstream players such as Heinz and Cow and Gate have launched organic baby meal ranges.
Baby meals have overtaken baby milks as the largest single sector within the baby foods and drinks market. Wet baby meals have increased their dominance over dry meals, mainly for convenience-related reasons. A vast range of recipes are available, with Key Note's enquiries revealing over 600 different wet meal products (taking into account different brands) and around 280 for dry meals, in March 2001.
Follow-on milks have been the main source of growth, as mothers follow official recommendations to avoid unmodified cow's milk, until the baby is at least 12 months of age. Unlike infant formulas, suppliers are allowed to advertise follow-on milks. A number of the leading follow-on milk brands, such as SMA, spent significant amounts on above-the-line advertising in 2000. Within the infant formula sector, second stage (curd based) products for babies aged 3 months and over account for over half by sales of value and volume. Making commercially produced milks as close as possible to breast-fed milks continues to be the focus of much new product development (NPD). `Breast is best' continues to be widely promoted by government and health experts in general.
Finger foods and baby drinks are small sectors. Innovations by a number of suppliers have resulted in significant sales growth of finger foods, other than rusks, albeit from a small base. The baby drinks sector has remained static, due to competition from a number of alternative drinks.
In the UK, as well as other baby food and drinks markets in Europe (France, Germany and Spain) also covered in this report, a few major pharmaceutical food processing firms account for the majority of baby food and drink sales. There are obviously differences in the relative shares of key multinationals between countries. Retailer labels continue to have a negligible share in all countries. The sales mix varies between different countries. In Germany, for example, follow-on milk is more important than infant formulas than in France, the UK and Spain.
Key Note is forecasting a 13.7% value increase in real terms in overall sales of baby foods and drinks in the UK between 2000 and 2004. Baby meals, followed by baby milks, are set to enjoy the greatest rate of sales increase.
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