Market Introduction
The global infant food market was worth at USD 74,087.3 Billion in 2020 and is anticipated to reach USD 114,241.5 Billion by the year 2027. The market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 6.4% during the assessment period.
Infant food is specialty nutrition designed preferably for infants under age 12 months. The infant food is inherently made soft for easy consumption and is available in several varieties and flavors. The rising awareness about importance of nutrition among parents, growing personal disposable income, and increasing number of working women are major factors propelling the growth of the market. In addition, the growth in e-commerce industry in developing economies is giving a push to the sales of infant food through online channels. Moreover, rapid urbanization and increasing acceptability for quality baby food products in developing nations is anticipated to encourage the consumers to opt for infant food products. Further, the new product developments and product launches is expected to support the market growth in coming years. For instance, in December 2020, Abbott Nutrition launched Similac line Pro-Advance. This infant formula includes 2-FL HMO prebiotic added for infant immune support.
Growth Influencers:
Growing working women population coupled with increase in demand for ready to use baby food
In the recent years, the participation of women in workforce has increased significantly. According to the Report The rise and rise of womens employment in the UK published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the share of working-age mothers increased to 72% in 2015 from 50% in the year 1975. The growing number of working women with limited time to focus on the nutritional needs of their babies has led to an increase in demand for ready to use baby foods. In addition, the growing incidence of lactation issues in mothers is also supporting adoption of packaged baby food products. Moreover, in some cases specially in developed economies, mothers voluntarily prefer to infant foods instead of breast feeding, which further increases the demand for market products.
Rising demand in developing economies
The ever-increasing population in countries such as India, China, Indonesia and growing urbanization has provided favorable conditions for market growth. The growing retail sector in the developing countries also supports the growth of the market. In addition, rising disposable income in developing nations is expected to support market growth. According to the data published by CEIC Data, the gross disposable income data of Indian households increased from 119.56 INR Millions in 2017 to 131.52 INR Million in 2018. Furthermore, owing to the growing demand, several leading market companies have increased their focus on developing nations with an aim to increase their market share.
Increasing R&D Activities
Market players are increasing their investment on research and development of innovative products. This factor is anticipated to boost global infant food market growth. For instance, in June 2021, Bobbie, a company based in San Francisco raised USD 15 million in Series A funding to develop its baby formula. Further, in the year 2019, Nestle SA opened a research center in Ireland for developing milk-based infant products and maternal nutrition products.
Increasing in demand for home made baby food
The concerns related to the ingredients used in packaged baby food is increasing among the parents. In the recent years, several cases of toxic elements detected in baby foods were notified. In addition, the high price of baby food products has hampered their adoption among middle income groups. These factors are responsible for growing demand for home made baby food. However, market players are focused on running campaigns to ensure consumer about the safety of their products.
Segments Overview:
The global infant market is segmented into product type, ingredients, category, and distribution channel.
By product type
Bottled Baby Food
Baby Food Cereals
Baby Food Snacks
Baby Food Soup
Frozen Baby Food
Ready To Feed Baby Food
The baby food cereals segment accounts for largest share of more than 24% and the bottled baby food segment accounts for second largest share in the product type segment. The growing awareness among parents about several health benefits of feeding baby foods is one of the major factors supporting the market growth of the segment.
By ingredients,
Cereals
Fruits
Meat Products
Milk Products
Vegetables

The milk products segment accounts for the largest share, followed by cereals segment. The rise in medical issues related to breast feeding in women is a key factor for the growth of milk products segment.
By category,
Organic
Conventional
The organic segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment on the basis of category. The growth of this segment is attributed to the increasing inclination of parents towards organic infant foods, which has resulted in increased focus of market players in developing organic products.
By Distribution Channel,
Offline Channel
o Hypermarkets
o Supermarkets
o Convenience Stores
o Drugstores/ Pharmacies
Conventional Channel
The offline segment accounts for largest share in the distribution channel segment. Hypermarkets and supermarket are commonly preferred offline channels, as consumer variety of products under one roof. In the U.S., baby food products are majorly sold through stores such as Target and Walmart.
The online segment is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment owing to the rise in e-commerce sector in the developing countries.

Regional Overview

On regional basis, the global infant food market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America.

The Asia pacific region accounts for the largest market share of more than 40% in the global market. The growth in number of working parents in the region has led to increased demand for precooked infant food products. In addition, increased focus of market players in developing countries such as India and china supports the market growth in this region. For instance, in May 2021, Nestl invested in baby food production in China. The company set up production for pouched baby food products.

Europe holds second largest market share in the global market. The factors such as growing inclination towards organic baby foods and growing population of working parents support the market growth in this region. In addition, prominent market players have strong foothold in this region.

Competitive Landscape

Key players operating in the global infant food market includes Abbott (Abbott Nutrition), Babylicious Ltd., Babynat, Beech Nut Nutrition Corporation, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bubs Organic, LLC, DANONE, Dutch LadyMilk Industries Bhd, Earth's Best (The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.), Ella's Kitchen, FASSKA, H.J. Heinz Company, Hero Baby, HiPP, Little Dish, Nestle SA, Nutricia, Plasmon, Perrigo Company plc, SMA Nutrition, Sprout Foods, Inc., and Want Want Group Leisure Foods Ltd.

These market players are engaged in partnerships, new product launches, merger & acquisitions to strengthen its market presence. For instance, in June 2018, SMA Nutrition launched SMA Organic Follow-on Milk and SMA Organic Growing Up Milk in UK.

The global infant food market report provides insights on the below pointers:

Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the prominent players
Market Development: The report offers detailed information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets
Market Diversification: Provides in-depth information about untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments
Competitive Landscape Assessment: Mergers & acquisitions, certifications, product launches in the global infant foods market have been provided in this research report. In addition, the report also emphasizes on the SWOT analysis of the leading players.
Product Development & Innovation: Report provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments

The global infant food market report answers questions such as:

What is the market size and forecast of the Global Infants Foods Market?
What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 on the Global Infant Food Market during the assessment period?
Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the assessment period in the Global Infants Foods Market?
What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Infants Foods Market?
What is the market share of the leading players in the Global Infants Foods Market?
What modes and strategic moves are considered favorable for entering the Global Infants Foods Market?