When it comes to purchasing food, taste is the number one priority for most consumers. For parents, their children's willingness to eat a given food is a close second. Compared to all consumers, parents are more likely to prioritize food characteristics that provide a health halo such as high protein, unsaturated fats, clean label, low sugar, and non-GMO. Parents tend to be more health-conscious and choosy about foods for their kids and themselves.
Products free from common allergens - such as nuts, dairy, and eggs - are also a high priority for parents, particularly those who have children with real or perceived allergies or intolerances. The publisher's December 2022 National Online Consumer Survey indicates that 27% of respondents with children report that they have a child with food allergies, while the number of children with food intolerances or sensitivities may be even higher.
With a focus on “what's next” and current consumer trends, Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities is packed with insights about consumer trends, behavior, and motivations to help foodservice operators, food producers, retailers, packaging companies, employers, and investors gauge consumer perspectives and find areas for growth in a competitive market.
Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities delivers actionable predictions and recommendations designed to guide foodservice operators, producers, retailers, and investors in making business decisions by providing data and insights about parent behavior and what parents think about food and beverage products for children.
Report Scope
"Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities" is the go-to source for a complete understanding of the U.S. children's food and beverage market. This report combines the publisher's extensive monitoring of the food and beverage market with proprietary surveys, and evaluates current trends and future directions for marketing and retailing, along with consumer patterns during the pandemic and across the broader food and beverage market.
This report analyzes the dynamics of the current landscape of the children's food and beverage market. Demographics, perceptions, motivations, and behavior of parents with children under 18 in their household are examined as pertaining to dietary choices and attitudes about health, since parents purchase the vast majority of food on behalf of their children. Food habits and preferences of children, as reported by their parents, are also examined. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers are also analyzed (in a broad sense), including in the context of children's food and beverage products.
Retail sales of children's food and beverage products are provided in billion dollars from 2017 to 2022, and sales are projected from 2023 to 2027.The reasons for and implications of shifts in consumer perception and behavior are analyzed in the context of future market opportunities.
Additionally, Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities has dozens of tables showcasing numerical survey data on consumer demographics and psychographics and numerous marketing photographs. This report goes in-depth on COVID-19 trends affecting the food and beverage market.
Report Methodology
The information contained in Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities was developed from primary and secondary research sources. Primary research includes interviews with food and beverage market experts; participation in and attendance at food industry events; and extensive internet canvassing.
Primary research also includes national online consumer polls of U.S. adult consumers (age 18+) conducted on an ongoing basis to analyze attitudes of parents, their relevant food and beverage preferences, and the preferences and food habits of their children.
Survey data from MRI-Simmons are used to analyze the demographics and psychographics of parents.
Supplementing the publisher's exclusive survey is analysis of the 2022 Food & Health Survey conducted by the International Food Information Council, which analyzes consumer food purchase decisions, diet and lifestyle choices, snacking activity, and perception of health benefits in foods.
Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary
- Parent Priorities When Buying Food
- Parents Turning to Online Grocery Shopping for Convenience
- Key Demographics
- Scope
2 COVID-19 Effects on Consumers
- Highlights
- First Time Use of Online Grocery Shopping and Restaurant Ordering Methods In 2020
- Table Coronavirus Food Ordering Habits: "Because of the coronavirus, I have for the first time used…", 2020 (percent of consumers)
- Boosted Online Grocery Shopping Activity Continuing Through 2022
- Activity Spiked in 2020 during the Early Part of the Pandemic
- Table Coronavirus Food Purchase Habits: "Because of the coronavirus, I am…", 2020-2021 (percent of consumers)
- Many Have Continued Ordering More Groceries Online in 2021 and 2022
- Frequency of Grocery Shopping: In-Person vs. Online
- Use of Meal Kit Delivery Services
- Most Consumers Are Still Holding off on Dining Out
- Increased Use of Food Carryout and Delivery and Convenience Food Options
- Snacking and Healthy Eating Habits
- Table Coronavirus Eating Habits: "Because of the coronavirus, I am eating more…", 2021 (percent of consumers)
- Concerns about COVID-19 Exposure Remain
- In 2022, Most Consumers Are Still Concerned about COVID-19 Infection from Restaurant or Delivery Staff When Ordering Food for Carryout or Delivery
- Most Still Consider the Pandemic a Health Threat Personally or to Family/Friends
- Table Coronavirus Health Concerns: "I am concerned about the…", 2020-2022 (percent of consumers)
- Concerns about COVID-19 Variants
- Rising Prices during the Pandemic
- Many Consumers Are Concerned about Inflation and Rising Food Prices
- Table Consumer Concerns about Rising Food Prices, 2021-2022 (percent of consumers)
- The Vast Majority of Consumers Have Noticed the Rising Cost of Food Over the Past Year, and Many Are Changing Their Purchasing Decisions
- Cutting Back on Household Expenses
- Table Consumers Cutting Back on Household Expenses in the Last 12 Months, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Types of Household Expenses Cut Back on in the Last 12 Months, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Concerns about Food Shortages during the Pandemic
- Table Consumer Concerns about Food Shortages, 2021-2022 (percent of consumers)
- Negative Personal Effects of the Pandemic
- Negative Effects Reported in 2020 and 2021
- Table Coronavirus Concerns: "The coronavirus has negatively affected my…", 2020-2021 (percent of consumers)
- Continuing Mental and Physical Health Effects
- Stress Levels and Changes Made to Reduce Stress
- Effects on Work Have Continued in 2021 and 2022
- In-Store Shopping Patterns
3 Overview and Market Trends
- Highlights
- Outlook for Children's Food and Beverage Market
- Table Children's Food and Beverage Market, 2017-2022E (billion dollars)
- Table Children's Food and Beverage Market, 2022E, 2023P-2027P (billion dollars)
- Home Baking Trends
- Chocolate Candy Trends
- Functional Food and Beverage Trends
- "Hidden" Vegetables for Increased Nutrition Kids Will Love
- The COVID-19 Pandemic Was the Jumpstart the Online Grocery Market Needed
- Impact on the Children's Food and Beverage Market
- Convenient Meals Can Be the Ultimate Selling Point for Busy Consumers
- Grocery Prepared Meals
- Restaurant Meals, Including Takeout and Delivery
- Meal Delivery Services
- Thaw and Eat Foods
- Plant-Based and Plant-Forward Trends
- Definitions
- Plant-Based Meat and Dairy Products
- Plant-Based Eating and Sustainability Are Buzzwords Important to the General Public
- One-Fourth of Consumers Claim to Primarily Follow a Flexitarian Diet in 2022
- Use of Plant-Based Alternatives and Openness to Cultivated/Cruelty-Free Products among Those with Children
- Table Use of Plant-Based Dairy and Meat Products by Presence of Children in the HH, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Openness to Trying Cultivated/Cruelty-Free Dairy and Meat Products by Presence of Children in the HH, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following Plant-Forward Diets by Presence of Children in the Household, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Children's Product Examples
- Clean Label and "Better-for-You" Trends
- Example of a Clean Label Children's Product
- Companies Are Investing in Blockchain and Big Data to Satisfy Consumer Desires for Transparency
- Consumers Think Small and Medium Businesses Have More Credibility
- Preferences for Product Labels Show "Natural" and "Clean" Are Most Preferential
- Paying Attention to Food Labels - Shopping Online vs. In-Person
- Reasons for Seeking "Natural" Food Labels
- Perception of Health Differences in Products Based on Nutrition Facts Panel
- Sugar-Free/No Sugar Added Products and Alternative Sweeteners
- Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions Are a Concern to Many Parents and Their Children
- Prevalence in 2022
- Rising Rates of Reported Food Allergies and Lactose Intolerance over Time
- Table Food Allergies and Lactose Intolerance, 2017-2022 (percent of consumers)
- Purchases of Foods with Allergy-Friendly Labels
- Many Consumers Purchase Allergy-Friendly Foods for Reasons Other Than an Allergy or Intolerance
- Nutrients Sought by Consumers
- Consumers Continue to Seek Out Protein Sources
- Sources Used to Consume Nutrients
- Consumers Report Increasing Consumption of Protein from Whole-Plant Sources
- Avoiding or Limiting Sugar Intake
- Reasons for Avoiding or Limiting Sugar Intake
- Sugar Continues to Be Preferred Over Low/No-Calorie Sweeteners
- Information Consumers Seek Out on Nutrition Facts Labels
- Mindful and Intuitive Eating
- Definition
- Dieting Activity
- Frequency of Feelings and Behaviors Associated with Mindful and Intuitive Eating Patterns
- Consumer Mindfulness Index
- Concerns about Food Waste
- Most Consumers Are Concerned about Food Waste
- Table Levels of Concern about the Environment and Sources of Food Waste, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- How Consumers Reduce Food Waste
- Greater Concerns about Food Waste among Adults Living with Children
- Table Concerns about Food Waste and the Environment by Presence of Children in the Household, 2022 (percent of consumers who report being very concerned and index)
4 Consumer Demographics
- Highlights
- Number of Children in the Household
- 2022
- Historical Trends
- Age of Children in the Household
- Parents and Those Living with Children in Their Household
- Trends by Gender
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Gender, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Trends by Age Bracket/Generation
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Age Bracket, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Generation, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Patterns Based on Household Income
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Household Income Bracket, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Home Ownership and Rental Trends
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Home Ownership or Rental, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Patterns Based on Marital Status
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Marital Status, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Regional Differences
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Region, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Urban, Suburban, and Rural Consumers
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Population Density of Residence Area, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Educational Attainment
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Educational Attainment, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Race/Ethnicity
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Race/Ethnicity, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Plant-Forward Consumers
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Types of Plant-Forward Eating, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Online Grocery Shoppers (Food Delivery Services)
- Table Parenthood and Presence of Children under 18 in the Household by Online Grocery Shopping Habits, 2022 (percent of consumers)
5 Consumer Psychographics
- Highlights
- Priorities Placed on Food Characteristics
- All Consumers
- Table Priorities Placed on Food Characteristics, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Parents/Guardians
- Table Priorities Placed on Food Characteristics, 2022 (percent of parents/guardians with children under 18 in their household)
- Attitudes of Parents
- Carbs, Proteins, and Whole/Unprocessed Foods
- Table Statements about Carbohydrates/Sweeteners, Proteins, and Whole/Unprocessed Foods, 2022 (percent of consumers who strongly agree)
- Food Restrictions, Nutritional Benefits, and Breakfast
- Table Statements about Nutritional Benefits, Food Restrictions, and Breakfast, 2022 (percent of consumers who strongly agree)
- Snacking
- Table Statements about Snacking, 2022 (percent of consumers who agree)
- Cooking
- Table Statements about Cooking, 2022 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Premium Foods and Novel Food Experiences
- Table Statements about Premium and Novel Food Preferences, 2022 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Food Nutrition and Healthy Food
- Table Statements about Food Nutrition and Healthy Food, 2022 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Being Busy and Seeking Out Convenient Foods
- Table Statements about Being Busy and Seeking out Convenient Foods, 2022 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Children's Food Habits
- Table Statements about Children's Eating Habits, 2022 (percent of parents/guardians with children under 18 in their household)
- Table Statements about Children's Food Choice and Preparation Habits, 2022 (percent of parents/guardians with children under 18 in their household)
- Perceptions about Health and Nutrition
- More than Half of Consumers Consider Themselves to Be in Excellent or Very Good Health
- Beliefs about Sources of Weight Gain
- Definition of "Healthy Food"
