United States Baby Food Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032

United States Baby Food Market Outlook

The United States baby food market size is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% between 2024 and 2032, driven by increasing significance of meeting nutritional requirements of infants among new parents and their preference for easy to prepare formulations.

Key Trends in the Market

Baby food is a soft easily consumable food specifically formulated for human babies between six months and two years old. The food is available in a variety of flavours and forms, such as milk formula, puree jars, pouches, snacks, and cereals. These foods are essential to meet the nutritional requirements of babies during their initial years of growth.

• With a rise in the percentage of parents working, they find it difficult and time-consuming to prepare fresh, homemade baby foods. This provides an opportunity for prepared baby foods which is widely available across the USA.

• There is a wide availability of baby food products, including purees, bowls, and entrees for babies across the country in small local grocery stores to mainstream grocery chains and online distribution channels. The easy accessibility to a range of products supports the United States baby food market growth.

• The millennials are a growing consumer segment that represents a significant percentage of new parents in the US. It is also the generation that demands plant-based dairy products more regularly for their children. As a result, manufacturers are making efforts to develop products that are a blend of dairy and plant-based nutrition, suitable for meeting baby’s nutritional requirements.

Market Analysis

Based on product, the United States baby food market segmentation includes dried baby food, milk formula, prepared baby food, and others. By type, the market is bifurcated into organic and conventional.

There is a variety of baby food available in the market. These products reach consumers via various distribution channels, including hypermarkets and supermarkets, small grocery retailers, health and beauty retailers, online, and others. The major US markets include New England, Mideast, Great Lakes, Plains, Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Far West.

The comprehensive EMR report provides an in-depth assessment of the market based on the Porter’s five forces model along with giving a SWOT analysis. The report gives a detailed analysis of the following key players in the United States baby food market, covering their competitive landscape and the latest developments like mergers, acquisitions, investments, and expansion plans.

• Nestlé SA 

• Danone S.A.

• Abbott Laboratories

• Mead Johnson & Company, LLC 

• Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. 

• The Kraft Heinz Company

• Beech-Nut Nutrition Company 

• Plum Organics, PBC 

• Symrise AG (Diana Food) 

• Little Spoon, Inc 

• Others

United States Baby Food Market Share by Product

Milk formulas, among other products, account for a significant share of the US baby food market due to their ability to fulfill the most basic nutritional requirements of babies in the absence of breast milk. Milk formulas provide babies with the essential nutrition they require for their growth. Infant/milk formula is an ideal alternative for moms who cannot breastfeed due to medical conditions or due to work constraints. Milk formulas provide working mothers with a higher level of comfort.

Meanwhile, dried baby foods, especially organic freeze-dried baby foods are growing in popularity among caregivers. Freeze-drying preserves nutrients and enhances the convenience of purchasing products since these foods come in small packets. They are ideal for travelling and feeding the baby on the go as they have relatively longer shelf life, do not spoil quickly, and do not spill. The increasing product acceptance is expected to add to the United States baby food market demand.

Market Share by Region

The United States is a key market, accounting for a significant share of the global baby food market value. Good and balanced nutrition is a growing trend among parents across the USA. Clean-label baby food offerings continue to be a top priority for parents, who seek all-natural and preservative-free claims. Foods low in sugar content are also of crucial importance among parents to help manage their child’s weight. The rising demand from new parents for more plant-based foods is compelling regional players to invest in research and development to produce dairy and plant-based blends to provide babies with more plant nutrition, including plant proteins, fats, and fibres. This is expected to further contribute to the growing United States baby food market value.

Further, the rising eco-consciousness is also compelling manufacturers to produce organic baby food made with ingredients grown using regenerative farming that helps in reversing climate change. Consumers in California, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas increasingly demand easy-to-blend purees, bowls, and entrees for babies.

Competitive Landscape

Danone S.A. was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in France. In 1942, the company started operating in the USA, with its first subsidiary Dannon Milk Products, Inc. Over the years, DANONE S.A. has grown its business in the USA to include various brands, including Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, Danonino, Light & Fit, and Oikos.

Beech-Nut Nutrition Company headquartered in the USA, has been producing baby food since 1931. Its range of food includes a complete line of natural and organic real food for babies and toddlers, such as puree jars, pouches, snacks, and cereals. All ingredients in its baby foods, such as purees are tested for up to 255 pesticides, heavy metals, toxins, and other environmental elements to make it safe for the baby.

Abbott Laboratories is a United States-based company founded in 1894.  Its Similac  brand of baby food produces a wide portfolio of foods, including formulas for routine feeding, specialised nutrition, and formulas with 5 HMOs, the most relative prebiotic blend to breast milk. It is the number one brand fed in hospitals.

Other major players in the US baby food market include Nestlé SA, Mead Johnson & Company, LLC, Royal FrieslandCampina N.V., The Kraft Heinz Company, Plum Organics, PBC, Symrise AG (Diana Food), and Little Spoon, Inc.

Key Highlights of the Report