US Children’s Food and Beverage Market to Reach $105 Billion in 2028

Cleveland OH, February 16, 2024 – According to Packaged Facts’ new report Children’s Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities, the market for food and beverage products marketed for children is forecast to grow at an average rate of 4.6% annually through 2028.

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, healthy fats, clean label, and non-GMO.

Packaged Facts’ November-December 2023 National Online Consumer Survey finds that nearly three-fourths of parents report their children eat healthier than they did as a child, revealing parental preferences toward healthier children’s foods.

Opportunities exist in offering products that have the taste that will get a child to accept the food and the health halo that will entice parents to buy it, given that 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, eggs, and gluten/wheat – are also a high priority for parents, particularly those who have children with real or perceived allergies or intolerances. Some parents may also believe some allergens are generally unhealthy (especially gluten and soy) and seek out foods without these ingredients for their children.

Additionally, parents are concerned about allergy friendly foods even when their own children do not have food allergies, as their kids may have friends or peers with a food allergy that needs to be accommodated. Schools, sports teams, daycares, and other child-centric organizations sometimes restrict foods with certain allergens for all children to protect those with a food allergy. Thus, parents tend to have more reasons to avoid potential allergens (often for their kids, or for other children their kids come in contact with).

This Packaged Facts report analyzes the dynamics of the current landscape of the children’s food and beverage retail market. Parent demographics, perceptions, motivations, and behavior are examined as pertaining to food and diet choice 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 as well as in the context of children’s food and beverages.

Retail sales of children’s food and beverage products are provided in billion dollars from 2018 to 2022, with expected sales estimated for 2023 and sales projected from 2024 to 2028.

• Grocery stores, supermarkets, and discount grocers (e.g., Kroger, Safeway, ALDI)
• Mass merchandisers (e.g., Walmart, Target, Meijer) and warehouse clubs (e.g., Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s)
• Convenience stores (e.g., Pilot/Flying J, Circle K, 7-Eleven) and dollar stores (e.g., Dollar General, Family Dollar)
• Other retailers, such as co-ops, gift shops, and farmers markets
• All online outlets, including online-based grocers (e.g., Amazon, Thrive Market, FreshDirect), third-party pack-and-deliver companies that use their own workforces to purchase groceries at various stores and deliver them to customers (e.g., Instacart), brands that sell their own food products direct-to-consumer via their websites, and online sales from websites or apps of retailers in the previous categories

The report 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 and inflation trends that have affected the food and beverage market.

The reasons for and implications of shifts in consumer perception and behavior are analyzed in the context of future market opportunities.

For more information, see the Children’s Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities report page and the Food & Beverage category page.

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