Baby and children's food market in the UK - statistics & facts

The baby and children’s food market encompasses a wide range of products from infant formula to pre-prepared foods, lunch box treats, kid’s ready meals, and kid’s meal kits. The revenue of the baby food market in the UK reached over 1.4 billion British pounds in 2020 and is forecast to grow at a steady rate to reach almost 1.7 billion British pounds by 2025.

Retail brands and trade

Ranked by number of users, Ella’s Kitchen, a company that produces organic baby and toddler food, was the leading baby and junior food brands in Great Britain in 2020. Other popular brands included Heinz and Organix. The UK imported over 113 million U.S. dollars' worth of infant and young child food preparations from Ireland in 2020, making Ireland the top import partner. Germany and the Netherlands ranked in second and third place that year, respectively.

Lockdown eating habits

The coronavirus pandemic altered what and where people eat all around the world. While babies and infants are not likely to have altered diets, given their specific nutritional needs and eating routines at this young age, some children in the UK experienced similar shifts in their food behaviors as adults. According to a recent survey, over 50 percent of parents stated that their children were eating more home-cooked meals during lockdown. Some children were also eating more comfort foods, such as ice creams, cakes, biscuits, and confectionery. Almost 70 percent of surveyed parents agreed that their children wanted to eat more snacks in general throughout the pandemic.

Children’s nutrition in the UK

Some 11 percent of boys and 15 percent of girls aged between two and ten were classified as overweight in the UK in 2019. Government initiatives, such as banning the sale of unhealthy snacks at supermarket check outs and restrictions on advertisements for junk food being shown in the daytime, were planned to combat these high figures. It is yet to be seen what impact such measures have on rates of obesity among children in the UK. The share of children with very low food security in the UK increased by three percent between 2019 and 2020. Having access to nutritious and balanced meals is a key component of food security; increasing levels of insecurity may, therefore, contribute to the prevalence of overweight and obese children in the UK.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Emma Bedford, Dec 20, 2023

Key insights

Revenue of the European baby food market
8.12bn euros
Revenue of the UK baby food market
1.41bn GBP
Crude birth rate in the UK
10.4/1,000 population
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Revenue of the baby food market in the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2028 (in million GBP)

Baby Food

Revenue of the baby food industry in the UK 2018-2028

Revenue growth of the baby food market in the United Kingdom from 2020 to 2029

Baby Food

Revenue growth of baby food in the UK 2020-2029

Value of the leading baby food and snack brands in the United Kingdom in 2020 (in million British pounds)

Baby Food

Most valuable baby food brands in the UK 2020

Further recommended statistics

Overview

4

Overview

Segments

7

Segments

Trade

4

Trade

Nutrition & consumption habits

4

Nutrition & consumption habits

Food security

5

Food security

Further reports

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Baby care market in the U.S.
Baby care market in the U.S.
Children's food and beverages
Children's food and beverages
Baby care market in the UK
Baby care market in the UK

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