US Feeding the Family Market Report 2022
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Report Summary
This report provides comprehensive and current information and analysis of the US Feeding the Family market including US Feeding the Family market size, anticipated market forecast, relevant market segmentation, and industry trends for the Feeding the Family market in the US.
Current market landscape for feeding the family market reports
Although kids are part of the household in a just quarter of US homes, their influence is powerful, driving shopping mealtime decisions for the entire family and beyond. Parents are in need of help, now more than ever, stretched thin caring for themselves and their family through the pandemic. Brands that can provide clear and simple solutions will win out.
Although health and convenience are strong factors in parental food and drink choice, they fall just short of the leading factor of whether their kids will eat it. Foods that are quick to prepare, quick to eat, and quick to clean up are also top of mind. While familiarity is the quickest route to assuring kid consumption, more than half of parents like to introduce their kids to new foods. Variety packs are important to meeting wide flavor and format needs of multi-person households and allow for accessible trial. Individual portioning remains relevant, shifting from use on the go, to safe and easy single servings for at-home occasions.
Future market trends in the kids’ food and beverages market
Kid-focused brands are missing the mark on health, underdelivering on natural ingredient claims sought by parents, underutilizing healthful components such as fruit and vegetables, and clocking higher sugar content at a time when sugar avoidance is prevalent. While the spotlight on immunity still shines bright, brands will want to widen the lens on function moving forward, addressing issues of eye health, cognitive development, and stress reduction.
Even with lessened restrictions, the pandemic has shifted a greater portion of food occasions inside the home, turning parents into prep cooks. Empowering kids with the tools and skills to make their own meals, snacks, and food choices will take the weight off time-strapped parents, and nurture an engaged base of future shoppers.
Read on to discover more about the US Feeding the Family consumer market, read our US Consumer Approach to Nutrition Market Report 2021, or take a look at our other Food and Foodservice research reports.
Findings in this report can be supplemented by analysis presented in Black Consumers: Feeding the Family – US, 2021 and Hispanics: Feeding the Family – US, 2021.
Quickly understand
- Important factors in choosing food for kids.
- Factors contributing to the likelihood that kids will eat it.
- Health priorities when choosing food for kids.
- Kids’ influence on food/drink decisions.
- The school week breakfast and lunch occasion.
- Food innovation of interest for kids.
Covered in this feeding the family report
Brands include: Earth’s Best, Beech-Nut, Organic Slamers, Bitsy’s Swish, Abbott PediaSure, Yummy Dino Buddies, Cerebelly, Healthy Height, GoGo Squeez, Clover the Rainbow, Annie’s Organic, Stop & Shop, Gerber Natural, Stonyfield Organic, General Mills, Trix, Kellogg’s, Twizzlers, Chuck E. Cheese, Sabra Kids, Kidfresh, Presty! Kids, Little Journey.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
This report, written by Mimi Bonnett, a leading analyst in the Food, Drink, Foodservice, and Flavors and Ingredients sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis on feeding the family market research to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
Feeding the family is largely about meeting the needs of parents. Effective brands will need to concentrate more on being healthy and convenient solutions for time-strapped parents and less on being indulgent treats for kids.
Mimi Bonnett
Senior Director, Food, Drink, Foodservice, and Flavors and Ingredients
Table of Contents
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Overview
- What you need to know
- This Report looks at the following areas
- Definition
- Market context
- COVID-19: US context
- Economic and other assumptions
- What you need to know
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Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Figure 1: Outlook on feeding the family, 2022-27
- Opportunities and challenges
- Meeting the needs of kids means delivering on the needs of parents
- Figure 2: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion, 2022
- Kid-focused foods need to lean into natural claims
- Figure 3: Leading claims among kid-focused (age 0-12) food and drink launches, 2019-21
- Familiar flavors are quickest route to enjoyment
- Figure 4: Factors improving likelihood of kid consumption, 2022
- Hybrid schooling requires a wide array of meal and snack solutions
- Figure 5: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion, by school situation, 2022
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Households with Children
- Children are present in a quarter of US HHs, birth rate continues to decline
- Figure 6: Households, by presence of own children, 2010-20
- Figure 7: Annual births (000), 2010-20
- Vast majority of HHs with children have two or more kids
- Figure 8: Number of children in household, 2022
- Win at the shelf by winning over moms
- Figure 9: Households with own children under 18, by household type, 2020
- Multiracial births see increase
- Figure 10: Births, by race and Hispanic origin of mother, 2018-19
- Children are present in a quarter of US HHs, birth rate continues to decline
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Market Factors
- Flexible learning environments require flexible meal solutions
- Figure 11: School situation, 2022
- Parents are twice as likely to identify food as a source of COVID-19 stress
- Figure 12: Food and drink statements regarding COVID-19 – comfort/stress, 2021
- Parents focus on holistic wellbeing
- Figure 13: Health and wellbeing factors, 2022
- Rising food prices may cause price-sensitive parents to streamline carts
- Figure 14: Changes in consumer price indexes for food, 2019-22
- Flexible learning environments require flexible meal solutions
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Competitive Strategies and Market Opportunities
- It’s time for refreshed kid-focused NPD
- Figure 15: Share of food and drink launches with kid-focused (age 0-12) claim, 2019-21
- Figure 16: Average sugar among select food/drink launches, not kid-focused versus kid-focused (age 0-12), 2021
- Artificial ingredient claims moving in the wrong direction
- Figure 17: Leading claims among kid-focused (age 0-12) food and drink launches, 2019-21
- Figure 18: Top three kid-focused (age 0-12) food/drink launches ranked by “healthy” among parents of children under age 18 in the household, 2021
- To immunity and beyond
- Figure 19: Food and drink launches featuring immune health, 2021
- Figure 20: Food and drink launches featuring health positioning, 2021
- Parents want more kid-focused produce
- Figure 21: Leading food and drink claims among kid-focused (age 0-12) launches, 2019-21
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- Figure 22: Food and drink launches featuring fruit and vegetables, 2021
- Pouches communicate convenience, but aren’t universally loved
- Figure 23: Top three kid-focused (age 0-12) food/drink launches ranked by “convenient” among parents of children under age 18 in the household, 2021
- Figure 24: Simple Modern Reusable Food Pouches, 2021
- Nearly a third of kids are influenced by social media influencers
- Figure 25: What influences kids’ decisions, 2022
- It’s time for refreshed kid-focused NPD
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The Kid Consumer: Fast Facts
- Convenience and health top parents needs in family food choices
- Familiarity leads acceptance, but a range of factors suit the range of needs
- The importance of health positioning is clear
- The name of the health game is variety
- Assisting kids to play a more active role in food prep can benefit all
- Convenience and health top parents needs in family food choices
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Important Factors in Choosing Food for Kids
- Health lands second to finicky palates
- Figure 26: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion, 2022
- Snack requirements less rigid, but health and portability shine
- Figure 27: Important factors in choosing food for kids, by meal versus snack, 2022
- Breakfast: the quickest (but quality) meal of the day
- Figure 28: Important factors in choosing food for kids, by meal occasions, 2022
- Moms are especially averse to hassle
- Figure 29: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion, by gender, 2022
- While convenience is key for Hispanic households, so is quality
- Figure 30: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion, by Hispanic origin, 2022
- Hybrid schooling requires a wide array of meal and snack solutions
- Figure 31: Important factors in choosing food for kids – Net – any occasion – something they can prepare on their own, by school situation, 2022
- Health lands second to finicky palates
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Improving Likelihood of Kid Consumption
- Familiar flavors are quickest route to enjoyment
- Figure 32: Factors improving likelihood of kid consumption, 2022
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- Figure 33: Food and drink launches featuring reinvention of familiar flavors, 2021
- Instagram era may broaden lifespan of whimsy
- Figure 34: Factors improving likelihood of kid consumption, by age of child, 2022
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- Figure 35: Food and drink launches featuring interactive element, 2021
- Figure 36: Food and drink brands reinventing themselves, 2021
- Moms want assurance, look to dads for adventure
- Figure 37: Factors improving likelihood of kid consumption, by gender, 2022
- Added sauce will resonate with Hispanic parents, beyond
- Figure 38: Factors improving likelihood of kid consumption, by Hispanic origin, 2022
- Familiar flavors are quickest route to enjoyment
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Health Priorities When Choosing Food for Kids
- Variety and vitamins lead health priorities
- Figure 39: Health priorities when choosing food for kids, 2022
- Brands should target specific age groups with age-related nutritional needs
- Figure 40: Health priorities when choosing food for kids, by age of child, 2022
- Moms are more plugged into traditional health cues
- Figure 41: Health priorities when choosing food for kids, by gender, 2022
- Variety and vitamins lead health priorities
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Family Food Behaviors
- Meals and snacks
- Breakfast is about individuality, flexibility; dinner brings the family together
- Figure 42: Family food behaviors – meals and snacks, 2022
- Learning at home means more snacking at home, focus on functionality
- Figure 43: Family food behaviors – meals and snacks – Net – true most or some of the time, by age of child, 2022
- Figure 44: Family food behaviors – meals and snacks – Net – true most or some of the time, by age of child, 2022
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- Figure 45: Sabra Kids snack launches, 2021
- Treat and trial
- Food is a struggle and a reward, variety can help
- Figure 46: Family food behaviors – treat and trial, 2022
- Kids’ influence
- A third of kids have impact on most grocery trips
- Figure 47: Family food behaviors – kids’ influence, 2022
- Figure 48: Family food behaviors – kids’ influence – Net – true most or some of the time, by age of child, 2022
- Online shopping can lessen the temptation/tantrum factor, remove kids from the picture
- Brands have most direct line to kids through drinks and snacks
- Figure 49: Deciding on family activities/purchases – food and drink, 2022
- Vegetarian eating
- A quarter of HHs eat vegetarian most of the time, kids follow parental lead
- Figure 50: Family food behaviors – vegetarian, 2022
- Figure 51: Family food behaviors – vegetarian – Net – true most or some of the time, by age of child, 2022
- Meals and snacks
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Health Statements
- Making healthy choices
- Parents make healthy choices more often than not
- Figure 52: Family food behaviors – healthy choices, 2022
- Younger kids could use some encouragement to make healthy choices
- Figure 53: Family food behaviors – healthy choices – for self – Net – true most or some of the time, by age of child, 2022
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- Figure 54: Imperfect Foods Instagram
- Health knowledge
- One in five parents seek guidance in making healthy choices for kids
- Figure 55: Health statement – knowledge, 2022
- Dads are less confident about health choices
- Figure 56: GoGo Squeeze Almond blend Pudding, 2021
- Figure 57: Health statement – knowledge, by gender, 2022
- Kid-focused BFY
- Kid-focused BFY is no solution for health
- Figure 58: Health statement – BFY, 2022
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- Figure 59: Comparison of BFY crispy rice bars to mainstream option
- Making healthy choices
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The School Week Breakfast and Lunch Occasion
- One in 10 6-17 year-olds eat breakfast in transit
- Figure 60: School week breakfast location, 2022
- Parents could use some help with weekday meals
- Figure 61: School week breakfast preparation, 2022
- Figure 62: School week breakfast preparation, by age of child, 2022
- More than a third of kids are eating lunch at home
- Figure 63: School week lunch location, 2022
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- Figure 64: Food and drink launches good for kid prep, 2021
- Figure 65: School week lunch preparation, 2022
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- Figure 66: School week lunch preparation, by age of child, 2022
- Opportunity for foodservice lunch to meet the needs of home schooling
- Family Dining Trends – US – 2022Kid-friendly meal kits having a moment
- Figure 67: School week lunch preparation, by school situation, 2022
- One in 10 6-17 year-olds eat breakfast in transit
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Food Innovation of Interest for Kids
- Health innovation leads interest; be ready to expand beyond immunity
- Figure 68: Food innovation of interest for kids – Net – any interest, 2022
- Kid-focused brands struggle with health cred; improving perceptions required
- Age 4-8 is the sweet spot for kid-focused brands
- Figure 69: Food innovation of interest for kids – kid-focused brands – Net – any interest, by age of child, 2022
- Kid-focused brands provide a helping hand to dads
- Figure 70: Food innovation of interest for kids – Net – any interest, by gender, 2022
- Private label and international formats resonate with Hispanic parents
- Figure 71: Food innovation of interest for kids – Net – any interest, by Hispanic origin, 2022
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- Figure 72: Top three kid-focused (age 0-12) food/drink launches ranked by “purchase intent” among parents of children under age 18 in the household, 2021
- Health innovation leads interest; be ready to expand beyond immunity
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Data sources
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