From three years onwards, children continue to grow and develop and are still in need of high-quality nutrition. However, in most cases they follow the diet of the family or caretaker, and are less reliant on milk formulas to support their daily nutritional needs. To parents that have to deal with picky-eating behaviour or are concerned about specific areas of their child’s development, convenient, nutritious and appealing child nutrition applications can be of high interest.
Child nutrition presents an exciting opportunity for growth within the early life nutrition market, allowing brands the opportunity to create differentiated and appealing products. Parents worldwide are now more knowledgeable about what nutrition their children need as they grow up, and which ingredients are most beneficial. This is driving the expansion of the child nutrition category.
Step Up Nutrition is a cross-category portfolio of solutions for children aged 3 and up. Designed to support five key areas of a child’s development and well-being, it addresses the top parental concerns worldwide: growth & development, immune function, cognitive function, mental health, and gut health.
Global insights indicate what parents are mostly interested in, when it comes to their child of 3 years and above
FrieslandCampina Ingredients & YouGov Early Life Nutrition survey Indonesia and Vietnam, 2022
UNICEF estimates, 2019, https://www.unicef.org/media/60806/file/SOWC-2019.pdf
. Which areas of a child’s development would be most appealing to parents that search for kids applications with functional ingredients?
Across all countries surveyed in a recent exclusive global study, immune health was one of the top three concerns for parents with children aged 3-5.
But parental priorities change between countries with this age group: vitamin and mineral deficiency is more important to parents in the UK and emerging markets, whereas muscle development tops the table in the USA.
In France and China, emotional wellbeing ranks very highly for parents of young children, but it falls outside the top five concerns in Indonesia.
A recent parental insights survey in Indonesia and Vietnam showed that ready-to-drink solutions represent 40% of the complementary food given by parents to their children, with the main drivers being to support ‘growth and development’ and ‘immune health’.
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Our mission is to nourish children and help parents make better choices. With over 75 years of experience in research and development of early life nutrition ingredients, we are the perfect partner to help you transform your food and drink products, with proven benefits that matter to parents.
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