India Baby Food Market Outlook, 2027-28

India Baby Food Market Outlook, 2027-28

Baby food refers to the soft and easy-to-consume food products manufactured for infants and toddlers. They consist of milk protein-based ingredients and act as a substitute for breast milk. They are a rich source of various nutrients, such as vitamins, carbohydrates, linoleic acid, prebiotics, and fats, and are manufactured using mashed vegetables, fruits, and cereals. Baby food and infant formula aid in the overall development and provide adequate nourishment to the child. Moreover, as infants lack teeth for chewing, baby food and infant formula act as the primary sources of nutrition for them. Nutrition and food are one such area where parents want absolutely the best for the health and growth of their children. Before choosing a food brand for their baby, a parent must consider a variety of factors such as the baby's age, flavors, essential nutrients, and so on. Consumers are widely adopting baby food products to provide additional supplements to increase the immunity and health of infants and young children. Moreover, various product innovations, such as the development of ready-to-feed baby food products that are convenient to use, portable and nutrient-rich, are providing a thrust to the market's growth. Additionally, the increasing adoption of premium-quality organic baby food products manufactured using natural ingredients is also favouring the market's growth. Other factors, including the increasing expenditure capacities of consumers and the rising female working population, are anticipated to drive the market toward growth across the country.

According to the research report, India Baby Food Market Outlook, 2027-28 published by Bonafide Research, states that infant milk formula dominated the market during the historic period from 2016-17 to 2021-22. The India Baby Food Market grew historically at a CAGR of 17% and is expected to grow more during the forecast period with rising demand for ready-to-eat baby food meals. In 2021–22, general retail stores were the leading distribution channel for sales of baby food, while online sales of baby food are rapidly growing due to a rise in e-commerce. There is a growing demand for prepared baby food as the effects of the pandemic decrease and mobility increases. Baby food in a pack size of 201–400 gms is the most preferred choice of parents. Prepared baby food is a niche category in India but is growing at a rapid pace and will continue to see healthy growth in the forecast period. This can be attributed to increased mobility as the country recovers from the effects of the pandemic.

Products on the market have been designed for every growing stage of an infant since birth to provide proper nutrition while growing. Infant milk formula products are one of the most preferred categories in this market as these products are given to an infant within six months and beyond. Other than this formula, the remaining formula products in the market have been very competitive owing to their usability in each phase of an infant’s growth. Baby cereal is made of nutrition-based ingredients and grains such as rice, wheat, oatmeal, etc., which promises to provide high nutrition and vitamins to babies at an early stage. Follow-up formula-based baby food products are made to be less like breast milk and more like regular cow’s milk. It is also launched in both liquid and dried forms, which is desired to be suitable for babies aged over 6 months. These baby foods are available in a variety of pack sizes ranging from 0 to 200 gms, 201 to 400 gms, 500 gms and above, as well as a variety of pack types including box, tin/jar, refill, and pouch.

It has been observed that consumption of baby food is higher in families where both parents are educated and working. Tier I and Tier II cities are the preferred locations for baby food manufacturers to introduce their products. In urban areas, there are still many people who prefer home-cooked food for their kids. Pricing is the major concern for baby food manufacturers in the country. Only one fourth of the population belongs to the upper middle class and high class.
Baby juices are still in their infancy stage and facing difficulty gaining importance because more than three-quarters of parents among the total population believe in feeding fresh fruit juice to their kids. Demand for dried and ready-to-feed baby food is low in states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Every year, there is a growth expected in dried, packaged, and formula baby food demand with a rising number of health-conscious parents, working mothers, and increasing companies' efforts to make the product available in all parts of the country. Powdered milk forms the largest product category in the baby food segment, although it is not a fully tapped market.

Commercial baby food products are accepted worldwide. These are desired for infants aged between 0 and 24 months, and differ from one stage to another stage of the baby's growth. This report helps to understand the growth of the baby food market along with the historical and forecasted values of each segment and the growth of prominent players in the market.

Major Companies and their brands
• Nestle India Limited - Cerelac, Lactogen, Nan, Nestogen, Nestum, Neslac, Nan Pro, Nan Excellapro
• Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. - Amulspray
• Abbott India Limited - Similac, PediaSure
• Manna Foods Private Limited - Rich
• Nutricia International Private Limited - Farex, Dexolac, Protinex
• Mead Johnson Nutrition India Pvt. Ltd. - Enfagrow, Choco milk, Lactum, Enfakid, Enfapro A+, Nutramigen, Sustagen and Enfamil
• Pristine Organics Pvt. Ltd - 1st Bites
• Raptakos Brett & Co.

Considered in this report
• Geography: India
• Base year: FY 2021-22
• Estimated year: FY 2022-23
• Forecast year: FY 2027-28

Aspects covered in this report
• India baby food market with segment along with value, segments and forecast
• Product price and variant analysis
• Various divers and challenges
• Ongoing trends and developments
• Five force models
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Segment covered in the report
• Infant milk formula
• Baby cereals
• Follow-up formula
• Prepared baby food & others
By Regions covered in the report
• West
• East
• North
• South

By Sales Channel in the report
• General Retail
• Multi-brand Retail
• Online
By Demographics in the report
• Rural
• Urban

By Pack Size in the report
• 0-100 gms
• 101-200 gms
• 201-300 gms

By Age Group in the report
• 0-6 months
• 6-12 months
• 12-18 months
• 18-24 months
• 24 & above
By Packing Size in the report
• Tin/Jar
• Pouch
• Refill
• Box
• 24 & above

Approach of the report:
Bonafide Research performed primary as well as secondary research for this study. Initially, a list of manufacturers and suppliers operating in the Sun Care Market of India were sourced through secondary sources. With the identified companies and consumers, primary research was carried out which included conducting online surveys, competitor analysis and exhaustive personal interviews - both face to face as well as telephonic basis, to extract maximum information from participants like industry executives/ distributors or consumers. Primary research gave us an idea of company revenues, export, pricing, geographical presence, channel partner model, USP etc. and also helped us to identify various small players who otherwise have less presence on the web.
Bonafide Research seeks secondary data from third-party sources such as published articles, company websites, magazine articles, associations, trade journals, annual reports, government official websites and other paid database sources. In addition, data is also mined from a host of reports in our repository, as well as a number of paid databases of Indian government. Using both primary and secondary information, Bonafide Research calculated the market size through a bottom-up approach, where manufacturers’ value sales data for different types of sun care products were recorded and subsequently forecasted for the future years.

Intended Audience
This report can be useful to Industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to baby food industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.