Kids Food and Beverage Market in the U.S., 8th Edition


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Kids Food and Beverage Market in the U.S., 8th Edition

Packaged Facts’ latest report, The Kids Food and Beverage Market in the U.S., analyzes and trends seven food and beverage categories significant to children’s eating choices, usage occasions and need states, including breakfast foods, lunch foods, and dinner foods; sweet snacks and salty snacks; produce; and beverages.

Each category analysis includes trended usage of specific foods and beverages over a ten-year period (2006-2015) among households, drilling into households with children by key demographics (in particularly parents’ gender, generation, and HH income). Marketing strategies and product innovation relevant to each category’s position in the kids’ food and beverage market is also included, with careful consideration of how marketers are sating the needs and interests of both parents and kids. The report also analyzes the following:
  • Household usage analysis of 21 different types of foods and beverages that play significant role in family household eating habits. Analysis extends to household usage by volume/amount of 16 food and beverage types, with volume share attributable to children.
  • Forecasts for the adult and child population, as well as child population by age, racial/ethnic demographics, and household income; children’s influence on grocery spending; and impact of childhood obesity on product innovation and marketing.
  • Consumer attitudes toward factors influence the purchase of kids’ food and beverage, focusing on healthfulness, enjoyment/product attribute, and packaging/price.
  • Consumer attitudes toward diet and eating habits—performed in part by asking adults to rank both themselves and their children’s habits.
  • Parents’ attitudes related to food, advertising and shopping with their children, including attitudes relating to cooking enjoyment and food healthfulness; attitudes about advertising; and attitudes toward shopping with their kids, and influence of kids on purchasing decisions.
  • How parents and kids learn about new kids’ food products, including parent sources for product innovation, in-store marketing tactics, traditional media, and social media marketing; the influence of kids’ requests and friend recommendations; where kids learn about new food products; and parental attitudes toward getting kids to try new foods and implications for the kids’ food and beverage market.


  • Executive Summary
    • Report Scope
    • Report summary
      • Market trends & opportunities
      • Market size
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: breakfast foods
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: lunch foods
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: dinner foods
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: sweet snacks
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: salty snacks
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: produce
      • Usage, marketing and new product trends: beverages
      • Parents' attitudes toward food, advertising and shopping with kids
      • How parents learn about new kids' food products
  • Market Trends & Opportunities
    • Market factors
      • Baby bounce projections are beneficial to market
        • Table U.S. Population: Adults vs. Children, 2015-2025
        • Table U.S. Population: Children, by Age, 2015-2025
      • The generational influence of the Millennial parent
        • Table U.S. Millennial Generation Households with Children: Percentage and Share by HH Income, 2015
      • Multicultural child population continues to grow
        • Table U.S. Households with Children, by Race/Ethnicity and HH Income, 2015
        • Table U.S. Population: Children, by Race/Ethnicity, 2015-2025
      • The impact of household income
        • Table U.S. Households, by Presence of Children and HH Income, 2015
        • Table U.S. Households with Children, by Number of Children and HH Income, 2015
        • Table Weekly Household Grocery Expenditures, by Presence of Children and Number of Children, 2015
      • Children obesity trends
    • Attributes important to purchasing foods for kids
      • Factors influencing kids' food purchases
        • Table Health-Related Factors Influencing Kids' Food Purchases, 2016
        • Table Enjoyment and Product Attribute Factors Influencing Kids' Food Purchases, 2016
        • Table Packaging and Price Factors Influencing Kids' Food Purchases, 2016
    • Attitudes towards diet and eating habits
      • Parents' attitudes towards kids' eating habits
        • Table Parents' Attitudes toward Children's Eating Habits, by Demographic, 2016
      • Ranking diet healthfulness
        • Table Ranking Children's Diet Healthfulness, by Parental Diet Ranking, 2016
  • Market Size
    • Usage among households without children and with children
      • Table Household Food and Beverage Use, by Type and Presence of Children, 2016
    • Kid-centric products hit their mark
      • Table Household Food and Beverage Use, by Type and Presence of Children, 2016
    • Households with children: kids' food & beverage volume share
      • Table Households with Kids: Foods Eaten in HH and Share Eaten by Kids, by Food Type, 2016
    • Household volume share by presence of children, by food & beverage type
      • Table Households with Kids: Foods Eaten in HH and Share Eaten by Kids, by Food Type, 2016
    • Children's volume share of food & beverage types by household type
      • Table Children's Share of Food and Beverages: All Households and Households with Children, 2016
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Breakfast Foods
    • Usage trends
      • Breakfast food usage
        • Table Breakfast Food Usage, by Type, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
        • Table Breakfast Food Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, Number of Kids in Household, 2015
        • Table Breakfast Food Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, Age of Kids in Household, 2015
        • Table Breakfast Food Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, by Household Income, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Better-for-you breakfast
      • Making breakfast fun to eat
      • Hot breakfast
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Lunch Foods
    • Usage trends
      • Table Prepared Lunch Kit Usage, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
      • Lunchables lead the way
        • Table Prepared Lunch Kit Usage, by Brand: Households with Kids, Number of Kids in Household, 2015
      • Lunchables' sweet spot is kids aged 6-11
        • Table Prepared Lunch Kit Usage, by Brand: Households with Kids, Age of Kids in Household, 2015
      • Prepared lunch kit usage skews less affluent
        • Table Prepared Lunch Kit Usage, by Brand: Households with Kids, by Household Income, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Healthier snack/lunch kits
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Dinner Foods
    • Usage trends
      • Table Frozen Food Usage, by Type, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
      • Use of frozen hot snacks and main courses skews toward households with teens
        • Table Frozen Food Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, Age of Kids in Household, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Health and variety provide innovative inspiration
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Sweet Snacks
    • Usage trends
      • Table Sweet Snack Usage, by Type, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
      • Use of snack cakes and fruit snacks are strongest less affluent families
        • Table Sweet Snack Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, by Household Income, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • The fun factor helps differentiate kids treats from mainstream offerings
      • Healthier sweet snacks
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Salty Snacks
    • Usage trends
      • Table Salty Snack Usage, by Type, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Health appeals to parents; fun appeals to kids
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Produce
    • Usage trends
      • Fruit and vegetable usage
        • Table Canned/Jarred Fruit, Canned/Jarred Vegetables and Fresh Produce Usage, by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
        • Table Canned/Jarred Fruit, Canned/Jarred Vegetables and Fresh Produce Usage: Households with Kids, by Number of Children in Household, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Lunchbox friendly
      • Upping the health ante
  • Usage, Marketing and New Product Trends: Beverages
    • Usage trends
      • Beverage usage
        • Table Beverage Usage, by Type: by Presence of Children in Household, 2015
        • Table Beverage Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, by Number of Kids, 2015
        • Table Beverage Usage, by Type: Households with Kids, by Age of Kids, 2015
      • Trends over time
    • Marketing and new product trends
      • Beverage innovation taps health halo
  • Parents' Attitudes Toward Food, Advertising and Shopping with Kids
    • Parents' attitudes toward food
      • Older parents buy local; young parents seek out nutritional products
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Food, by Age of Parent, 2015
      • Asians seek out "healthy" food
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Food, by Race/Ethnicity of Parent, 2015
      • Single adult households are more likely to seek out organic/natural and health food
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Food: One-Adult vs. Married Households, 2015
    • Parents' attitudes toward advertising
      • Parents are receptive to advertising to learn about new products
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Advertising to Kids, by Number of Kids in Household, 2015
      • It's okay to market to older kids
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Advertising to Kids, by Age of Kids in Household, 2015
      • Advertising helps black parents learn about products and choose what to buy for their kids
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Advertising to Kids, by Race/Ethnicity of Parent, 2015
    • Parents' attitudes toward shopping with kids
      • Parents don't like kids pestering, yet it influences decisions
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Shopping with Kids, by Age of Parent, 2015
      • Parents don't like kids pestering, yet it influences decisions
        • Table Parents' Attitudes about Shopping with Kids, by Number of Kids in Household, 2015
  • How Parents Learn About New Kids' Food Products
    • Learning about new kids' food products
      • Where parents learn about kids' food products
        • Table Where Parents Learn About New Kids' Food Products, by HH Income, 2016
        • Table Where Parents Learn About New Kids' Food Products, by Generation, 2016
        • Table Where Parents Learn About New Kids' Food Products, by Age of Children, 2016
      • Where their kids hear about new products
    • Getting kids to try new foods
      • Trial without risk is key
        • Table Ways to Introduce New Food Products to Children, by HH Income, 2016
  • Appendix
    • Methodology
      • Consumer survey methodology
    • Report table interpretation
      • Color coding
      • Indexing

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