Datamonitor View
- CATALYST
- SUMMARY
Table of Contents
Table of figures
Table of tables
THE FUTURE DECODED
- INTRODUCTION: Delivering healthy nutrition for kids is a burgeoning and topical area of product development
- TREND: Childhood obesity and other nutrition related diseases are increasing as media coverage of the issue intensifies
  - Obesity rates are increasing across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific
    - Roughly a third of children in the US and Europe are overweight
    - Obesity in childhood is likely to develop into obesity in adulthood, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes or cancer in later life
    - The majority of European adults also believe there are more overweight children now
  - The onset of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is occurring at an earlier age
  - Takeouts and implications: the growing prevalence of childhood obesity will act as a major catalyst for change in kids' nutrition
- TREND: Global media coverage about childhood obesity is on the rise
  - Food advertising is being heavily criticized, and in many instances blamed for kids' eating habits
  - Negative images associated with poor nutrition will accentuate parental interest in healthy or ' better-for-you' alternatives
  - Takeouts and implications: the media intensity surrounding kids' nutrition, especially childhood obesity, exacerbates the need for the industry to respond proactively
- TREND: Obesogenic environments are contributing to rising obesity rates among children
  - Car-centric lifestyles are rife and contribute to declining physical activity among kids
    - Programs to combat the childhood obesity epidemic are likely to proliferate in the next few years
  - Takeouts and implications: Obesogenic environments and lifestyles contribute to growing childhood obesity
- INSIGHT: Kids' consumption habits presents many opportunities in food and drink categories
  - Kids account for a greater proportion of consumption value in indulgent product categories
    - Dairy consumption is a development opportunity in Asia-pacific
  - Kids have a clear preference for carbonated sodas
  - Takeouts and implications: kids' consumption leaves many opportunities in food and drink categories
- INSIGHT: Parental attitudes and approaches to kids' nutrition vary greatly
  - Mothers and their background are usually the ' gatekeepers' of child nutrition
  - Around a third of parents appear to be explicitly concerned about foods aimed specifically at kids
  - Many parents suffer from an ' optimistic bias' or are simply in denial bout children' s weight
  - Parents tend to place more importance on their child' s health than their own and they typically hold themselves primarily responsible for their kids' food and beverage choices
  - Evidence suggests that healthier, more nutritious choices are becoming increasingly important to parents
  - Giving in to kids' demands remains an ongoing battle for parents
  - Takeouts and implications: parents are trying to make more nutritious choices for their kids, but many experience difficulties surrounding this
- INSIGHT: Many kids' diets are deficient in a number of key nutrients
  - Children' s diets often mimic those of their parents leading to similar deficiencies
  - Children lack micro nutrients from fruit and vegetables
  - Diet deficiencies have other negative health implications which are not helped by the relatively high frequency by which kids skip main meals, especially breakfast
  - Takeouts and implications: dietary deficiencies create notable opportunities for nutritional supplements and functional foods
- INSIGHT: Education is key to encouraging children to make better food choices
  - Food advertising has a huge impact on kids, but can be used more positively
  - The educational environment is key to shaping children' seating habits
    - European consumers feel education is the way forward for improving children' s diets
    - German consumer research shows the importance of educating children early in life
  - Takeouts and implications: making nutritional education of both parents and kids should be priority
- INSIGHT: There are a number of growth opportunities in offering healthier products to kids
  - Functional foods are filtering into children' s products
    - Brain or ' mood foods' may be seen as more important for kids in future
    - Energizing products may see kids better balanced each day
  - Organic and natural are becoming popular with parents
    - High fruit content is an opportunity to help make children healthier
  - Better-for-you products are necessary to instill better dietary habits
    - Offering portion control is a simple way to help limit calorie intake
ACTION POINTS
- ACTION: Make nutritional education of both parents and kids a priority
  - Base nutritional advice on the long-term health needs of children not on corporate profit
  - Help parents to understand a balanced view of nutrition
  - Encourage parents to widen their choice of foods to promote diversity among children
  - Look for opportunities to nutritionally educate kids themselves
- ACTION: Eradicate the ' bad' unnatural ingredients
  - Reformulate products to remove the ' unnatural' trans fats
  - Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup (HUFFS) from snacks anddrinks
  - Reducing and then eradicating the use of additives (such as preservatives and coloring) in food products must be the short and long-term goal
- ACTION: Add in more ' good' ingredients to food and beverages targeting children
  - Whole grains are popular ingredients in many food and drink products and are riding a current wave of popularity
  - Add fiber to improve digestion
  - Consider adding Omega oils where relevant and credible
  - Fortify with vitamins and calcium to improve children' s diets
  - Undertake sensory profiling tests to determine product favorability
    - Involve kids in the product development process
- ACTION: Emphasize enjoyment and how you can leverage different dimensions of fun
  - There are numerous dimensions associated with fun
- ACTION: Make societal marketing a priority
- ACTION: Avoid misleading advertising
APPENDIX
- Additional data
- Definitions
- Methodology
- References and further reading
- Ask the analyst
- Datamonitor consulting
- Disclaimer
List of Tables
- Table 1: Obese and overweight children* (5-13 year olds)by country and region (% and millions), Asia-Pacific, Europe and US,2002-2012
- Table 2: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected food categories, Asia-Pacific,* Europe and US, 2007
- Table 3: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected drinks categories, Asia-Pacific,* Europe and US, 2007
- Table 4: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected food categories by country, US & Europe, 2007
- Table 5: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected food categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007
- Table 6: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007
- Table 7: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$),in selected drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007
- Table 8: Market share by value (US$) of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007
- Table 9: Market share by value (US$) of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007
- Table 10: Over-consumption of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007
- Table 11: Over-consumption of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007
List of Figures
- Figure 1: Kids are made up of two demographics: Children(5-9 year olds) and Tweens (10-13 year olds)
- Figure 2: Threats and opportunities are present in equal measure in kids' nutrition
- Figure 3: European consumers perceive that childhood obesity is worsening
- Figure 4: Kids' nutrition is an increasingly important issue for print media channels
- Figure 5: Most European consumers feel advertising has some effect on kids' dietary habits
- Figure 6: Americans feel that food advertising contributes to childhood obesity, but attach more responsibility with parents
- Figure 7: Negative images associated with poor nutrition will accentuate parent interest in healthy or better-for-you alternatives
- Figure 8: Kids snack more than most other age groups in Europe and the US
- Figure 9: Parents are looking to moderate certain food and beverage types and they are focusing on the inherently good content(or added nutrition) within food and drink which is symptomatic of the continuum of healthy eating behaviors of the population more generally
- Figure 10: Most European consumers think better nutritional education for parents is essential
- Figure 11: Functional foods are a key trend in adult foods and may become more prominent in kids' foods
- Figure 12: Brain foods may become a growth area for children's products
- Figure 13: Energizing products must help to balance energy levels
- Figure 14: Organic products are available in a host of children' s products
- Figure 15: High fruit content is an important route to children's required five-a-day
- Figure 16: Calorie-controlled products can be fun and not just diet options
- Figure 17: Removing trans fats is an ' easy win' to improve the perceived healthiness of a food product
- Figure 18: Using natural sweeteners is more appealing to concerned parents
- Figure 19: Whole grains should move beyond bakery and cereal products
- Figure 20: Added fiber is a development being pursued in many product categories
- Figure 21: Omega oils are thought to be good for the heart and the brain
- Figure 22: Vitamins have long been associated with good health
- Figure 23: Making food fun is important to attract children
- Figure 24: There are numerous dimension kids associate with ' fun'
- Figure 25: European consumers would like to see more children taking exercise
- Figure 26: Unclear advertising could negatively affect sales