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Summary of our market study
The French baby food market is valued at around 1.2 billion euros,
Global growth in the infant milk market is driven by strong demand from China, where parents place great trust in foreign brands.
The global market is highly concentrated, dominated by giants such as Danone and Nestlé, which together account for 80% of the market.
The market is divided into two segments: infant milks, valued at 980 million euros, and diversification foods such as compotes, purées and yogurts, which account for 220 million euros.
Confidence in brands remains an essential factor in consumer choice, particularly after the salmonella scandal at Lactalis and the contaminated milk scandal in China.
The number of births, at around 730,000, is falling
The organic baby food market is growing by 30% a year, and represents over 15% of the market.
Distribution channels for baby food are mainly supermarkets and hypermarkets, which account for 90% of infant milk sales. Pharmacies account for a smaller share.
French infant nutrition exports are growing strongly, mainly to Algeria and China.
Dominant generalist multinationals
- Danone and Nestlé
The pioneers of organic food:
- HiPP and Vitagermine
Specialists in pediatric nutrition:
- Nutriset, Gilbert Laboratories and Nutriben .
Dairy cooperatives and local plants:
- sodiaal
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the baby food market
The infant nutrition market covers all food products for infants and children. This market is divided into 2 main segments:
- Infant milk;
- Dietary diversification foods, generally introduced after an infant's 6th month.
The health and nutritional challenges associated with infant nutrition are essential components of the market, both in terms of marketing and the regulations governing the activity.
The global baby food market is largely dominated by the US and China (a particularly promising market). France ranked seventh in terms of revenues generated in 2018.
The French infant nutrition market is dominated by two giants with around 80% of the global market share: Danone and Nestlé. The infant milk segment accounts for over half of the market. Alongside these two major players, more local companies are trying to survive, despite the market concentration of recent years. Private labels, which have to contend with the weakness of their own brands, which are less reassuring to parents, play a moderate role.
The market is largely linked to the country's demographic and cultural situation, such as birth rates, breast-feeding practices and new consumer habits. For example, the high level of trust placed in major brands, or the boom in the"organic" segment.
1.2 A global market driven by Chinese demand
Global revenues from the baby food industry are expected to exceed US$*** billion by ****, thanks to growth of *.**%.
sales trends in the baby food industry World, ****-****, US$ billion Source: ****
China is the world's largest baby food market, with sales of over $** billion.the Chinese market is proving to be the ...
1.3 The French market, a major player in infant milk
The French infant nutrition market is estimated to exceed US$* billion in ****, thanks to a CAGR of *. *% over the period. However, these growth forecasts need to be put into perspective, given the decline in the number of births in the country. The French market will therefore necessarily shrink in quantity, but ...
1.4 Foreign trade
The results presented below are based on UN Comtrade data corresponding to HS code ******: "Food preparations of flour, groats, meal, starch, malt extract or milk products; for children's consumption, put up for retail sale"Food preparations of flour, groats, meal, starch, malt extracts or dairy products; for children's food, packaged for ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Practicality and trust, key issues
The graph below shows the different purchasing criteria and their importance in the infant food purchasing process by parents. Confidence is the second most important criterion, followed by the availability of special offers (***).
As a result of social change, the average age of parents continues to rise steadily. The hectic pace ...
2.2 A market affected by declining demographics
The curve below shows the evolution of the total number of births in France from **** to ****. There will be a gradual decline in the number of births, reaching ***,*** in ****.
A structural decline in the birth rate can be observed in France, where the fertility rate has been set at *.** in ****. This ...
2.3 The increasingly popular "organic" segment
Ludovic Aujogue, Marketing Director at Nestlé Nutrition Infantile declared in **** that "the organic trend is an underlying trend and our desire is to meet all the expectations of all parents."[***]
evolution of the organic share of the baby food market France, ****, % Source: ****
Companies specializing in this market segment, such as HiPP ...
3 Market structure
3.1 A highly concentrated market
This statistic shows a ranking of baby or junior food brands in France from **** to ****, by number of users. In ****, an estimated one million people used Blédina. The Blédina and Nestlé brands clearly dominate the market, accounting for over **% of sales in France. These sales are boosted by the ...
3.2 The importance of brand trust
When it comes to food, consumers are particularly attentive to the quality of the products on offer, and to the brand of the product in question. This is particularly the case when food is destined for a fragile segment of the population, such as infants.
As we saw with the events ...
3.3 Production
Source: ****
3.4 Distribution
The distribution of food products is stillvia supermarkets and hypermarkets. In the case of infant milk, this accounts for **% of sales, with the remaining **% sold in pharmacies.pharmacieswhich benefit from a positive "health" signal on the products they sell.
Breakdown of infant milk sales by distribution channel France, ****, in Source: ****
Pharmacy ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Rising prices
The market's oligopolistic structure,product renewal with the rise of organic products, and consumers' concern for quality explain the rising prices and high margins in this market segment. For example, Nestlé nutrition's gross margin stood at **.*% in ****, the highest of all branches). [***]
The prices charged depend to a lesser extent on ...
4.2 Three main product categories
The products offered on the baby food market can be divided into three categories:
Infant formulas and baby milks: these include infant formulas (***), special milks and growing-up milks. For example: Gallia
Gallia Calisma Relais Lait *er Âge ***g(***) ; Nan Optipro * *er âge Lait Poudre ***g(***); Guigoz Lait *er âge(***).
Infant cereals: ...
4.3 New industry trends
While the market is shrinking, mainly in terms of quantities sold, the industry is betting on innovation to create growth in value. The latest trend is vegetarian baby food. In fact, baby nutrition products are tending to follow adult food trends (***), as parents are keen to educate their children in the ...
5 Regulations
5.1 A strict sanitary framework
The need to ensure quality food is a major issue for the sector, as it is the primary concern of parent-customers. And the various scandals sometimes tarnish a reputation that manufacturers then try to recuperate. Just recently, Lactalis was accused by several parents of being responsible for cases of salmonellosis following ...
5.2 ISO standards
The baby food market is one of the most regulated, because the products marketed are intended for some of the most vulnerable populations. It is therefore of interest to know which ISO standards are in force, and which nutritional labelling must be carried out in accordance with the Codex Alimentarus.
These ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Nespresso (Nestlé)
- HiPP
- Vitagermine
- Nutriset
- Laboratoires Gilbert (GILBERT Groupe)
- Nutriben (Alter Pharmacia)
- Sodilac (Groupe Savencia)
- Even Groupe
- Sodiaal Groupe (Coopérative)
- General Mills
- Babybio Vitagermine
- Abbott Groupe
- Good Goût (H&M group)
- Blédina (Danone)
- Gerber (Neslé groupe)
- Gallia Laboratoire Bledina
- Guigoz (Nestlé)
- Lemiel (Lactalis Nutrition)
- Materna (Lact'Union)
- Milupa
- Nestlé Nidal
- Picot (Lactalis)
- Potpotam
- Youji
- Nümi
- Nutribio (Sodiaal)
- Reckitt Bencksider France
- Idil Fibres Optiques
- Abott
List of charts presented in this market study
- Baby food sales trend
- Birth trends
- Frequency of infant food consumption
- Criteria for parents' infant food purchases
- Evolution of the organic share of the baby food market
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Latest news
Stripped of Yoplait, General Mills rides the snacking wave in France - 19/09/2024
- - General Mills concentrates 63% of its sales in North America, totalling $12.5 billion.
- - In 2023, the group has recorded near double-digit growth in its business, with investments increasing by 15% to 20%.
- - The Nature Valley cereal bar has quadrupled its sales in four years, reaching 25% of the French cereal bar market, ahead of LU's Grany (9%), as well as Nestlé and Kellogg's.
- - 42% of Nature Valley buyers are new consumers.
- - The Häagen-Dazs ice cream division, equivalent in sales to Old El Paso products, benefits from increased visibility thanks to its 60 boutiques.
- - Häagen-Dazs products sold outside North America and Japan are produced in Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines, France, and exported to 90 countries.
How General Mills and TotalEnergies are developing the circular economy around the BioBéarn site - 15/07/2024
- Food manufacturer General Mills, which owns a Géant Vert canning plant near Labatut (Landes), supplies 50% of the inputs to the BioBéarn site (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), the largest methanizer operated by TotalEnergies in France
Jean-Michel Javelle elected Chairman of the Sodiaal cooperative - 20/06/2024
- - France's leading dairy cooperative: 20% of milk collected
- - Over 15,295 member-producers on 8,523 farms in 72 départements
- - Brands and business sectors :
- - Cheeses: Entremont, Monts & Terroirs, Fromageries Occitanes, Blamont.
- - Fluid milk, cream and butter: Candia.
- - Ultra-fresh products: Yoplait.
- - Specialized nutrition: Nutribio.
- - Dairy ingredients: Eurosérum, Bonilait.
A2S and Sovéfrais merge to form So Breizh | A2S and Sovéfrais merge to form So Breizh - 01/03/2024
Even Distribution merges two companies, SovéFrais and A2S, to create So Breizh.
So Breizh is based in two locations: Ploudaniel (Finistère) and Kervignac (Morbihan).
The company specializes in the distribution of fresh and frozen produce.
The Even Distribution cooperative relies on Krill, a network of 8 SME suppliers, including Gastronomie Service, Gel 43, Prenot Guinard and So Breizh.
So Breizh has two order preparation warehouses, 7 delivery outlets and a fresh meat cutting plant.
The company serves 5,000 catering and convenience store customers.
So Breizh has sales of 97 million euros.
Sodiaal to pay for carbon reduction on member farms - 14/02/2024
- - Number of farmers in the Sodiaal dairy cooperative: 16055
- - Number of cooperative farms: 9007 - Percentage of farms to be assessed for animal welfare
Nespresso wants to make its coffee pods greener - 05/01/2024
- Thirty-seven years ago, Nestlé launched the Nespresso concept.
- The Swiss giant dominates the world of small coffee pods.
- Last year, the market approached the 4 billion euro mark in France, up 10% year-on-year and even 17% by 2021.
- New competitors, such as Switzerland's Migros with its Café royal brand, and the rise of bean-to-cup machines,
- Nespresso has invested in a pilot line of compostable paper capsules. In Switzerland, the rate of recycled capsules is already approaching 70%.
- For the moment, these compostables are only available in France and Switzerland
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The Infant Food Market | France
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