Parents are shifting their focus from seeking additional functional benefits to placing greater emphasis on product safety. Brands can further explore the nutritional value of natural ingredients such as high-quality milk sources and draw inspiration from flexible formulation combinations to drive product innovation.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
The market size discussed in this report covers the following segments:
- Infant milk formula (hereinafter referred to as infant formula) – comprising packaged dry and liquid products specifically designed for babies/infants. The market includes both infant formula (designed for babies up to one year old) and growing-up milk formula (designed for babies/toddlers aged 1-3).
- Baby supplementary foods – comprising packaged dry and liquid products specifically designed for babies/infants (aged 0-3 years) that can be eaten directly from the package or after being prepared (cooked, microwaved, mixed with water or added to meals). They include biscuits/rusks/snacks; cereals; fruit and vegetables; other solids and other beverages (excluding infant formula and growing-up milk).
- Baby nutritional supplements – comprising dietary supplements or nutritional supplements such as minerals, vitamins and fish oils intended for babies.
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Executive summary
- Key issues in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- The shift of feeding perceptions is expected to support short-term stable growth in the baby nutrition market
- Under the Fundamentally Nutritious trend, tapping into the nutritional value and inherent benefits of natural ingredients is a winning factor
- What we think
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- Birth rates have rebounded temporarily, yet long-term fertility intentions remain weak
- Graph 1: birth rate (‰), 2015-24
- Graph 2: plan to have another child, 2019-25
- Even with declining birth rates, the baby nutrition market continues to grow steadily
- Graph 3: baby nutrition market* retail value (RMB bn), 2020-30
- With extended feeding periods and higher penetration, the infant formula market is expected to remain stable in the near term
- Graph 4: retail value of infant milk formula (RMB bn), 2020-30
- Baby nutritional supplements are showing weak category innovation, potentially hindering market growth
- Graph 5: retail value of the baby nutritional supplement market (RMB bn), 2020-30
- Continuously evolving feeding concepts and product iterations help the supplementary food market stay resilient
- Graph 6: retail value of baby supplementary foods (RMB bn), 2020-30
- Snacks, yogurt and sausage supplementary foods are showing strong growth
- Graph 7: retail value share of baby supplementary food segments*, 2021-25 (est)
- The dietary diversity feeding concept is set to drive future innovation in composite supplementary foods
- Focus on anaemia prevention and protein supplementation, cereal and meat-based supplementary foods will see new opportunities
- New product trends
- After several sluggish years, innovation in baby food is gaining momentum again
- Graph 8: share of new launches in baby food*, 2020-25
- New product claims prioritise safety over functional benefits, with product traceability codes becoming standard features
- Graph 9: types of claims in baby food*, 2024-25
- Graph 10: faster-growing sub-claims within baby food positioning claims, 2020-25.
- High-quality milk sources are becoming a claim for reinforcing the safety of infant formula
- Graph 11: proportion of new launches featuring high-quality milk source* claims in major markets, 2020-25
- Ingredients for brain development and immunity enhancement are a focus of innovation in infant formula…
- … and also the core selling points of best-selling infant formulas
- Staple supplementary foods still dominate, and sophisticated ingredient formulations are the practical implementation of month-specific products
- Snack-style supplementary foods and yogurt have been key areas of innovation over the past year and may serve as future growth engines
- Graph 12: share of new types of products in baby snacks and supplementary food categories, 2020-25
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The consumer
- Baby nutrition products should prioritise the three core issues of weak constitution, slow growth and high risk of anaemia
- Eating, digestive and immunity issues remain the main concerns, with attention to developmental and allergy issues gradually increasing
- Graph 13: baby health concerns, 2025
- Build multidimensional health selling propositions around weak constitution and slow development
- Graph 14: baby health concerns – cross analysis, 2025
- Graph 15: baby health concerns – cross analysis, 2025
- Adopt different tonal approaches when talking about boosting immunity and supporting development
- Graph 16: health benefits of interest, 2025
- Reducing anaemia risk represents a potential value proposition for attracting more parents, yet market education is still required
- Graph 17: health benefits of interest – cross analysis, 2025
- Mother and baby communities and mainstream social media platforms are the primary channels for marketing communication
- Graph 18: information channels, 2025
- Reach parents concerned about slow development through multiple channels to reinforce brand awareness
- Graph 19: information channels, by health concern, 2025
- Highlight high-quality milk sources and rich nutrition further strengthen the value of infant formula
- Both the penetration and feeding frequency of infant milk formula have risen
- Graph 20: consumption frequency of infant milk formula, 2025
- Graph 21: consumption frequency of infant milk formula, 2024 vs 2025
- Despite price rises, parents’ loyalty to their current infant formula products remains strong
- Graph 22: price sensitivity to infant milk formula, 2025 vs 2021
- High-quality milk sources are the primary premium attribute and are particularly appealing to key customer groups
- Graph 23: premium product factors in infant milk formula, 2025
- Graph 24: premium product factors in infant milk formula, by city tier, 2025
- A broad and rich set of nutrients further enhances the value of infant formula
- Graph 25: infant formula ingredients, 2025
- Graph 26: premium product factors, by price sensitivity, 2025
- To stand out, highlight the high content of lactoferrin and phosphatidylserine…
- Graph 27: infant milk formula, by premium product factors, 2025
- Graph 28: proportion of new infant formulas containing the following ingredients, 2020-25
- … and position them as key nutrients for boosting immunity and supporting development
- Graph 29: health benefits of interest, by infant formula ingredients, 2025
- In addition to high ingredient content, lactoferrin and phosphatidylserine can be formulated into multidimensional formulations
- In the future, brands can further uncover the inherent health benefits of high-quality milk sources
- Graph 30: functional claims of infant formula containing high-quality milk source claims, 2020-25
- Target the iron supplementation and muscle growth needs that stem from picky eating and introduce more composite supplementary foods
- Staple-type supplementary foods remain the highest consumption category, while penetration of other categories is increasing overall
- Graph 31: consumption frequency of baby supplementary foods, 2025
- Graph 32: changes in the consumption frequency of baby supplementary foods, 2024 vs 2025
- Packaged staple supplementary foods are more favoured by parents in Tier 1 cities, while parents in lower tier cities prefer teething rusks and cheese sticks
- Graph 33: parents who feed their babies each of the following categories at least once a day, by city tier, 2025
- Easing picky eating may be a breakthrough point for further differentiating packaged supplementary foods
- Graph 34: parents concerned about eating issues, by age of youngest child, 2025
- Foods rich in high-quality protein or iron are major problems for picky eaters, giving packaged supplementary foods an advantage
- Graph 35: feeding approaches for dietary variety – my baby does not eat this type of food, 2025
- Graph 36: feeding approaches for dietary variety, 2025
- Iron supplementation and muscle growth can be key levers for strengthening loyalty among rice powder users
- Graph 37: health benefits of interest, by consumption frequency – at least once a day, 2025
- Apply the principle of amino acid complementarity to develop legume/meat composite rice powder
- Communicating benefits such as iron supplementation and muscle growth can help attract high-potential users of meat-based supplementary foods
- Graph 38: health benefits of interest, by consumption frequency – at least once a day, 2025
- Combine sweet and sour ingredients to help babies enjoy animal-based supplementary foods
- In the future, high-quality milk sources can serve as a foundation for developing high-protein supplementary foods with more complex flavours
- Graph 39: premium product factors, by consumption frequency – once a week or less, 2025
- Examples of supplementary foods that use dairy ingredients
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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