This report looks at the following areas:
- Children’s diet: overview and trends
- Unhealthy eating behaviours in children and parental concerns
- Parents’ preferences for and attitudes towards purchasing food and drinks for their children
- The influence of different types of parenting key opinion leaders (KOLs) on shopping decisions
- Food and drink products with attractive features and premiumisation potential
The children’s food and drink market in China is bursting with vitality. An ever-richer range of segments and categories provides more possibilities for brands to expand into new areas. To enter this field, brands need to understand parents’ desire to practice ‘precision parenting’ and provide new scientifically balanced dietary solutions for children.
Gloria Gan, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This report covers all packaged food and drink products designed for children aged 4-12, defined based on product claims, presentation and format. Typical product categories include staples (children’s noodles, children’s steaks, etc), snacks (children’s confectionery, biscuits, crackers and cookies, etc), dairy products and non-alcoholic drinks (milk, yogurt, juice, bottled water or any drinks designed for children).
The consumer survey conducted by Mintel covers parents aged 20-49 with children aged 4-12. Mintel’s GNPD defines children as those aged 5-12. GNPD analyses included in this Report are based on children aged 5-12.
Excluded
This Report excludes baby food and drinks.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Market factors, demand insights and future opportunities
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Market overview
- Market factors
- Declining birth rates spur refined competition
- Graph 1: births and birth rate, 2014-24
- Three times as many children as infants – for now
- Graph 2: number and percentage of population aged 0-4*, 2013-23
- Graph 3: number and percentage of population aged 5-14*, 2013-23
- Households with children have seen a stronger recovery in financial confidence
- Graph 4: confidence in financial situation improving in the next three months – very confident/somewhat confident (aggregate), by age of children, 2023-25
- Willingness to trade up in the children’s food/nutrition category is higher, and NPD tilts towards the market for children aged 5-12
- Graph 5: plans to purchase more expensive baby and children’s products in the future, by age of child, 2025
- Graph 6: share of new food, drink, health and hygiene products with ‘for babies and toddlers’ and ‘for children’ claims, 2020-25
- Children’s health supplements deliver outstanding performance; meals and seasonings show promise
- Graph 7: sales of categories related to food and drink and health supplements on Taobao/Tmall, overall vs products with ‘suitable for children’ claims, 2024
- Standardisation of children’s food and drink continues apace, ushering in a new regulatory environment
- As the population of overweight/obese children expects to grow, weight management becomes the new focus
- Graph 8: overweight and obesity rates among children (5-14), 1990-2050 (fore)
- Graph 9: number of children aged 5-19 (in tens of thousands) with high BMI, 2020-35 (fore)
- ‘Scientific parenting’ driving increased demand for specialised children’s nutrition
- Graph 10: social media mentions of ‘scientific parenting’, 2023-24
- Holistic development enters the mainstream, bringing greater focus on ‘refinement’ and a ‘sense of ritual’
- Graph 11: parenting attitudes and behaviours, 2024
- Look beyond fitness to explore the potential of food in raising well-rounded children
- Graph 12: concerns over children’s behaviour, 2024
- New product trends
- Innovation shifts towards category diversification
- Graph 13: proportion* of new products in the major food and drink segments with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2020-25
- China tops multiple categories in the children’s segment; nutritional drinks and juices hold future potential
- Graph 14: proportion of new products in the major food and drink segments with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, by country, 2024-25
- Fortified nutrient and functional claims are rebounding, with ‘minus’ claims showing a long-term growth trend
- Graph 15: proportions of claim categories in new food and drink products with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2020-25
- Prebiotics are gaining traction; ‘energy boost’ claims are worth attention
- Graph 16: proportion of functional claims in new food and drink products with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2020-25
- ‘Low transfat’ claims are increasing rapidly; ‘light’ flavours are on the menu
- Graph 17: noteworthy ‘minus’ and ‘natural’ claims in food and drink with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2020-25
- Seasonal flavours have been underrated; marketing that appeals to children is undergoing a resurgence
- Graph 18: noteworthy positioning claims in food and drink products with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2020-25
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The consumer
- ‘Smart parenting’: responding to more specific consumption occasions and children’s developmental needs
- New explorations in parenting with science
- Parental priorities: ingredients, word of mouth, positioning
- Graph 19: key considerations in purchasing food and drink for children, 2024
- ‘Age-appropriate’ concepts hold strong appeal, after only taste and health
- Graph 20: features of attractive children’s food and drink products – with key options related to product positioning, % of consumers, 2025
- Condiments and Chinese meals are the key to the young family segment
- Graph 21: penetration of children-specific products, by youngest child’s age, 2024
- Graph 22: proportion* of new products in key food and drink categories with ‘for children (5-12)’ claims, 2024-25
- Condiments: health and nutrition trump flavour
- Graph 23: demand for condiments, by age of children in household, 2024
- Health themes and professional content are expected; ‘scientific parenting’ is popular with educated families
- Graph 24: purchase decision influencers – with key options related to parenting KOLs, by parental education level, 2025
- Segmented products for exercise and learning can attract highly educated parents
- Graph 25: key attractive product features – with options related to product positioning, by parents’ educational background, 2025
- Highly educated parents favour educational attributes; scientific elements can boost product competitiveness
- Graph 26: attitudes towards teaching children scientific knowledge related to nutrition and health, by parental educational level, 2024
- Education = marketing? Combine product features and educational value with educational promotion
- Use AI to find inspiration on how to incorporate segmented educational elements into product design
- Drive children’s mental development in daily life
- ‘Lightening the load’: focus on expectations for low-fat, low-carb diets
- New solutions for balanced, lighter diets
- Child weight management is a new focus for parents
- Graph 27: parents’ health concerns, 2024 vs 2025
- Strong flavours and takeout/dining out are popular for older children
- Graph 28: key unhealthy dietary habits in children, by age of youngest child, 2024 vs 2025
- Graph 29: unhealthy dietary habits in children, 2024 vs 2025
- Diet management in two steps: first intervene and restrict, then get into the kitchen
- Graph 30: key children’s diet management behaviours, by age of youngest child, 2025
- Older children are eating meat and seafood more frequently
- Graph 31: overview of children’s daily consumption of seafood (b) – once a day or more, by age of youngest child, 2022 vs 2025
- Graph 32: overview of children’s daily consumption of red meat (a) – once a day or more, by age of youngest child, 2022 vs 2025
- Plain, low-fat children’s meat products make their diets healthier and lighter
- Probiotics: an important nutritional supplement for older children
- Graph 33: areas of interest in nutrient supplements, by age of youngest child in household, 2025
- Parents of older children seek ‘probiotics+’ composite solutions
- Graph 34: selected health perceptions of probiotics, by child’s age, 2025
- Introduce ingredients from other fields to upgrade the slimming effect of children’s probiotic products
- ‘Fun with food’: respond to the need for parent-child joy
- Fun, growing and interactive new connections
- From ‘filling up’ to ‘experiences’: snacks can bring fun and inspiration into parent-child interactions
- Graph 35: key reasons for selecting packaged snacks during parent-child leisure scenarios at home, by age of children in household, 2025
- Seeking ‘play’: parents of young children are eager to gain inspiration for fun family interactions
- Graph 36: purchase decision influencers – selected options related to parenting KOLs, by age of youngest child, 2025
- Parent-child cooking activities act as scenario multipliers, creating personalised childhood taste memories
- Ready meals with seasonal and local characteristics can provide parent-child experiences for families with young children
- Graph 37: characteristics of products with premiumisation potential – seasonal/regional flavours, by age of youngest child, 2025
- Unearth rare local ingredients and local flavours to integrate regional cuisine into products
- ‘Around the world in eighty flavours’: explore global food culture
- Cooking fosters independence; sharing boosts connections
- Graph 38: key parent-child everyday activities, by age of youngest child, 2025
- Integrate knowledge and IP to help children play with their peers
- Graph 39: attractive features of children’s food and drink products – selected options related to product elements, by age of youngest child, 2025.
- Children’s cookery activities: have fun while developing hands-on skills
- Listen to the children: turn IP co-branded products into a social currency for sharing joy
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Issues and insights
- From uniformity to diversity: reshaping the boundaries of the children’s category
- A richer range of categories offers potential for penetrating the children’s segment
- Lock into the rhythm of growth: functional nutrition for growing children
- Flexible packaging design helps products adapt to multiple scenarios
- Actively help children settle into a healthy rhythm
- Position for the hydration and energy gaps in exercise scenarios
- From nutritional provision to behavioural guidance, walk with children as they establish long-term exercise habits
- Beyond ‘satisfying hunger’: creating a joyful community
- From delicious tastes to a love of food, happy senses make for healthy eating
- Learning about food is fun and helps promote well-rounded growth
- What we think
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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