UK Baby Food and Baby Milk Market Report 2026
"Highlighting products' health benefits is crucial. Out-of-home occasions hold untapped potential."
Alice Baker, Food and Drink Analyst
The formula milk segment is liable to disruption through price competition not only in the short term, but even once real income growth improves. Even among people with healthy finances, 51% are put off formula milk by its price.
Negative media coverage of baby food’s sugar levels drove sales down sharply in 2025. This makes it vital for brands to prove their commitments to reducing sugar and highlight their products’ nutritional benefits. Addressing widespread perceptions of ready-made baby food as ultra-processed is also key.
With no prospect of a rise in birth rates in 2025-30, baby food brands must continue their efforts to widen their appeal.
Out-of-home occasions hold untapped potential to unlock additional volume sales of both baby food and formula milk. Out-of-home usage of baby meals/snacks lags behind at-home feeding (53% to 73%), while 54% of parents of 0-4s like to have RTF formula on hand when they go out.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- External factors influencing sales of baby food and baby milk in 2025-26, including the income squeeze, negative media coverage of baby food, birth rates and breastfeeding rates
- The importance of spelling out products’ health benefits, for both baby food and baby milk
- Out-of-home usage of baby meals/snacks and RTF formula
- Perceptions of baby food as ultra-processed
- Trends in launch activity in the baby food category
Market Definitions
This Report includes products manufactured specifically for babies and infants aged primarily under two years, although manufacturers are targeting older infants with commercial products.
The Report covers:
- Milks, including liquid ready-to-feed products
- Meals and desserts (wet and dry, including cereals and dairy-based)
- Baby drinks
- Finger foods, including rusks, extruded snacks, baby rice cakes, biscuits and fruit snacks
Baby drinks include ready-to-drink liquids, which are generally presented in plastic bottles for decanting into a feeding bottle or beaker, as well as concentrates and powdered granulated drinks for dilution with water.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for baby food, milk and drinks
- Opportunities
- Target out-of-home occasions to boost sales of baby food and milk
- Spell out baby food and milk’s tangible health benefits
- Appeal as less processed to drive sales of baby food
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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Market factors
- Consumers’ weak financial health will favour homemade baby food
- Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
- Short-lived improvement in birth rates; breastfeeding rises in England and Scotland
- Further sharp price rises for formula milk in 2026
- Product recalls dent confidence in leading formula milk brands
- BBC documentary puts parents off manufactured baby food
- Second extension to the free childcare allowance comes into force
- Market size
- Market size and forecast of baby food, milk and drinks
- Graph 2: [no title]
- Fall in value sales in 2025, inflation to drive category growth over 2025-30
- Sales decline for both baby food and milk in 2025
- Graph 3: retail value sales of baby food, milk and drinks, by segment, 2023-25
- Ella’s Kitchen loses share; Little Dish gains from wider distribution
- Graph 4: retail value sales of baby food, snacks and drinks, 2023/24-2025/26
- Aptamil and Cow & Gate’s sales fall sharply; own label gains but remains niche
- Graph 5: retail value sales of formula milk, 2023/24-2025/26
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THE CONSUMER
- Homemade food dominates; three quarters of parents use it daily
- Homemade meals lead over ready-made; powdered formula leads over pre-mixed
- Media criticism of manufactured baby food boosts homemade versions
- Graph 6: frequency of feeding of different types of baby/toddler food and milk (nets), 2026
- Price is a barrier for formula milk
- Put products in parents’ paths to drive purchase for out of home
- Out-of-home occasions hold untapped potential for baby food and milk
- Boost snacks’ retail visibility to drive OTG occasions buying
- Target foodservice venues, particularly at visitor attractions
- Target on-the-go occasions to drive purchase of RTF formula
- Make health benefits tangible in baby food and milk
- Knowing products’ health benefits is important for many parents
- A stronger focus on tangible health benefits is needed in baby food
- Use social media to spotlight products’ nutritional benefits
- Explain unfamiliar ingredients in formula milk, and flag up health benefits at POS
- Explore lower sugar ingredients; highlight ingredients with dental health benefits
- Address parents’ concerns about processing
- Ultra-processed image of ready-made baby food pervades
- Less-processed image will stand out
- Options to prove ‘clean label’ credentials vary
- Underline how baby food products support a healthy diet
- Tap into home cooking
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Brain and immune health claims rise in baby food in 2025
- Graph 7: share of new product launches in the baby/toddler meals and snacks category, by selected functional health claims, 2020-25
- Leading and niche brands feature brain and immune health claims
- Piccolo extends into yogurt drinks; Bickiepegs redesign puts stronger focus on oral health
- Fruit/vegetable blends gain share in 2025
- Efforts to cater to older children continue
- Competition heats up in baby food
- Trend in international flavours continues in 2025-26
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast of retail value sales of baby food, milk and drinks
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Baby food market share – value sales, brands
- Baby food market share – volume sales, brands
- Baby food market share – value sales, brand owners
- Baby food market share – volume sales, brand owners
- Baby milk market share – brands
- Baby milk market share – brand owners
- Market drivers – birth rates
- Graph 8: live births in England and Wales, 2019-25
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Other data source methodologies
- Infegy Starscape coverage
- Abbreviations
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