UK Baby Food and Baby Milk – Market Dynamics 2026
Highlighting products' health benefits is crucial. Out-of-home occasions hold untapped potential.
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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
- 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
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The market
- 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 7: live births in England and Wales, 2019-25
This Market Dynamics report features market data extracted from Mintel’s UK Baby Food and Baby Milk Market Report 2026. Giving you direct access to key market information and analysis from our category experts. This report is ideal for those looking for a topline summary of the UK baby food market. The full UK report is available to purchase here.
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