Innovation in childhood nutrition falling behind

Children’s nutrition is being overlooked as food and drink manufacturers, strained by vast cost increases, have sidelined innovation in the segment, data from a new Mintel report shows.

Launches targeted at those aged between five and 12 have hit a record 10-year low, accounting for less than 1% of all food and beverage innovation.

This is despite a recovery in overall food and beverage innovation, leading many to question why there hasn’t also been an uptick in children’s nutrition. Though experts claim manufacturers are instead turning to fortification over costly new product development.

“There has been a fortification boom,” says Alex Beckett, director of food and drink at Mintel. “Around three in 10 (28%) global children’s food launches featured a vitamin/mineral fortified claim in 2024, up from 19% five years earlier.”

Kids’ bakery snacks and confectionery were found to have been hit hardest by the drop, accounting for a shrinking percentage of children’s food and drink innovation.

The gut health boom is also helping to fuel the fortification trend in children’s food and beverage.

Globally, the share of children’s food and drink launches, featuring an on-pack gut health claim, such as ‘prebiotic’ remains low. However, it has seen a noticeable uptick over the past year, though these products are predominantly from Asia and consist of growing-up milks and dairy products. The West, by contrast, has been slower to respond to interest in children’s gut health products.

But, with a recent survey finding that nine out of 10 parents, of four and five year olds, are interested in gut-friendly food and drink options for children, there’s no question the demand is there.

It’s not all bad news

One area of children’s nutrition, which is seeing innovation, is sustainability. According to Mintel, products boasting eco claims jumped an impressive 11 percentage points in global children’s food and beverage launches, between 2019 and 2024.

Furthermore, some brands and retailers are moving away from targeting unhealthy products at children, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.

“The childhood obesity problem certainly justifies removing kid-friendly designs from unhealthy foods,” says Mintel’s Beckett.

However, the industry will need to make bigger changes in order to truly make a difference, with Beckett hoping healthier children’s food and beverage launches are prioritised by industry. Particularly as children have different nutritional needs to adults.

“The small proportion of products with a children’s positioning demonstrates how, for the most part, the preferences of children are being catered for by products not specifically targeted at them,” says Beckett.

And he even goes so far as to highlight the importance of childhood memories, linked to foods, sparking nostalgia in the future.

“With fewer food and drink launches to call their own during these precious years, what will kids feel nostalgic about as adults?” he says. “That warm feeling of recalling ‘discovering’ a new food or drink is spoiled if adults already eat or drink it.”

Improving innovation in children’s F&B

The lack of innovation in children’s food and beverages reflects a broader trend within the industry, with brands clearly hesitant to design and create genuinely new products for this demographic.

However, there is a clear need that can be answered by food and beverage manufacturers – foods with greater nutritional benefits as well as lower levels of fat, salt and sugar.

Brands that target this demographic now could well corner the market as interest in healthy foods for children is growing fast.

What’s more, manufacturers could benefit from priority shelf space, as governments and supermarkets shift focus to healthier options.