What drives the kids’ functional food market, report

What drives the kids’ functional food market, report
From:http://www.allforinfant.com/
Key words: children, kids, products
The children’s functional food and beverage market in the US is expected to see strong growth on the back of increased interest in kids’ health, with major areas of focus including obesity, hyperactivity, brain function, gut health and immunity, says a new report.
Published by consultancy TSG, the report draws on different sources of market research and predicts the kid’s food and beverage category will grow to $26.8bn by 2011 from $16.4bn in 2007. Growth will continue at double digit rates beyond 2012, it predicts.
“As health becomes the focus of children’s products, the industry will continue to move forward and mirror the high-growth functional foods category,” said TSG.
Key health issues
The report identifies a number of key aspects of children’s health that are being addressed through diet. These are:
• Obesity: The number of overweight children aged 6-11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Current estimates suggest that 32 percent of US children are overweight, while 16 percent are obese.
• Hyperactivity: According to TSG, parents are increasingly looking at labels on food products to blame for hyperactivity in their children. And as studies start to look at ingredients – such as omega-3 and omega-6 – for their combative effects on hyperactivity in children, the category may soon gather speed in the food and supplement industry.
• Brain function: TSG highlights that children with learning and behavior problems improve focus, concentration and school grades when given essential fatty acid supplements; and IQ scores when given multivitamins.
• Gut health: According to a report by Julian Mellentin entitled 5 Key trends in Kids’ Nutrition 2008, digestion and immunity are two of the biggest concerns for mothers regarding their children’s health, and both of these are influenced by gut health. TSG highlights that ingredient firm ChrHansen is focusing its NPD on children’s probiotics, indicative of growing interest in this market
Beverages lead
Beverages currently constitute the largest segment of the kids’ food and beverage market, accounting for 29 percent of total sales, said TSG.
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