Trends in Kids' Nutrition - Opportunities and threats in the context of escalating childhood obesity

Datamonitor forecasts that over 35% of European kids aged 5-13 will be overweight or obese by 2012. In the US, this figure will surpass 40% while Asia-Pac, in particular China, is seeing the fastest increase in the percentage of overweight or obese kids. This report identifies the opportunities and threats apparent to food and beverage manufacturers in the context of escalating childhood obesity

Report Highlights
In Europe between 93% and 97% of consumers by country believe food marketing has some degree of impact on children's eating habits. If childhood obesity continues to rise then advertising bans of certain foods are likely to become more widespread Analysis of the consumption data presented in this report shows that kids tend to consume more than the overall population in many indulgent product categories. Deeper analysis shows that Asia-Pacific kids' consumption lags behind the average in bakery and cereals In Europe, consumer sentiment indicates that the most popular proposed methods for making kids healthier (and for improving their eating habits) include better information for parents and more nutrition education in schools, followed by restrictions on advertising of less nutritionally balanced food and drinks
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Datamonitor View 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
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Table of figures 2
Table of tables 3
THE FUTURE DECODED 4
INTRODUCTION: Delivering healthy nutrition for kids is a burgeoning and topical area of product development 4
TREND: Childhood obesity and other nutrition related diseases are increasing as media coverage of the issue intensifies 5
Obesity rates are increasing across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific 5
Roughly a third of children in the US and Europe are overweight 6
Obesity in childhood is likely to develop into obesity in adulthood, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes or cancer in later life 6
The majority of European adults also believe there are more overweight children now 8
The onset of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is occurring at an earlier age 8
Takeouts and implications: the growing prevalence of childhood obesity will act as a major catalyst for change in kids' nutrition 9
TREND: Global media coverage about childhood obesity is on the rise 10
Food advertising is being heavily criticized, and in many instances blamed for kids' eating habits 10
Negative images associated with poor nutrition will accentuate parental interest in healthy or 'better-for-you' alternatives 12
Takeouts and implications: the media intensity surrounding kids' nutrition, especially childhood obesity, exacerbates the need for the industry to respond proactively 13
TREND: Obesogenic environments are contributing to rising obesity rates among children 13
Car-centric lifestyles are rife and contribute to declining physical activity among kids 13
Programs to combat the childhood obesity epidemic are likely to proliferate in the next few years 14
Takeouts and implications: Obesogenic environments and lifestyles contribute to growing childhood obesity 15
INSIGHT: Kids' consumption habits presents many opportunities in food and drink categories 15
Kids account for a greater proportion of consumption value in indulgent product categories 15
Dairy consumption is a development opportunity in Asia-pacific 16
Kids have a clear preference for carbonated sodas 17
Takeouts and implications: kids' consumption leaves many opportunities in food and drink categories 18
INSIGHT: Parental attitudes and approaches to kids' nutrition vary greatly 18
Mothers and their background are usually the 'gatekeepers' of child nutrition 19
Around a third of parents appear to be explicitly concerned about foods aimed specifically at kids 19
Many parents suffer from an 'optimistic bias' or are simply in denial bout children's weight 20
Parents tend to place more importance on their child's health than their own and they typically hold themselves primarily responsible for their kids' food and beverage choices 21
Evidence suggests that healthier, more nutritious choices are becoming increasingly important to parents 22
Giving in to kids' demands remains an ongoing battle for parents 24
Takeouts and implications: parents are trying to make more nutritious choices for their kids, but many experience difficulties surrounding this 25
INSIGHT: Many kids' diets are deficient in a number of key nutrients 25
Children's diets often mimic those of their parents leading to similar deficiencies 26
Children lack micro nutrients from fruit and vegetables 26
Diet deficiencies have other negative health implications which are not helped by the relatively high frequency by which kids skip main meals, especially breakfast 27
Takeouts and implications: dietary deficiencies create notable opportunities for nutritional supplements and functional foods 27
INSIGHT: Education is key to encouraging children to make better food choices 28
Food advertising has a huge impact on kids, but can be used more positively 28
The educational environment is key to shaping children's eating habits 28
European consumers feel education is the way forward for improving children's diets 29
German consumer research shows the importance of educating children early in life 30
Takeouts and implications: making nutritional education of both parents and kids should be priority 31
INSIGHT: There are a number of growth opportunities in offering healthier products to kids 31
Functional foods are filtering into children's products 31
Brain or 'mood foods' may be seen as more important for kids in future 32
Energizing products may see kids better balanced each day 33
Organic and natural are becoming popular with parents 34
High fruit content is an opportunity to help make children healthier 34
Better-for-you products are necessary to instill better dietary habits 35
Offering portion control is a simple way to help limit calorie intake 35
ACTION POINTS 37
ACTION: Make nutritional education of both parents and kids a priority 37
Base nutritional advice on the long-term health needs of children not on corporate profit 37
Help parents to understand a balanced view of nutrition 37
Encourage parents to widen their choice of foods to promote diversity among children 37
Look for opportunities to nutritionally educate kids themselves 38
ACTION: Eradicate the 'bad' unnatural ingredients 38
Reformulate products to remove the 'unnatural' trans fats 39
Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from snacks and drinks 39
Reducing and then eradicating the use of additives (such as preservatives and coloring) in food products must be the short and long-term goal 40
ACTION: Add in more 'good' ingredients to food and beverages targeting children 40
Whole grains are popular ingredients in many food and drink products and are riding a current wave of popularity 41
Add fiber to improve digestion 41
Consider adding Omega oils where relevant and credible 42
Fortify with vitamins and calcium to improve children's diets 44
Undertake sensory profiling tests to determine product favorability 45
Involve kids in the product development process 45
ACTION: Emphasize enjoyment and how you can leverage different dimensions of fun 45
There are numerous dimensions associated with fun 46
ACTION: Make societal marketing a priority 48
ACTION: Avoid misleading advertising 49
APPENDIX 50
Additional data 50
Definitions 55
Methodology 55
References and further reading 56
Ask the analyst 57
Datamonitor consulting 57
Disclaimer 57
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Table 1: Obese and overweight children* (5-13 year olds) by country and region (% and millions), Asia-Pacific, Europe and US, 2002-2012 7
Table 2: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected food categories, Asia-Pacific,* Europe and US, 2007 16
Table 3: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected drinks categories, Asia-Pacific,* Europe and US, 2007 18
Table 4: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected food categories by country, US & Europe, 2007 50
Table 5: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected food categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007 51
Table 6: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007 52
Table 7: Kids (aged 5-13) per capita consumption (US$), in selected drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007 52
Table 8: Market share by value (US$) of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007 53
Table 9: Market share by value (US$) of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007 53
Table 10: Over-consumption of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, US & Europe, 2007 54
Table 11: Over-consumption of 5-13 year olds in selected food and drinks categories by country, Asia-pacific, 2007 54
Figure 1: Kids are made up of two demographics: Children (5-9 year olds) and Tweens (10-13 year olds) 4
Figure 2: Threats and opportunities are present in equal measure in kids' nutrition 5
Figure 3: European consumers perceive that childhood obesity is worsening 8
Figure 4: Kids' nutrition is an increasingly important issue for print media channels 10
Figure 5: Most European consumers feel advertising has some effect on kids' dietary habits 11
Figure 6: Americans feel that food advertising contributes to childhood obesity, but attach more responsibility with parents 12
Figure 7: Negative images associated with poor nutrition will accentuate parent interest in healthy or better-for-you alternatives 12
Figure 8: Kids snack more than most other age groups in Europe and the US 17
Figure 9: Parents are looking to moderate certain food and beverage types and they are focusing on the inherently good content (or added nutrition) within food and drink which is symptomatic of the continuum of healthy eating behaviors of the population more generally 23
Figure 10: Most European consumers think better nutritional education for parents is essential 30
Figure 11: Functional foods are a key trend in adult foods and may become more prominent in kids' foods 32
Figure 12: Brain foods may become a growth area for children's products 33
Figure 13: Energizing products must help to balance energy levels 33
Figure 14: Organic products are available in a host of children's products 34
Figure 15: High fruit content is an important route to children's required five-a-day 35
Figure 16: Calorie-controlled products can be fun and not just diet options 36
Figure 17: Removing trans fats is an 'easy win' to improve the perceived healthiness of a food product 39
Figure 18: Using natural sweeteners is more appealing to concerned parents 40
Figure 19: Wholegrains should move beyond bakery and cereal products 41
Figure 20: Added fiber is a development being pursued in many product categories 42
Figure 21: Omega oils are thought to be good for the heart and the brain 43
Figure 22: Vitamins have long been associated with good health 44
Figure 23: Making food fun is important to attract children 46
Figure 24: There are numerous dimension kids associate with 'fun' 47
Figure 25: European consumers would like to see more children taking exercise 48
Figure 26: Unclear advertising could negatively affect sales 49
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