(Newswire.net — December 15, 2016) — People have made their own baby food for centuries. Mashing up carrots, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables is an easy way to get babies the nutrients they need in a form they can eat.
But when glass jar baby foods went on the market, many parents shifted away from mashing their own baby food in favor of this easier way to feed an infant. It removed the time-consuming facet of cooking carrots and mashing them, but convenience isn’t everything.
Over time, parents became concerned about the preservatives and other extra ingredients in glass jar baby food. Eventually, organic baby food has drawn a healthy (in every way) audience.
It offers the convenience of pre-made food without the artificial flavors, coloring, and preservatives that many parents don’t want their kids to consume. Due to the huge approval for these products, the organic baby food market has grown swiftly.
Organic Food’s Impact on the Global Food Market
According to a Zion Research report on varieties of baby food and their market performance, the Global Baby Food Market will account for an estimated $76.48 billion by 2021. This represents a 6.2 percent estimated growth rate between 2016 and 2021.
In 2015, the market was at $53.31 billion. If the Zion Research estimate is correct, the net worth of the Global Baby Food Market will be at $56.5 billion by the end of this year. A big part of this growth, according to experts, has been the rising popularity of organic baby foods.
“Parents are opting for natural ingredients and no additives containing food with major attraction on organic baby food products,” says the study. Before organic baby foods were widely publicized, many parents who didn’t want their children to have preservatives and artificial additives had gone back to making their own. Now they don’t have to.
The growth rate in global baby food sales is also attributed to the number of women who work outside the home. When both parents work, and mothers return to the workplace shortly after birth, the convenience of organic baby foods supports that lifestyle.
Companies have also become more socially responsible in recent years, partly to help the environment and partly as a strategy to attract more customer appreciation. Organic baby food producers are major stakeholders in the baby food market, and their efforts to support the environment and limit artificial additives also helps to drive the market.
North America is the Biggest Baby Food Market
Although the Asian Pacific market is one of the fastest-growing regions for baby food purchases, North America holds the most stock. This goes back to the popularity of organic baby foods.
Because of the publicity associated with organic foods on this side of the globe, many parents want only organic foods for their children. But this pattern in the market is not expected to last.
According to projections, a significant decline in North American births will occur in the next few years. It’s expected that a high percentage of the population will still use organic baby foods, but overall spending in the U.S. and Canada is likely to fall.
Interest in organic baby foods will have to be the fuel for the overall market in the coming years, and it is expected that it will be.
Organic Baby Food Is Part of the Future
Globally, GMOs will make up the bulk of the food we eat around the world. Businesses and farms find this approach far too efficient to consider making the switch. But organic foods will definitely be a big part of our future, both as consumers and as parents.
The demand is high now, and it will probably continue on this upward trend as parents become more educated and concerned.