The eating habits of kids and teens remain a hot topic for food manufacturers and retailers, which recognize that they are targeting an often-fickle audience. However, the increasing influence that these young consumers have at mealtime at home makes them a demographic worth pursuing. At the same time, pressure from outside forces, including the government, due to the alarming increase in obesity among young people in recent years, has made many food and snack manufacturers wary of how they market their products. In spite of this, new products aimed at teens and kids abound in the snack and food aisles, and all evidence shows that this will continue to be the case.

In this report, Mintel looks at these and other factors that influence the market around the eating habits of kids and teens. Some of the critical questions examined in this report include:

What influences kids and teens with regard to their eating habits?

Where are kids and teens eating these days?

What are they most interested in eating?

How big of an influence do their parents have?

What is the spending power of teens themselves? Do they spend their own money on food?

What role do fast-food establishments play in all of this?