With only a slight increase in the population of children aged three and under and slow but steady increases in the percentage of mothers who breastfeed their babies, the baby food and drink market has experienced only minimal dollar sales increases over the past five years. Economic pressures are likely to continue to depress category growth, at least in the short term, yet pockets of opportunity still exist in areas such as organics and private label.

With only a slight increase in the population of children aged three and under and slow but steady increases in the percentage of mothers who breastfeed their babies, the baby food and drink market has experienced only minimal dollar sales increases over the past five years. Economic pressures are likely to continue to depress category growth, at least in the short term, yet pockets of opportunity still exist in areas such as organics and private label.

This report examines the following market topics:

How the strong advocacy of breastfeeding by the medical community and various organizations affects not only the market potential for baby formula but also guides formula innovation and marketing

The impact of USDA's WIC program on various aspects of the baby formula market, from breastfeeding rates to market share

An assessment of new product activity across all segments of the category

How entrepreneurial moms are trying to carve out their own small portion of a market dominated by three major manufacturers

How supermarkets continue to dominate sales despite inroads from other channels promising value and convenience