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There is further scope for companies to formulate products for toddlers using nutrition-rich dairy ingredients and tap into the $34 billion toddler and food and beverage market, Arla Foods Ingredients has claimed.
The popularity of dairy ingredients such as whey continues to grow in mainstream food, the company said, and they are already well-established as key ingredients in the tightly regulated infant formula sector. But they remain under-used in products aimed at children aged between one and three, Arla said – a crucial period in a child’s development.
Sales of toddler products are forecast for compound annual growth of 11.4% between 2016 and 2018, indicating the potential that the market offers.
“As they transition from babies to toddlers, young children enter a new phase in which they leave behind their exclusively milk-based diet,” said Anne Staudt Kvistgaard, senior manager for pediatric for Arla Foods Ingredients. “They begin to eat a more varied selection of food and drink and develop their own preferences. In addition, due to their limited stomach capacity and high activity levels, toddlers will often get hungry, and naturally they will crave the most tempting foods.
“All of this means it’s very important that parents make certain their child’s needs are met to support proper growth. The toddler years are a crucial period during which it’s important to ensure children receive the right nutrients and develop healthy eating habits.”
Dairy ingredients offer the perfect solution for toddler-specific products such as snack bars, squeezable pouches, yogurts, fruit drinks, milk drinks and toddler formulas. Rich in essential amino acids and minerals, they are filling and gentle on the stomach. In addition, they are healthy, natural and completely safe, all of which are priorities for parents of young children, Arla said. They also have a pleasant milk flavour that is ideal for young taste buds.
Arla Foods Ingredients also highlighted its own suite of nutrition-rich dairy ingredients, such as its Lacprodan whey proteins, Capolac milk calcium solution, and Lacprodan PL-20 milk protein concentrate.
Staudt Kvistgaard continued: “A child’s diet during the sensitive toddler years is a key determinant of their health both in the short and long term. Even though they are leaving behind their milk-based diet, proteins and minerals from milk should continue to form the bedrock of their diet to ensure they get a healthy start in life. For food and beverage companies, this offers an excellent opportunity to create products that are perfectly balanced for a toddler’s specific needs, and which will appeal to parents keen to ensure the best possible diet for their children.”
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