UAE Baby Food Market Overview, 2029

The UAE has a relatively young population with a high birth rate. This demographic trend has created a large consumer base for baby food products. Additionally, the UAE has a multicultural population with diverse dietary preferences, which influences the variety of baby food options available on the market. Parents in the UAE are increasingly aware of the importance of providing their children with nutritious and balanced diets. They are conscious of the role of early childhood nutrition in the long-term health and development of their children. As a result, there is a growing demand for baby food products that offer high nutritional value and meet specific dietary requirements. The UAE has witnessed rapid urbanisation, leading to an increase in dual-income households and busy lifestyles. As a result, parents seek convenient and time-saving solutions for their children's meals. Ready-to-eat and on-the-go baby food products are popular choices among busy parents who want to ensure their children's nutrition without compromising on convenience. The UAE Baby Food Market has seen a rise in premium and health-focused products. Parents are willing to invest in higher-quality baby food options that offer organic, natural, and preservative-free ingredients. They prioritise products that are free from artificial additives and allergens and offer a range of options for special dietary needs. According to the report titled, “UAE Baby Food Market Outlook, 2029”, published by Bonafide Research the market in the country is expected to grow with a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period of 2024 to 2029. This growth rate is expected because of driving factors like increasing adoption of baby food products for fulfilling nutritional needs of babies along with the convenience of ready to eat baby food which is desired by the parents. The increasing number of working women in the country is going to help the market grow to a value of USD 400 Million by 2029. The market is segmented on the basis of product type and sales channel. The milk formula product category has historically been a major segment in the market. Milk formula is also known as infant formula is manufactured for infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle feeding. They act as a substitute for breast feeding, in some cases and provide ability to other partner to feed the baby during night times. This attribute of providing alternative has made this product type a large segment in UAE. The consumers in the country have always opted for buying baby food products from traditional point of sales like hyper and super markets, this segment therefore has the largest market share. But with changing consumer trends to e-commerce which is an online sales channel this particular segment is going to experience the highest market growth rate. This is due to the ability of this sales channel to directly deliver products to the doorstep a convenience factor which is desired by parents especially in urban locations.

The UAE is an Islamic country, and halal certification is an essential requirement for many consumers. Baby food products that are certified as halal hold significant appeal to Muslim parents, ensuring that the food aligns with their religious beliefs and dietary restrictions. The emerging trend of organic product consumption amongst consumer has also penetrated into the baby food market, with the consumers wanting organic food for their babies this trend has gained momentum in the country. This has resulted in the consumer Strict government regulations related to the manufacturing of baby food all though restrict the growth of the market, but are a boon for the consumer as these policies make sure food safety is upheld and quality products are used. Furthermore, the market is growth was contributed by the consultants and clinical doctors advising the consumption of such baby products for better baby health. Recent innovations in the baby food market have observed the manufacturers in the country making specialised products for the consumers. These specialised products include development of plant-based baby food products, vegan baby food and the before mentioned organic baby food. A trend observed in the global market which stands true for the market in UAE is that the manufacturers are using alternate for raw materials like bulk sugars and preservatives along with sodium. The market is restrained by many factors the major factor being the use of chemicals in production of these products. Along with this the market is recently also suffering from increase in cost of the end product which is the result of using organic raw materials which come at a higher price then the ones they are replacing. To tackle this problem manufacturers in UAE are introducing green marketing to make the consumer know about the ingredients and justify the cost. Consumers have recently started shifting to home-made meals for their children with the idea that fresh food is good food, this has led to a decline in the baby food market. Further, recent tests have found traces of heavy metals in baby food products which has steered the consumer away from consumption of these products. COVID-19 Impact like almost every other industry vertical the baby food industry was also affected by the pandemic in many different ways. The initial spread of the virus created fear of future availability of food stocks which led to panic buying behaviour amongst the consumers. This provided the market with a boost in terms of growth, on the other hand negative effects of the pandemic came with the implementation of nationwide lockdowns and travel restriction. With this the consumer turned to provide home cooked meals for the babies which affected the market negatively.

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Considered in the report • Geography: UAE • Base year: 2023 • Historical year: 2018 • Forecasted year: 2029 Aspects covered in the report • Market Size by Value for the period (2018-2029F) • Market Share by Product Type • Milk Formula • Dried Baby Food • Cereals • Others • Market Share by Channel Sales • Hyper/Supermarket • Convenience store • Pharmacy/ Drugstores • Online • Various drivers and challenges • On-going trends and developments • Top profiled companies • Strategic recommendation The approach of the report: We keep an eye on evolving markets and try to evaluate the potential of the products and services. If we find the market interesting, we start working on it and create the desired table of content, considering all aspects of the business. We start by creating separate questionnaires for C-level executives, national/regional sales personnel, company owners, dealers, distributors, and end-users. Once the questionnaires have been finalized, we start collecting the primary data (mostly through phone calls) and try to understand the market dynamics regionally or tier-wise. This process gives us in-depth details of the market, including all present companies, the top-performing products with reasons why they dominate; we get the details of new players and their innovative approaches; market trends; dynamics; and all the small details of the market. After the collection of primary inputs, we then cross-check the same with secondary sources that include associations, trade journals, annual reports, paid databases, newspapers, magazines, press releases, government sources, etc. From this, we get a rough estimate of the market and start checking existing product price variants, trade, production, raw material scenarios, policies and regulatory landscape, etc. Then, to finalize the market, we start collecting financials of each player present in the market, including limited, private limited, and LLPs. Moreover, we perform cross-industry and cross-region analysis of the product, and based on collected primary inputs and using statistical modeling, we start forecasting the market. We follow our forecasting algorithm, which is unique for each product but gives more weight age to primary inputs. At the same time, the content team starts preparing company profiles, market dynamics, market trends, five forces, PEST analysis, etc. Once the data is verified by the data expert, the team (primary team, content team, and data team) together crosscheck the segmentations, validate the market, and then the designing team starts plotting the graphs. Once the file is ready, the content team completes the report and makes sure that all the discussed points have been covered and provides their valuable inputs in the form of strategic recommendations for new as well as existing players. The QC team then checks the overall report that includes spell check, data verification, and makes the same dispatch ready and error-free. ? Intended Audience This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the Consumer goods and Service industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.

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