Can Growth in Global Baby Food Market Help Control Infant Mortality Rates?

Rise in global baby food market has led to improvement in children’s sanitation and nutrition levels which is giving many infants a better chance of surviving their first 5 years

Experts at TechSci Research got together to debate the impact of the global baby food market on infant mortality rates across Africa. Here are some of the key takeaways from the discussion:

Rising Malnutrition Awareness: A Huge Positive for Global Baby Food Market

Malnutrition has historically been one of the biggest challenges faced by governments especially vis a vis lowering infant mortality rates. Food security and food sovereignty play a major role in terms of prevention of malnutrition and therefore, for infants, global baby food market becomes very important.

WHO studies report that nearly 6 million children under 5 years of age died in 2015. Over half of them could have been prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable interventions. Nearly half of the children suffered from malnutrition, which was either a critical or underlying factor behind the child deaths.

According to TechSci Research report “Global Baby Food Market, 2012 - 2022”, the rise in demand in the global baby food market has caused a sharp decline in infant mortality rates across the world, hence providing causality to the WHO thesis on malnutrition and its effect on infant mortality rate. While it is true that residual factors such as access to better healthcare etc. also play a strong role, a strong nutritive base is perhaps one of the foremost line of defences against child deaths.

As awareness levels rise across the globe, it stands to reason that so will the global baby food market. Increasing innovation in the market, enhanced nutritive capabilities of a lot of the food items, government and NGO run campaigns to reduce infant mortality cases are all positively impacting the global baby food market.

MEA: Growing Demand Generator in Global Baby Food Market

To pick up from the previous point, Middle East & Africa (MEA) region has been the fastest growing in the global baby food market. Marked rise in real wages and awareness campaigns have ensured that, even though MENA birth-rate is in steep decline, the market for baby food is witnessing resounding growth. Lifting of informal restrictions on female labour force participation has also helped the global baby food market.

Africa’s ability, in spite of inconsistent infrastructure, political instability, corruption etc. to root out infant mortality rate is commendable. The World Bank has lauded the initiatives taken by various African governments to eradicate the same, and the infant mortality rate has gone down at a rate of 4.4% since 2005. Of course, the global baby food market has played a major role, by providing nutrition and thus reducing the number of child death cases across the continent.

With a growing tendency to innovate and experiment with different flavours, rise in sanitation levels vis a vis baby food with packaged baby food, easier transportation etc. global baby foods market is doing its fair share in ensuring that children get the chance to lead long, happy and prosperous lives.

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