Mothers prioritise formula for infant and toddler growth and immunity
According to a global poll conducted by Arla Foods Ingredients, mothers’ decisions to buy infant or toddler formula are most likely to be influenced by the health benefits of healthy growth and immunity.
YouGov was hired by Arla Foods Ingredients to survey 6,800 women in 13 different countries. All of the women were between the ages of 18 and 45, had at least a college degree, and were either pregnant or had children ages 0–4.
The YouGov surveyed a minimum of 500 women in each of France, Germany, Poland, the UK, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico and the US. The research was carried out in the first half of 2025.
When asked an open-ended question regarding the formula product selection criteria, 40% of the mothers listed quality, 40% listed ingredients and nutrients, and 30% listed health and safety. All of these considerations were scored higher than price or brand.
When shown a list of health benefits and asked to pick three that were most important when buying formula, healthy growth scored highest (chosen by 61%), followed by immunity (56%) and gut comfort (44%).
Only half the mothers surveyed were able to name any ingredients in infant formula. However, when prompted, lactose was very widely heard of, followed by probiotics, milk fat and plant proteins. Mothers in Asian countries, especially China, displayed higher than average awareness of and preference for specialised protein ingredients like alpha-lactalbumin, whey protein hydrolysate and milk fat globule membrane.
Viorela Andreea Indolean, industry marketing manager Early Life Nutrition, at Arla Foods Ingredients, noted that the goal of this research was to explore awareness of formula products, as well as the way priorities and preferences vary between markets.
Although the names of specific ingredients aren’t top of mind for most mothers, it’s clear that when they’re shopping for formula, they’re thinking about health, safety and nutritional quality more than factors like price or brand.
“We hope these insights will be valuable for manufacturers – both in terms of understanding what parents want from formula products, and improving their understanding of the ingredients they contain.”
Other key findings were:
- Paediatricians topped the list of reliable sources of information about formula.
- The highest priority in terms of product labelling was nutritional information, which mothers saw as more important than indications of organic status or sustainability-related features.
- Six in ten respondents had switched formula brand at least once. The most common reason for switching was tolerance issues.
Arla Foods Ingredients discussed the findings in a webinar at 9am CET on 30th October. The link to register is: https://webinar.arlafoodsingredients.com/a-mothers-choice-global-drivers-of
