• Brandweek, Wednesday, October 4, 2006 12:15 PM

With sales of organic baby foods rising 19 percent last year, Wal-Mart, Similac and Hain Celestial are gearing up to increase their share of the $6.6 million segment of the overall $3.1 billion market. Last February, Similac was the first national brand to launch an organic baby formula. Wal-Mart rolled out Parent's Choice this past summer. Organic food company Hain Celestial starts to ship Earth's Best Infant Formula this month. All three brands are targeting "Yoga Mommies"--a term coined in a study from Packaged Facts last February on the U.S. infant product market.

The study examined the lifestyles of affluent 20- and 30-something moms, and estimated that they spent $8 billion in 2005 on baby-related items, excluding food. Similac launches marketing this week with a major focus on its Web site, SimilacMomsAlliance.com; support includes print. Hain Celestial will support Earth's Best with print, direct mail, online efforts and promotions starting early next year. Ads boast that its organic formula is "patterned after breast milk," well aware that the medical community strongly favors it for infant feeding. Wal-Mart supports Parent's Choice with circulars, in-store radio and demos during Wal-Mart Baby Days. The jury is still out, however, on whether organic foods are a healthier option to traditional baby formula. "There is no scientific data showing any significant health advantage to buying organic," says a representative for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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