Mortality of neonates continues to be a major problem in humans and animals. IgA provides protection against microbial antigens at mucosal surfaces. Although β-carotene supplementation has been expected to enhance retinoic acid-mediated immune response in neonates, the exact mechanism by which β-carotene enhances IgA production is still unclear. We investigated the effect of supplemental β-carotene for maternal mice during pregnancy and lactation on IgA antibody-secreting cells (ASC) in mammary gland and guts and on IgA transfer from milk to neonatal mice. Pregnant mice were fed untreated or 50 mg/kg β-carotene-supplemented diets from 6·5 d postcoitus (dpc) to 14 d postpartum (dpp). Supplemental β-carotene increased the numbers of IgA ASC in mammary gland (P < 0·05) and ileum (P < 0·001), and also mRNA expression of IgA C-region in ileum (P < 0·05) of maternal mice at 14 dpp, but few IgA ASC were detected in mammary gland at 17·5 dpc. IgA concentration in stomach contents, which represents milk IgA level, was significantly higher (P < 0·01) in neonatal mice born to β-carotene-supplemented mothers at 7 and 14 dpp, and IgA concentration in serum, stomach contents and faeces increased (P < 0·001) drastically with age. These results suggest that β-carotene supplementation for maternal mice during pregnancy and lactation is useful for enhancing IgA transfer from maternal milk to neonates owing to the increase in IgA ASC in mammary gland and ileum during lactation.