Frozen food industry benefits from convenience trend
The importance of frozen products is growing among consumers. This is explained by the German Frozen Food Institute (dti), the exclusive partner of Anuga Frozen Food.
Frozen products make life easier and have become an integral part of international cuisine. With Anuga Frozen Food, Anuga will be offering a business platform in Cologne for suppliers and trade buyers from the frozen food sector from 5 to 9 October 2019. In Halls 4.1 and 4.2 of the Cologne Exhibition Center, around 600 exhibitors will be presenting the wide range of products and services in the frozen food segment, both for the retail trade and for the food service segment, which continues to grow strongly.
The strongest trends in the frozen food market are convenience and health. Healthy Eating is popular with consumers and is implemented with innovations from the vegan, vegetarian and “free-from” product sectors. The trend towards meat substitutes would be inconceivable without frozen foods. Convenience continues to be very important for consumers. Ready-to-serve meals and bakery products serve the desire for time-saving and work facilitation. Frozen food products are also recording high growth rates in the out-of-home market. Pre-portioned and ready-prepared components ensure maximum safety, flexible preparation and portioning and relieve the workload for staff in professional kitchens. In most cases, all you have to do is open the packaging and slide the goods into the oven or microwave. In just a few minutes, the menu is warm and ready to serve. According to dti, deep-frozen products deliver high quality and safety. They are characterized by freshness, taste, ease of preparation and long shelf life – without the addition of preservatives. Other current nutritional trends include organic, halal and international specialties. Products with a high protein content, especially ice cream, are playing an increasingly important role in finger food and snacks. The frozen food industry is therefore always a guarantor for product innovations.
Market figures
Whether in Europe, North America, or Asia-Pacific – thanks to its technological advantages the industry is growing in all regions of the world and offers consumers modern dietary solutions. According to Markets and Markets, the value of the global frozen food market is estimated at around USD 219.9 billion in 2018 and expected to reach nearly USD 282.5 billion by 2023, an increase of 5.1 percent over 2018. Sales of frozen products are also growing steadily worldwide. According to the market research company Euromonitor International, the highest sales volumes worldwide are achieved with frozen ready meals (4.973 million tonnes = metric tons), frozen fruit and vegetables (6.473 million tonnes) and frozen meat products (3.378 million tonnes). According to dti, Germany also recorded a growth rate of 1.0 per cent in 2018, thus continuing its positive trend. The current market data survey of the German Frozen Food Institute shows a total sales volume of 3.769 million tonnes (3.730 million tonnes in 2017). Sales of frozen products increased by 2.8 percent to EUR 14.750 billion (EUR 14.343 billion in 2017). At 46.3 kg, average per capita consumption also remains at a high level. Last year the consumption of frozen food per household in Germany rose to an average of 93.4 kilograms (92.8 kg in 2017). The frozen food segment also grew in the out-of-home market. According to dti, sales to professional users rose by 1.8 percent to 1.925 million tonnes (2017: 1.890 million tonnes). This results in a turnover of EUR 6.77 billion (plus 3.4 percent by comparison with the previous year).
