Did you know that the average French household spends €220 per year on frozen foods? Every second, 65 kilos of frozen food are consumed! The stars of the shelves: ice cream, potato-based foods, vegetables... But new products are hot on their heels. Focus on the benefits of frozen products and their availability in organic stores!
The advantages of frozen food
Freezing has many advantages for the consumer! Indeed, it allows:
- to ensure the freshness of products: freezing neither removes nor adds anything to the products. It blocks their evolution and guarantees their quality and a longer shelf life
- to preserve the nutritional value of food without altering its nutrient or vitamin content
- to limit losses and waste: serve yourself the right amount, and don't let it get lost at the bottom of the fridge
- to offer dishes without added salt: even prepared products have a controlled salt content to respect the balance of taste
- to offer practicality: there are more than 7,000 frozen products ready to eat or cook, such as peeled or pre-cut vegetables
- to offer healthy and environmentally friendly products.
Another advantage of frozen products is for collective catering (canteens, hospitals, retirement homes), which must produce large volumes of food: purchasing frozen products allows food to be better preserved, and thus the quantity of products can be measured, while guaranteeing a balanced diet for guests.
2019 trends in the frozen food aisle
Although classic frozen foods such as plain vegetables, fish, stir-fries, soups, pizza, fries, and ice cream remain the undisputed favorites in the rankings, new frozen products are emerging in line with new consumer expectations. They give pride of place to:
- discovery and an exotic taste journey
- plant-based: the green touch is definitely there to satisfy new aspirations, particularly flexitarians (49% of households eat more fruits and vegetables than last year)
- to special diets: gluten-free, lactose-free, paleo...and Vegan products are increasingly represented in the frozen food section
- to new snacking products
- to healthy, natural, healthy products and even salads.
It is also interesting to note that buyers of frozen products are also looking for brands that are environmentally friendly and attentive to sustainable development: recyclable packaging, waste reduction, etc.
Heading for organic stores
While the organic market is booming (+15,7% growth in 2018), we see that organic consumers are not yet in the habit of buying frozen food (only 7% of household organic purchases are made in the frozen section). However, the organic frozen food market continues to grow with increasingly extensive ranges. Some conventional frozen food specialists are not hesitant to develop their own organic production lines.
Why this evolution? Quite simply because mentalities are changing, with more and more organic consumers fleeing ultra-processed products and seeking more authenticity.
New products, more attractive to organic consumers, such as spirulina, frozen pollen, and vegan ready meals, could gradually help organic customers turn to this rapidly expanding market. There is therefore significant room for growth with real opportunities for players in this market segment!
Natexpo and its Frozen thematic tour
Natexpo allows visitors to quickly find all the companies that offer frozen products thanks to a dedicated thematic tour! You may come across:
- Prince of Brittany, specializing in frozen vegetables (fried, pureed, fritters, bundles of green beans) with an organic range since 1997
- Aquibio, distributor of organic frozen products (French fruit ice cream, spirulina, vegetables, vegetarian ready meals, etc.) for organic specialist stores, restaurants and collective catering
- Sole Mio, and its famous frozen pizzas (conventional or organic) traditionally made in a wood-fired oven according to the expertise of pizza makers, in an artisanal spirit
- The blue plate, Vendée company specializing in seafood products (breaded fish, minced fish, shrimp, etc.) with quality products, palm oil-free and certified organic, MSC and ASC
- Vegaia, to taste the vegetarian alternative: vegan products (vegetable stir-fries, falafels, vegetable steak, etc.) without preservatives, yeast extract or GMOs
- Virto Group, present in 6 countries, offers vegetables, fruits, prepared meals and a wide organic range.
- FRDP, Specialist in certified organic frozen fruits and vegetables since 1997, its strategy is based on transparent and secure channels allowing trust between its employees and its customers
Come and meet them and also discover other frozen food brands such as Clement's Vegetable Garden, Marinoe,Terraçai…present at Natexpo!