A retail report has revealed that customers choose frozen food for health and convenience reasons, rather than affordability.
According to product intelligence business Vypr in its latest Consumer Horizon Report, convenience motivates a third of consumers (33%) to buy frozen products, while a longer shelf life appeals to a quarter (25%). In contrast, only 13% cite cost as a reason for their choice.
Vypr said that brands and retailers can no longer rely on price to entice more consumers into the freezer aisle as sustainability, additives and health are all playing bigger factors in shoppers’ choice than before.
The report found that two-thirds (66%) of consumers are more likely to buy frozen food that is labelled as sustainably sourced or produced and that over half (55%) will pay extra for frozen foods that are sustainably sourced.
Provenance of frozen food is also becoming more important, as it is already for fresh produce, said Vypr, with over half (52%) of UK consumers considering the origin of frozen foods as important. When choosing frozen products, over a third of shoppers (34%) will check to see if it has been locally grown or produced.
In addition to sustainability and provenance, 25% of consumers are attracted to frozen products with a FairTrade label while just over one in five (24%) look for award-winning badges and a further 23% look for ethical labour practices. Two-thirds (65%) of consumers check to see if preservatives, artificial flavours or additives have been added to frozen foods.
Frozen food an “unsung hero”
Matt Everitt from Vypr said: “Frozen food has long been seen as the unsung hero of the supermarket shelves with a reputation for unhealthy and full of UPF. The work in recent years from brands, supermarkets and the BFFF is paying off as almost nine in 10 consumers (89%) think that the nutritional quality of frozen foods has improved in recent years, with a quarter (26%) saying the improvement has been significant.
“This paints a great picture for the future of frozen, even more so as the key factor to make people more likely to shop frozen was more product variety (46%) which just topped those looking for a price sensitive shop (44%).”
He said there was “more work to be done” as nearly half (46%) of consumers associate frozen foods with being heavily processed or containing additives, with 18% feeling this strongly. But there are positive signs for frozen, the report found, as if consumers are informed this was not the case, then two-thirds (66%) would have a better opinion, rising to 70% in the 35-44 age category.
Rupert Ashby, CEO of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), commented: “The Consumer Horizon Report and its findings are hugely positive for the frozen food industry but show that we still have a way to go to win over consumer trust that frozen has always been a healthy option as nutrients and vitamins are maintained for the life of the products in your freezer.
“As new demographics explore the frozen aisles, expectations are shifting. Health and wellness concerns are becoming more prominent, and sustainability has taken centre stage as one of the few areas where people are willing to pay more. Brands that can successfully balance sustainability and health with taste, convenience, and price are well-positioned to thrive. However, we need to keep informing consumers about all the benefits to overcome lingering misconceptions around additives and processing.”
