Categorywatching Report - Frozen

Our latest Categorywatching report is live covering what we've been tracking across the frozen food category of late. We've compiled our three key takeouts from the report to give you a taste for what to expect.

Attention is firmly on frozen food, post the lockdowns of last year, as younger consumers come into the category. Even though we are all returning to shopping more often, and not stockpiling quite so much (at the moment), our love for frozen continues. A good way to reduce waste and often to shop more affordably, with minimum artificial preservatives, store cupboard ingredients such as herbs, an extended choice of pre-cut vegetables and ready-prepared fish means that flavoursome scratch-cooked meals are often just minutes away.

Here our three key takeouts from the report - while Trendhub subscribers can read the full Frozen report via the link at the bottom of this article:

1. Lunchtime
With so many WFH lunches, the opportunity for the freezer to play a bigger part could be huge. Ipsa Provisions in the US have launched a range of frozen sandwiches ready in less than 15 minutes. With fillings ranging from cured artisan meats to hearty greens such as mushroom and kale melts, lunch is often looked forward too even more.

2. Affordable Luxury
Shopping frozen tends to be cheaper, and we are seeing more restaurant tastes come to frozen. Pizza topped with butter roasted mushrooms, fontina, sage and truffled pecorino enjoyed at home, why not? Luxury is intertwined with sustainability as quality ingredients with provenance are called out – Sweet and Sour mackerel caught in Cornwall paired with pickled veg enters the premium realm.

3. No Cows Involved
Extended plant-based choice continues to accelerate, and we are seeing more dairy alternatives on pizza bases, within ice cream and 'creamy' risottos. However, alongside plant-based, different dairy such as creamy goats cheese and tart raspberry sherbet bring alternative tastes to ice cream.

Trendhub subscribers can read the full report here. If you're not yet subscribed but are keen to find out more, get in contact using the links below.