From competitors to allies. The advantages for companies, supermarkets, and consumers

An interesting survey of FreshCutNews, a magazine which deals with the fruits and vegetables market, tells us a change that we were waiting.

The starting point: the negative myth of frozen foods

For decades, the world of frozen foods is facing up a myth that is diffuclt to manage: less quality, less safety, less taste. So, it seems that frozing food is considered an attack against the healthiness of products.
Instead, this action allows to stop the process of deterioration. A process that allows to frozen food to make available to people a product characterized by its maximum organolpetic properties. Of course, that depends on an efficient cold chain.
A negative myth that all the market has to realize. A falsity that every company has to contribute to debunk. Dispelling this myth will bring a collective improvement and then an individual one.

What has changed in 2020?

In 2020, frozen fruits and vegetables has registered an increase of 25% of turnover in Italy. These data are confirmed by several sources: from the reseraches by the main market watchers as Nielsen and Coop, to the internal data of each company situated both in the frozen branch and in the frsh fruits and vegetables one.
According to Nielsen, frozen fruits and vegetables is the most appreciated category from consumers after the ice cram one. This appreciation has led to a vertical growth during the pandemic. But it is the category of frozen ready-to-eat that will grew more in next years.

Two data:

  • fruits and vegetables, in its every category, has seen a decrease of turnover about 7% as compared to last year
  • frozen market has grown about 24%

According to recent estimates, the frozen business will be very nearly to 300 billions of turnover this year. Leader comsumers of these products are Danes. They consume 97 pounds per person, but all the Nordic countries are between the main purchaser.

Advantages to promote

Frozen market can have an important growth. Companies can choose thier unique selling proposition principalmente between two relevant characteristics:

  • valure for money (clearly less than fress products)
  • longer shelf life

A third and a fourth aspect to consider regard quality and safety. They are delicate to be treated, but it is important to find how put this knowledge inside the mind of consumers.

Frozen foods has advantages also for food service. They allow less necessity of work because of the possibility to nor peel neither wash the rwa materials.

These data testify the growth.

The Coop’s report “Italia 2021, il next normal degli italiani” has foreseen that the frozen sector will increase its turnover about 3 billions of euros until the end of the year. this prediction is based also on the improving about 25% of the online shop’s cost as compared to the physical shopping cart: to reduce the costs becomes the mantra to followed. And if you can do it without loosing quality, it is also better.
The forzen market boom is not only an Italian trend. This trend engages all the Europe. We can see an incredible example in France: frozen pineapple and mango have registred a growth of +100%.

It will be very important to continue the promotion of this market.
Comanies and supermarkets should investe on this sector, particolarly promoting a culture about the forzen foods.
Consumers should trust, try, and test.
A change of paradigm in the food market that can represent a triple-win action, binging advantages to everyone: companies, supermarkets and people.