Frozen food is increasingly considered a wise choice by shoppers as they seek better value in the current economic downturn, according to new research from the UK.

Research carried out for the Food and Drink Federation’s Frozen Food Group by Insight Track Ltd shows that half of consumers (49%) believe that frozen food will help them through the credit crunch. The good news for frozen food in the current climate is that 70% of consumers understand the main tangible benefits of frozen food, which are that it minimises waste, and that they need to shop less often.

Over 80% of consumers also value the key attributes of frozen food – storage, convenience and quality – while 75% agree that quality is better than it used to be. A total of 73% of consumers think frozen food offers a good range of premium products.

“Consumers appreciate that there is less waste with frozen food and, in fact, over two-thirds (67%) choose frozen food because it minimises food wastage,” Norman Soutar, Chairman of the Frozen Food Group, and Managing Director of William Jackson Food Group, said. “Less wastage means that money is saved, which is obviously of concern to people in these tough times. Another advantage is, of course, the benefit to the environment.”

“Consumers also find frozen food convenient to use, with good nutritional value, which is good news for manufacturers and retailers alike as the industry responds to changing consumer needs with innovative NPD and marketing campaigns.”

“We saw good sales growth in frozen food last year, and we expect to see continued growth over the coming months,” he concluded.

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