Despite the much-vaunted farm-to-table movement among the foodie crowd, frozen foods are gaining in popularity with home cooks.

This comes as frozen food manufacturers branch out into different cuisines and have improved flash-freezing technology, and as food bloggers (especially those appealing to millennials) have added recipes geared to frozen foods on their websites. Even marthastewart.com—hardly a fly-by night operation— features a how-to for roasting frozen broccoli.

Frozen food dollar sales in the U.S. rose 1.4 percent in the last year, with frozen vegetables jumping 4.5 percent over the previous year, according to research firm Nielsen. And this year the category saw its best March performance in five years, says Skip Shaw, president of The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. Shaw says the group has targeted marketing campaigns focused on changing the stigma about frozen foods. And those campaigns are coming out swinging.

“We go where the consumer is talking about food and communicate about the benefits of frozen food,” says Shaw. “We utilize extensive social media campaigns, influencer marketing, media outreach and strategic partnerships and collaborative industry efforts to tell the frozen story to target audiences.”

The move comes as consumers’ dining habits and traditions are changing. “There are many new frozen food brands and product lines now catering to a wider variety of cultures and dietary requirements,” Shaw says. “Whether someone is looking for vegan, ethnic, gluten-free, organic or antibiotic-free meat, the frozen food aisle has it all and more.” The target audience? “The messaging is resonating for sure, particularly with millennials.”

Any retailer looking over a supermarket’s frozen aisle will see that frozen is not about corn anymore. The craze for riced cauliflower is more than satisfied in the frozen aisle, and while retailers report that the sales of spiralizers in stores are strong, so are sales of spiralized frozen vegetables.

“Consumers today are looking for simpler, nutrient-rich, flavorful and less engineered foods. And they are concerned about food waste,” Shaw says. “Frozen food is real food, just frozen.”

 

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Email
Reddit

Connect on Social Media

Similar Content

Shipping Challenges in 2025

The year 2025 is shaping up to potentially be a wild ride in container shipping. From potential strikes to looming increased tariffs and Chinese New

Read More »

Pet Products Pavilion Added to The Inspired Home Show® 2025

Pet product suppliers looking to expand their retail customer base have a new resource with The Inspired Home Show®. The 2025 Show will feature a Pet Products Pavilion, curating collections exclusively from members of the American Pet Products Association (APPA). The pavilion is a partnership between the International Housewares Association (IHA), which owns and operates the Show, and APPA.

Read More »

IHA Announces 2024 gia Top Window Award Global Honorees

The Inspired Home Show® and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, announced the Global Honorees for the gia Top Window Awards during the “Shoppers Just Want to Have Fun: Visual Trends Captivating Millennial and Gen Z Consumers / gia Top Window Award” presentation by gia expert juror Anne Kong earlier today.

Read More »
Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

No spam, notifications only about new member updates & products.

On Key

Related Posts

Shipping Challenges in 2025

The year 2025 is shaping up to potentially be a wild ride in container shipping. From potential strikes to looming increased tariffs and Chinese New

Pet Products Pavilion Added to The Inspired Home Show® 2025

Pet product suppliers looking to expand their retail customer base have a new resource with The Inspired Home Show®. The 2025 Show will feature a Pet Products Pavilion, curating collections exclusively from members of the American Pet Products Association (APPA). The pavilion is a partnership between the International Housewares Association (IHA), which owns and operates the Show, and APPA.

IHA Announces 2024 gia Top Window Award Global Honorees

The Inspired Home Show® and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, announced the Global Honorees for the gia Top Window Awards during the “Shoppers Just Want to Have Fun: Visual Trends Captivating Millennial and Gen Z Consumers / gia Top Window Award” presentation by gia expert juror Anne Kong earlier today.

Picture of IHA

IHA

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit dolor

Log in to gain access to your permitted IHA resources.

Don’t have an account? Register here now!

Skip to content