Health Update: Health Update: Health Wellness Trends and E-commerce Expansion Drive Frozen Food Market Growth – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
The global frozen food market size reached USD 261.9 Billion in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 360 Billion by 2033, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 3.59% during 2025-2033.
Rising Demand for Convenient and Time-Saving Meal Solutions Driving Market Growth
The global frozen food market is expected to witness growth owing to the increasing demand for convenience and time-saving meals due to the busy lifestyles and demanding work schedules of the working class. Furthermore, growth in urbanization and increasing participation of women in the workforce are expected to benefit the growth of the frozen food market globally in various households. Frozen foods can be much more desirable than preparing foods for the day of service because they are convenient, have a long shelf life, take less time to prepare, and are proven to maintain the quality, nutritional value, and flavor of a meal. Unlike some other fresh foods, frozen foods require little preparation and cooking. Frozen food products are an easy way for consumers to prepare meals, as the product is ready to use when unwrapped.
The variety is also in international demand, with the time saved in food preparation, portion control to reduce wastage, and year-round access to seasonal foods contributing to customer acceptance. Food service industries that include restaurants, quick service restaurants, hotels and restaurants providing catering services have started using frozen food ingredients and frozen food for food service operations, due to higher efficiency and consistency. Frozen food helps with better meal preparation, nutrition retention, and availability in the form of ready meals, vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, and bakery products. This is expected to drive the market in the future. The trend in convenience nutrition, helped by the time poverty phenomenon and the rampant institutionalization of ready to eat meal solutions, is increasing the frozen food market worldwide.
Recent Trends & Developments in the Frozen Food Market
Expansion of Retail Distribution and E-Commerce Strengthening Market Reach
Key drivers for the market include, a rise in retail distribution channels at a fast pace and the growth of e-commerce, which cater to changes in shopping patterns of consumers. The increase in the number of retail distribution channels is also driven by the increasing convenience-seeking trend among the consumers. Supermarkets and hypermarkets offer the largest distribution channel for frozen food. They offer the widest array of frozen foods and are usually the lowest price. Supermarkets and hypermarkets also provide a one-stop shopping experience, allowing customers to compare products, learn about new products, and buy frozen food with other grocery items. The global market is being fueled by user-friendly applications and online ordering options, with growing internet penetration and increase in smartphone ownership. Consumers have adopted online retailing platforms to a large extent and sales of frozen foods increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic period. According to the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), frozen foods bought online were varied and growing, with 99% of U.S. households buying frozen foods over the one year period. National retailers and e-commerce companies have increased their investment in the cold chain, which keeps products at a safe temperature from manufacturers to consumers. Past complaints included frozen products arriving warm. Packaging is also an area of innovation.
Manufacturers have introduced resealable packaging, controlled portion packaging, microwaveable packaging, and environmentally friendly packaging in response to changing consumer preferences. Higher market premium segment opportunities include gourmet frozen meals, organic products, world foods, and chef-created frozen dinners uniquely positioned for the high-income consumers. Speciality market opportunities for gluten-free, vegan, low-calorie and other alternative diets are also available. Versioning (i.e., product variants with different prices, qualities and cuisines) helps the industry to serve the complete price and income segments, while creating competitive pressure for product and distribution innovation across the overall sector.
Technological Advancements in Freezing and Cold Chain Infrastructure Enhancing Product Quality
Technical advances in freezing foods and cold chain logistics have given rise to potentially revolutionary shifts in frozen food product quality and market. No longer is the frozen food product solely about convenience and cost savings. Advances in freezing technology have allowed for improved taste, texture, and nutrition to be preserved. Modern rapid blast freezing systems can reach -18 °C in minutes, resulting in finer ice crystals that better preserve cellular structure and sensory quality. The development of blast freezing techniques has enabled frozen food manufacturers to compete in premium markets against fresh produce. More recently, cryogenic freezing using liquid nitrogen has transformed the market for preserving foodstuffs with extremely fine structure, such as seafood, berries and portioned, ready-to-cook products that contain complexly layered, fragile structures. Another property of IQF is the prevention of large ice crystals that can damage the cellular integrity and quality of individual pieces. This technology is popular in the fruit, vegetable and seafood sectors. It preserves the freshness and quality of particular sensitive ingredients that cannot be retained after a customary freezing process. New technology provides unprecedented levels of supply chain transparency and product quality tracking.
Real time temperature monitoring by Internet of Things (IoT) sensors during the storage and transit of products and the ability to trace each product from farm to fork using blockchain technology help to prevent spoilage and build consumer confidence in frozen food products. The global market for cold chain has also grown quickly, especially in the developing world, where investment in temperature controlled warehouses, refrigerated transport and retail freezer availability has improved the distribution and availability of frozen foods considerably. The most important breakthrough for the freezing and preservation is that the improved quality and infrastructure will remain available in the world food industry for the foreseeable future.
Recent Developments & News
• April 2023: Nestle partnered with private equity firm PAI Partners to establish a joint venture for the Nestle frozen pizza business in Europe.
• July 2023: Conagra Brands, Inc. launched over 50 new products across grocery, frozen, and snacks categories, expanding their frozen meal portfolio.
• March 2024: Thai Union Group initiated a program aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the shrimp supply chain.