U.S. Consumers Returning to The Convenience of Frozen Foods

CHICAGO, May 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- After years of being in the shadows of the health-focused "fresh" movement that kept more consumers in the perimeter of the store where fresh produce is merchandized, consumers are returning to the frozen foods aisle, reports The NPD Group. Last year frozen foods were included in 9.8 billion eating occasions in home, up 2 percent from a decade ago, an increase that represents billions of meals, according to NPD's daily tracking of U.S. consumers' eating behaviors.

"Demographic shifts, like Millennials moving into the busiest times of their lives juggling spouses, kids, and a career, are fueling a greater need for the convenience that frozen foods offer," says David Portalatin, NPD Food Industry Advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America. "Manufacturers are also doing their part in increasing interest in frozen foods by innovating around contemporary food values and emerging flavor trends to provide convenience."

Another growth driver for the frozen foods category is that over 80 percent of meals and other eating occasions occur at home. U.S. consumers are primarily turning to frozen foods as a main meal heat-and-eat solution. Dinner is the prime meal where frozen foods come into play to save time. Frozen vegetables and chicken are among the top frozen foods used in dinner meals. Frozen entrees at dinner are forecast to continue to grow over the next four years, according to NPD's Future of Dinner study. Breakfast is another area where frozen foods are growing with frozen waffles, breakfast sandwiches, and fruit being among the most popular.

"Consumers have always realized that frozen foods offer convenience and a time savings," says Portalatin. "Now they also realize that frozen food is nutritional and offers the same kind of health benefits fresh food does."

About The NPD Group
NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. We have offices in 27 cities worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, travel retail, video games, and watches / jewelry. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.

About NPD's Food Sector
NPD is the only research company to continuously track and have a full view of what individuals actually eat and drink in- and away-from-home. We are the definitive source of information and insights for all aspects of food and beverage consumption and consumer use of restaurants and foodservice outlets. We can track the same foodservice consumer over time to gain actionable insights. In addition, we track actual sales information on every product shipped from leading broadline distributors to each of their foodservice operators. Follow us on Twitter: @npdfood

SOURCE The NPD Group