Shifting Trends in Frozen Food Purchases: Sustainability, Health, and Additives Influence Shopper Choices

• Today, consumers are more inclined to think of the quality and sustainability of food, and they may even look at good sources of health without overlooking the cost when selecting frozen products.
• More so, the brands of frozen foods that continue to develop sustainable, healthy, and yet wholesome foods will be better placed even to comply with increasing buyer demands in this market.

Recently published reports tend to highlight major consumer attitudes about store brands. Lately, almost all researchers have featured the changes in consumer perception of private labels versus national brands. Fasten-budgetary issues as solution elements, as decided by consumers, are transforming into right-on-the-money misconceptions and are replaced by sustainability, health, and additives as the demarcating factors for the purchase. Traditionally, price alone was enough to decide, but now modern consumers have become assiduous in selecting products to put in their freezers.

Major Drivers in Frozen Food Buying

Convenience remains a big motivator for buying frozen products for 33 per cent of consumers, the most recent Consumer Horizon Report from the VYPR product insights company finds. Another 25 percent are likely tempted by the luxury of frozen foods lasting longer, and all but 13 percent, who say cost is their top priority, appear to be drifting beyond the cause of why one would choose uncooked and found-in-cold-ambiance foods.

Now the issue here is sustainability for a significant part of today’s consumers. Buyers are now much more likely to buy frozen products such as blood oranges or frozen peas, and 66per cent are likely to invest in them. Also, prices are no barrier to over half (5per cent) if they could choose sustainably produced things, marking a significant departure toward having buyer consciousness with environmental considerations in food markets.

Provenance and Transparency Are Important

Provenance seems to be tied to the current trends in fresh produce, where over half (52%) of UK consumers regard frozen food origin as the crucial deciding factor in their purchase. The percentage of those who look for locally grown or produced products has also increased (by 34%), suggesting that one can observe a strengthening position on regional sourcing in the frozen food market.

The ethical aspect is now carried into purchasing as well. More consumers now assess products by 25% with the FairTrade label on their frozen food purchases, while another 24% are actively looking for award-winning badges. Labour practices, in 23% of the cases, seem to include ethical labour practices, thus emphasising the preference for sourcing and production practices in the responsible domain.

Health Consciousness Translates as Avoidance of Additives.

Keeping health ahead of the line are health-related reasons, among which additives and preservatives are often coming into the limelight among consumers offline. Sixty-five per cent of consumers notice now if preservatives, flavours, or additives have been added to frozen foods before they buy anything. The desire for healthy frozen food is driving them towards cleaner labels and, most importantly, toward a healthy food version in 2020 and beyond.

Matt Everitt from VYPR commented on the evolution of consumer perceptions: “Frozen food has long been seen as the unsung hero of supermarket shelves, with a reputation for being unhealthy and full of ultra-processed ingredients. However, the efforts from brands, supermarkets, and industry organisations like the BFFF are paying off. Nearly 90% of consumers (89%) now believe the nutritional quality of frozen foods has improved in recent years, with 26% saying the improvement has been significant.”

Opportunities for Brands and Retailers

Another important finding of the report is that customers are encouraged to choose a frozen food product when it has various options. Nearly 46% of the consumers who conducted the survey said they are more likely to purchase frozen food provided they have more varieties of products to choose from, which is more than the 44% of price-driven consumers. As much as significant steps have been taken, there still exist challenges, where around 46 per cent lay claim to the fact that some of the most processed or additive-laden frozen foods that one could ever come across on store shelves still exist. 

A positive future outlook for the years to come is depicted. The find identified that 66% said their perception would be enhanced if consumers learnt that several frozen foods bear no preservatives, rising to 70% among respondents within the 35 and 44 years bracket.

Rupert Ashby from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) echoed these insights: “While the findings are hugely positive for the frozen food industry, they highlight the need to continue educating consumers about the benefits of frozen products. Nutrients and vitamins are preserved throughout the life of frozen foods, offering a healthy option with convenience and sustainability at the forefront.”

An Era of Transformation in The Frozen Foods Market

The turnaround in consumer attitudes points to brighter future opportunities for the frozen food industry. It is no longer sufficient simply to supply taste, convenience, and affordability—smart organisations should incorporate health and sustainability perceptions to appeal to the rising interest in such products. Perhaps the challenge, and it could pose a threat now, is the elimination of remaining misperceptions about frozen products from consumer minds as well as educating the broad public about the considerable help that they will surely offer. 

VYPR analysed this comprehensive consumer neighbourhood, and the Horizon Report was built around responses from 2,000 members of Vypr’s 80,000-strong UK consumer community, with a fresh take on ever-changing consumer preferences as well as being a barometer of changes in the frozen food industry. According to these findings, the frozen food aisle could soon prove its importance in the grocery industry as the newest entry into healthy and sustainable food choices keeps mounting among consumers.