UK: Consumers look to frozen food in credit crunch

By: just-food.com | 14 April 2009

Almost half of UK consumers believe that frozen food will "help them through" the credit crunch, new research has claimed.

According to the Food and Drink Federation's (FDF) Frozen Food Group, 49% of consumers are looking to frozen foods to survive the economic downturn, while 70% of consumers believe that frozen food minimises waste and means less frequent shopping trips.

"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. 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," Norman Soutar, chairman of the Frozen Food Group and MD of William Jackson Food Group, said.

The quality perception of frozen food is also improving, the research suggested, with 75% of consumers agreeing that quality is "better than it used to be".

"We saw good sales growth in frozen food last year, and we expect to see continued growth over the coming months," Soutar predicted.

Sectors: Frozen

Companies: Food and Drink Federation