Texture is becoming as important as taste as far as coated foods are concerned, reports Jonathan Thomas.
The European market for coated foods continues to develop at pace. Widely appreciated as offering an affordable treat or mealtime option by many people, coated foods now feature a widening range of proteins, coatings, tastes and textures.
The largest sector is meat and poultry, which includes popular foods such as chicken burgers, chicken nuggets, chicken escalopes and popcorn chicken. Much of the remainder of the category comprises fish and seafood products, where popular options include coated fish fillets, as well as fish fingers, scampi and calamari.
Over the last few decades, however, the market has grown to include coated foods suitable for those following vegetarian or vegan diets. Foods such as potato croquettes, breaded vegetables and breaded cheese bites have become more widespread, as well as coated meat and fish substitutes. This is partly being driven by health concerns, which has seen manufacturers switching towards clean labels and reducing salt and saturated fats, as well as developing alternatives to animal-based proteins.
The Green Cuisine brand owned by Nomad Foods represents the largest within the market for plant-based coated foods, competing in European countries such as the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. Texture represents one of the key challenges for manufacturers at present, with many seeking to improve the crispiness and crunch of their products. This has led to increased application of corn and modified potato starches, as well as various seeds, grains and nuts.
Manufacturers have also been experimenting with ingredients to reduce oil absorption during the frying process. Various fat-blocking technologies are now being deployed, whereby protein systems form a micro-barrier to stop frying oil from being absorbed into the coating. This has been shown to reduce fat uptake by up to 50%.
Retail Trends
Coated foods are a common feature of the European retail industry, where they enjoy a loyal following amongst a significant consumer base. From a supply perspective, the retail market is dominated by a handful of large multinational suppliers and their brands, of which Nomad Foods (owner of brands such as Birds Eye and Iglo) is the largest, although sales of own-label products are also significant.
The UK has one of Europe’s largest retail markets for coated fish and seafood. According to most recent data from trade body Seafish, retail sales were worth GBP981m for the year ending May 2025, down slightly by 1% from GBP991m the previous year. During the same period, volume sales were worth in the region of 120,000 tonnes, down by around 2% from the previous year. With sales worth GBP644m, the frozen sector accounted for around two-thirds of total market value for coated products, with fresh/chilled varieties making up the remainder.
The share taken by the frozen sector in volume terms increases to more than 73%. In 2025, coated products accounted for 21% of total retail sales of fish and seafood in value terms, rising to 29% by volume. Some of the largest categories within the frozen market in 2025 included battered fish fillets (worth GBP307m), breaded fish fillets (worth GBP271m) and fish fingers (worth GBP211m).
Together, these three sectors accounted for 81% of the total market for frozen coated fish and seafood, which was valued at GBP981m. The battered fish fillets sector was the market’s most dynamic performer during this time, with value sales increasing by almost 9%, whereas sales of fish fingers and breaded fish fillets declined by 5.7% and 4.2% respectively. By volume, sales were highest for frozen fish fingers, at nearly 42,000 tonnes. Within the last decade, only battered fish fillets and fish fingers have witnessed long-term growth, with all sectors experiencing double-digit inflation as raw material costs have increased.
In many instances, this has contributed towards growth in market value. The retail market in the UK is dominated by species such as cod, haddock, scampi and, increasingly, pollock. Worth GBP115m in 2025, cod dominates the market for battered fish fillets, while sales of cod-based products are also high in sectors such as breaded fish fillets (GBP88m), fish fingers (GBP86m) and fish cakes (GBP50m). Pollock has overtaken cod in the fish fingers sector, with sales worth GBP101m in 2025, while it is worth GBP61m in the battered fish fillets category.
Other notable species include scampi (which is worth GBP67m in the breaded products sector) and sole (which is the most popular variety for dusted fish and seafood products). The last few years have witnessed a trend towards cheaper species such as pollock and basa, due mostly to the higher prices cod now commands. The retail market for coated meat and poultry products also continues to expand in countries such as the UK.
One of the most recent growth drivers in the UK market has been the success of the Chicken Shop brand owned by Nomad Foods, which claims to replicate the taste of takeaway chicken products at home. First launched in 2018, the Chicken Shop brand has now surpassed GBP20m per annum and has grown by more than 30% within the last two years. The Chicken Shop range encompasses products such as chicken strips, goujons, nuggets and burgers.
During the autumn of 2024, it was extended with several new products, examples of which included Hickory BBQ Chicken Wings, Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Hot & Fiery Chicken Chunks and Loaded Burgers in Tennessee Style BBQ or American Style Gravy versions. A more recent development was the announcement in the summer of 2025 that Chicken Shop branded products would be available from hot counters at 340 of Morrisons’ stores.
To read the entire article, please access your complimentary e-copy of Frozen Food Europe July-August, 2025 issue here.