Frozen food brands should better educate consumers on the benefits of frozen food to reduce food waste, says GlobalData.
In order to reduce food waste, frozen food brands and governments need to better educate consumers as to the health and sustainability benefits of frozen food to overcome negative perceptions and drive greater usage of the freezer, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Food waste has come under high scrutiny in recent years due to the negative environmental and economic impacts. It has been estimated that 88 million tonnes of food produced in the EU each year is wasted across the supply chain from farm to fork. Over half (47 million tonnes) of that is wasted in the home, as EU citizens fail to use up staples such as bread, milk and fruit and vegetables before they expire.
Melanie Felgate, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Our recent survey brings attention to the low perceptions consumers have of frozen food compared to fresh. Although frozen food is seen as convenient and good value for money, the majority of consumers do not perceive it to be healthy, natural, or fresh.”
A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry last year found no consistent differences in the nutritional value of eight different frozen and fresh fruit and vegetables. Yet, in reality, just 10% of consumers associate frozen food as being ‘healthy’ compared to 45% for fresh food, according to GlobalData’s survey.
The aim of the new ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign, launched in March 2018, is to encourage British consumers to use their freezer to reduce the amount they throw away. In particular, the campaign focuses on tackling the 24 million slices of bread thrown away in the UK every day. Using the hashtag #MakeToastNotWaste the campaign highlights that bread will stay fresh longer when frozen, and can be conveniently toasted straight from the freezer without compromising on taste.
Felgate adds: “The freezer has potential to play a much bigger role in reducing food waste. In many cases food such as fruit and vegetables can often be as (if not more) nutritious when frozen. Less emphasis should be placed on buying fresh products that goes off quickly.”
