Frozen products have supported important social changes in nutrition and shopping and have had a positive impact on living environments. This is shown by the consumer survey “TK trend barometer”, which the market research institute Innofact carried out on behalf of the German Frozen Food Institute e.V. (dti) on the occasion of the worldwide industry anniversary “100 years of frozen food”. On March 6, 1930, the first frozen vegetables went over the counter in Springfield, Massachusetts. The frozen food industry around the world celebrates this event every year on March 6th with the “Frozen Food Day”.
“The invention of shock freezing a hundred years ago by the American pioneer and naturalist Clarence Birdseye revolutionized the food industry and is one of the greatest innovative achievements in the food industry,” says dti Managing Director Sabine Eichner.
According to the frozen food trend barometer of the dti, 78% of those surveyed agreed that the possibility of shock freezing led to a decoupling of the time of harvest and consumption of the food and thus supported a series of social changes that made our current mobile society, based on the division of labour, possible in the first place. 74% of those surveyed say that frozen products have created better opportunities for varying working hours and shift times and generally brought more flexibility (71%).
Other improvements that participants in the frozen food trend barometer associate with frozen food include easier meal planning (70%), easier catering to guests thanks to the option of stocking up (69%), healthier nutrition (65%) and better consideration of dietary preferences (62%).
“The «disruption» of the food system through frozen products has given us more flexibility and social freedom, also through a changed distribution of roles and enormous time savings in the kitchen,” summarizes dti boss Sabine Eichner. “Needs that are often far too little taken into account in the nutrition debate. Here it is usually only about ingredients, cultivation and husbandry methods, labeling and advertising – the sociological and cultural aspects of nutrition are often only marginally dealt with. But it is precisely the relief of everyday life is a very important benefit of processed foods and especially frozen foods for people.”
People want to eat sustainably, freshly, healthy and naturally
The dti-TK trend barometer also asked consumers what improvements they would like to see in the frozen food industry. At the top of the wish list are more regional frozen products (44%), more environmentally friendly packaging (38%) and energy-saving preparation options (29%). Only 13% name more vegan or vegetarian products.
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