Innovation was one of the key themes at the British Frozen Food Federation’s annual business conference and exhibition held recently, with many of the speakers highlighting it as a key trait that could benefit the frozen food industry moving forward.
By Brian Young, chief executive of British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF);
However, there were many other topics that were touched upon during the conference that could also have a positive influence on the frozen food market across both the UK and Europe.
Connecting consumers at an emotional level
In recent years, the food industry has changed drastically as authenticity, provenance and assured supply chains have all changed. The retail environment has also been heavily influenced with the technology shift in the last five years, which has seen a bigger change than in the last 50 years. One of the themes discussed at the conference was how the frozen food industry can focus on shoppers’ emotions to help boost sales.
Because food is such an emotional topic, consumers’ loyalty lies with brands that are recognizable and that connect with their emotions. However, the rise in technology and internet shopping has meant people are only willing to wait up to five seconds before they lose interest. The rise in technology and the way consumers shop is great news for the frozen food industry. Frozen food is currently undergoing a change in consumer perceptions; it is now seen as cool and fashionable. And, as perceptions continue to change, frozen food is increasingly likely to become a much more prominent component of consumers’ weekly shop.
In the past, frozen food has been slightly behind in terms of innovation but this has begun to change. As frozen food becomes more diverse and innovative, consumers will become more emotionally attached, helping to drive sales.
Remarkable NPD
The BFFF annual business conference and exhibition, now in its sixth year, highlighted a number of things that frozen food is great at. The improvement in the NPD has been exceptional; provenance has been made clearer to consumers and the rise in online shopping will continue to benefit frozen food. Moving forward, frozen food has the platform and potential to grow significantly. In order to keep driving consumers to frozen food, producers and manufacturers must focus on providing products that are affordable and beneficial for health and waste purposes.
With next year’s annual conference being held on March 7, a lot will change in the frozen food industry over this period. The BFFF will launch its Frozen Food Report later this year, which will highlight the key changes and success that the frozen food industry has seen over the last five years.
