The fruits, vegetables, and herbs processing industry has been on the rise, on account of a number of factors. One of the major reasons for this rise is that consumers are increasingly adopting healthier and nutritional eating habits. The growing health concerns such as obesity and nutritional deficiencies have also driven the market for frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
By Prerna Chowhan, senior research analyst and Nagesh Manepalli, head- Food, Beverage, Animal Nutrition, Agriculture with MarketsandMarkets.
While convenience food & beverage products are being preferred over slow-cooked traditional meals, consumers are also looking at nutritious and more wholesome meal options that use fewer artificial ingredients. As a result, frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs provide consumers with a healthier substitute, which also aids in reducing the duration of meal preparation. Additionally, readily available frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs provide consumers with ease of access, thereby increasing their nutrient consumption levels. According to the American Frozen Food Institute, consumers who eat frozen fruits & vegetables consume more fruits & vegetables. Better availability and increased consumption levels of these frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs have aided toward a higher intake of nutrients such as potassium, fibers, calcium, and vitamin D, thereby improving the dietary lifestyles of consumers and aiding the maintenance of their health.
Macroeconomic Factors Aiding Growth
There are several macroeconomic factors aiding the growth of the frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs market. The factors that could have a substantial impact on the global frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs market include the rise in the number of dual-income households, rising number of single-parent or individual households, and rise in the number of millennials who consume frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs. According to the Department of Labor, the number of dual-income households in America increased by about 31% between 1996 and 2006. Additionally, according to the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among all families in America that had children in 2012, about 59% had working parents. According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of families in Canada with two working parents almost doubled over a period of 40 years, from 1986 to 2016. According to Statistics South Korea, the number of dual earners living separately increased from 447,000 in 2013 to 543,000 in 2015. These factors have led to the adoption of frozen food products.
Inclusions in the Number of Food Segments
Consumers are increasingly looking at increasing their fruit and vegetable intake, which has enabled a number of manufacturers to come up with products that use fruit & vegetable inclusions. Brands have been reinventing products to enable the usage of fruits & vegetables in milkshakes, baked products, snacks, cereal bars, and dairy products. For instance, manufacturers are coming up with dried- fruit-infused oats and muesli or fruit-infused yogurts to fulfill the demand for frozen fruits & vegetables. Manufacturers of such products are turning to frozen fruits, vegetables, and herbs for their increased shelf-life. As manufacturers struggled with the inclusion of fruits & vegetables in clean-label products, frozen fruits & vegetables have now enabled their usage due to their extended shelf-life. This practice also helps in reducing production costs by cutting down on labor charges and increasing operational efficiencies. Additionally, these factors also translate into better revenues for manufacturers.
You can read the entire article in the Nov-Dec issue of Frozen Food Europe print magazine.
