Frozen Meals See Surge in Sales During COVID-19 Pandemic

With consumers stocking up on groceries and preparing more food at home, the frozen food category is surging. Sales of frozen foods such as pizzas, meats and vegetables have spared during the pandemic thanks to their long shelf-life and easy preparation. Those elevated sales are likely to continue for the next few months, according to a new study from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI).

The study revealed that 86 percent of US consumers purchased frozen food since March and 70 percent of Americans have bought more frozen food than before. The survey found that consumers are buying more frozen items because of the longer shelf life, desire to stock up in case of shortages and convenience of preparation and cleanup. For many, frozen meals have turned into comfort food, with about a third of consumers believing frozen foods to be safer than fresh foods right now.

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“Across demographics, consumers have been buying more frozen foods than during regular times as well as different items and brands. Millennials, who already were above average buyers of frozen food, are the most likely to have been purchasing more since early March. Frozen foods are also clearly a solution for families, with 81 percent of households with children under the age of 18 living at home having bought more frozen food since early March versus 61 percent of households without children living at home,” the AFFI survey noted.

Although frozen vegetables and meat are popular categories, pizza and other comfort foods are also high on the list. Consumers have been buying more lasagnas, pot pies and other multi-serve entrees, as well as frozen desserts and snacks. Many have turned to comfort food to cope in these times of uncertainty.

The desire to minimize the number of trips to the grocery store and lower the risk of potential exposure to the coronavirus are just a few reasons consumers are choosing to buy frozen meals. The availability of items on store shelves is another important motivator. For example, shoppers who cannot find canned vegetables turn to frozen items.

Since half of consumers expect they will purchase a lot more, or somewhat more, frozen foods in the next few months, the AFFI expects the trend in higher frozen food purchases may continue in the future.  The likelihood of buying more frozen foods than usual increases with the amount people in the household.

The frozen foods market, which posted low single-digit growth in 2019 and was flat the year before, is being primed for a rebound. Whether food manufacturers will be able to keep up with the demand remains to be seen.