2024: Wind of Change for the Once Bold 'Meat-and-Potatoes' Frozen Foods Flavor
Conagra Brands' first-ever comprehensive, data-driven report, Future of Frozen Food 2024, looked at how the USD78bn U.S. frozen food market might change in 2024. Trends included globally inspired flavors, a rise in breakfast foods, and changing kitchen appliance usage.
Five trends in the U.S. frozen food market were identified by Future of Frozen Food 2024 by utilizing the demand science expertise of Conagra Brands, extensive social media trend predictors from Black Swan Data, strong sales data from NielsenIQ, and in-home consumption behaviors from Circana's National Eating Trends.
“The frozen food industry, which began with our own Clarence Birdseye over a century ago, will continue to evolve with product innovation, flavor experimentation, and changes to how and when people want to enjoy frozen food. Unlike conventional consumer surveys or online polls, we leveraged our Demand Science team to dive deep into data and other insights, unearthing tastes and experiences for the year ahead,” Bob Nolan, senior vice president of demand science at Conagra Brands, mentioned.
2024 Emerging Trends
A collection of sales data and insights on food consumption and preparation helped identify five trends driving frozen food innovation and growth in 2024, including:
A Taste of Global Cuisine: Historically, more conventional 'meat-and-potatoes' and fewer bold flavors shaped frozen food aisles. Today, consumers are being exposed to a broader set of global flavors and cuisines. Asian-inspired foods, such as Indian and Korean BBQ, are rapidly influencing food preferences1, as well as global cuisine-related social media trends in 2024.
Frozen Foods Rising and Shining at Breakfast: The "most important meal of the day" is increasingly becoming a hot time of the day for frozen food consumption. Frozen croissant sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and biscuit sandwiches are among the most popular items driving growth. Frozen breakfast sandwiches alone now account for USD2.3bn in sales. Time savings, variety, and both indulgent and healthy morning-time options are driving growth.
Big Appetites for Bites and Mini Portions: Small in size but big on flavor, this frozen space has surged thanks to growing options that mirror an increased snacking culture. Food producers are promoting bites and minis for portion control, healthier options, and quick satisfaction. In the past year alone recipes for bites and minis were included in more than 3m internet searches.
Fun and Convenient Kids Meals: Frozen foods that kids enjoy and are easy for parents to prepare have seen significant growth. Kid-friendly frozen food now generates more than USD248m in annual sales, up 122% over the past four years. Beyond convenience, taste, and growing variety, families leverage frozen foods to help control food budgets and reduce food waste.
The Air Fryer's Influence on Food Prep: The report notes air fryer ownership has jumped 27 points since 2020. As a result, the number of frozen foods with air-frying instructions has jumped 90% in the past four years. Air-fryer preparation often saves time, can be a healthier food prep option, and emits less heat for year-round cooking.
“Americans increasingly want new, exciting, and unique frozen food flavors. These trends point to the vast possibilities for continued innovations,” Nolan added.
US Frozen Food Snapshot
The U.S. is by far the world's largest frozen food marketplace. Eight in 10 Americans choose frozen food at least once weekly, and most consume it about four times each week. More than half of Americans have frozen food on hand, especially vegetables, and nearly half now own at least one secondary freezer.
The new report found that prepared foods (including meals, handhelds, and appetizers), desserts, and seafood are the three largest categories by dollar share. The report also examined some generational differences in frozen food preferences and habits, including those among Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers, Gen X, and “empty nesters” and senior couples.
About the Future of Frozen Food 2024
The Future of Frozen Food 2024 is a first-of-its-kind report from Conagra, going beyond traditional consumer surveys and online polls and instead leveraging Conagra's cutting-edge demand science and insights expertise. The report includes robust sales data from NielsenIQ, Black Swan Data's analysis of 120 million+ social media conversations, as well as multiple other sources to identify key trends. Together, they shaped a comprehensive, data-driven look at the future of the nearly USD78bn U.S. frozen food department.
