Trends in Retail looks at factors influencing frozen food trends in Alberta.
‘According to available market research, frozen and shelf-stable foods were prominent in shopping carts during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ explains Jeewani Fernando, provincial consumer market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
‘Consumers stocked up on these food items which helped to reduce the number of trips they needed to make to the grocery store.’
While some consumer purchasing habits, such as buying frozen products, may extend beyond the pandemic, other factors may influence frozen food sales in the future. The impact of the pandemic, and therefore the impact on purchasing power, is not equal among consumer groups.
‘Financially impacted consumer groups may adopt new shopping strategies,’ says Fernando. ‘For instance, some may opt for more frozen foods over fresh foods to reduce costs.’
Apart from the pandemic, frozen food is one of the most convenient ways for consumers to find meal solutions, and Fernando points out there is renewed interest in frozen food among Canadian consumers.
In recent years, food manufacturers have given the frozen food category a sharper focus by developing a great number of tasty and more nutritionally-rich products.
Alberta retail sales data provides information about overall sales trends, different sub-categories of frozen foods and their sales share. ‘For example, Alberta-made dinners and entrees represented only 2% of the total Alberta sales indicating there is an opportunity for Alberta processors to innovate and introduce products under this sub-category,’ says Fernando.
‘Similarly, this information can help Alberta food manufacturers identify potential product and market opportunities within the frozen food category.’
Source : alberta