Retail sales of frozen food in the UK were valued at 5.4bn in 2002 and with continued product development, improvements to quality, packaging and merchandising, sales are expected to maintain steady growth in the immediate future.

Retail sales of frozen food were valued at 5.4bn in 2002, having enjoyed modest growth of 1.5% on the previous year. The greatest challenge faced by the market is competition from fresh and chilled food, perceived by many to be of superior quality and convenience, with the only advantage for frozen being price. Slowly but surely the image of frozen food is improving as more premium products are introduced therefore a steady but modest growth is expected in the future.

(PRWEB) August 29, 2003 -- Research and Markets have announced the addition of the "Frozen Foods Market Report Plus 2003" report to their offering.

Retail sales of frozen food were valued at 5.4bn in 2002, having enjoyed modest growth of 1.5% on the previous year.

The greatest challenge faced by the market is competition from fresh and chilled food, perceived by many to be of superior quality and convenience, with the only advantage for frozen being price. In fact, the high level of promotions, such as 'buy one, get one free', only serves to reinforce this perception and volume growth of frozen food continues to outstrip its value. Nevertheless, the UK has the largest frozen food market in Europe, eating almost four times the volume per capita per annum than those in the smallest European market, Italy.

Whereas families with children might keep frozen food as staples, purchases by single people are more impulse-driven and manufacturers have responded by introducing restaurant-type meals of superior quality in an attempt to match the wide choice of premium chilled meals on offer.

This report considers ten frozen-food sectors, the largest of which is meat and meat products. This sector accounted for a fifth of all retail sales of frozen food but is growing at a slower rate than that of poultry and poultry products. Other sectors, including vegetables, have seen little growth but frozen vegetables have benefited from the introduction of different mixes, particularly for stir-fries. Sales of frozen cakes and desserts, on the other hand, have declined in recent years. Snack products, often microwaveable, are increasingly prominent across all the sectors in response to changing eating habits where many people tend to 'graze' throughout the day rather than sit down to the traditional three meals a day.

Companies involved in the market range from multinationals, such as Unilever and Nestlé, to small specialists. Recent corporate activity has included the bankruptcy of the Albert Fisher Group and the acquisition of the UK bakery business of Sara Lee by Hibernia Foods. Nestlé has licensed Richmond Foods to make ice cream under its name.

With continued new product development and improvements to quality, packaging and merchandising, retail sales of frozen food are expected to maintain steady but modest growth in the immediate future. Slowly but surely the image of frozen food is improving as more premium products are introduced.

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/35071

REPORT DATA SUMMARY:
Frozen Foods Market Report Plus 2003
Category: Food
URL: www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/35071

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