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Bord Bia

The Future of Frozen in the UK – Frozen Futures Framework

Klara Lynch, Insight and Planning Specialist

The future of frozen UK.PNG

‘The Future of Frozen in the UK’ is a new Insight Study commissioned and recently completed by Bord Bia. From this study came a comprehensive report looking at a multitude of areas. This included An Overview of the Category within the UK and an Exploration of the Frozen Shopper in the UK, resulting in the development of a Frozen Futures Framework which identifies the core consumer driven territories for insight-led innovation within the category.

The second in a three-part series of Insightful Articles, this article will look at the Frozen Futures Framework and potential opportunity areas. To review the first article in this series (Frozen Category Research – Setting The Scene by Fiona O’Shaughnessy), you can click here.

                 

Understanding the Category:

As outlined in the first article in this series, since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis shopper behaviour has evolved and many food and drink categories have been impacted, in particular the frozen category, which saw a surge in popularity in March 2020. According to The Guardian, the UK saw sales of both frozen foods and freezers soar in the early parts of 2020, as shoppers panic bought at the beginning of the crisis (The Guardian, 2020). This stocking up behaviour was also seen within Bord Bia’s GB Future Proofing Toolkit, with the October 2020 data showing that 1 in 5 UK consumers are buying more Frozen food since May 2020, and 60% of this group are expecting to continue doing so post Covid-19 (Bord Bia, 2020).

 

While this specific change was directly linked to the pandemic, overall the frozen category has seen some changes in recent years – with previous perceptions of frozen foods being of lesser quality and less nutritious starting to fade in recent years. The current key proposition of frozen food is that it is great value and this is still strong among consumers. However, convenience is also a key driver within this category and this is directly aligned with Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle Trend of Fuller Lives. Another notable shift in the category is the repositioning of its role in providing healthy alternatives to fresh and chilled options. 

The future of frozen UK Img2.PNG

Frozen Futures:

One of the aims of this research was identifying future innovation territories for frozen in the UK market and this was done through the Frozen Futures Framework. Developed throughout the research process, this framework was built, validated and refined so that it would be as applicable as possible to the wider frozen category, while also still having some sub-category focus.

 

The Frozen Futures Framework has four Futures, which are spread across different dimensions - from Surprising Value to Natural Goodness, and Flexible Friend to Permissible Pleasure. The Framework focuses on four key spaces that can be tapped into by frozen suppliers. These spaces are: Better Than You Think; Better For You; Better For the World; Better Choice. They highlight individual benefits associated with frozen food, with the aim of proving to consumers that they are making the right choice by choosing frozen. The next section of this article looks at each of these spaces in more detail, but further detail can be found in the full report.

 

 

Better Than You Think:

The first of the spaces is ‘Better Than You Think’, which focuses on three sub categories: Premium Indulgence, Collaboration and Exotic Explored. ‘Better Than You Think’ highlights the premiumisation of the frozen food category, focusing on quality and experience.

Some potential examples were also explored here, such as Exotic Ice-Cream and Optimum Pizza. However, the main ideas that emerged were around emphasising the use of premium, high quality ingredients where possible, while also calling out the goodness of the product and its ingredients, be that on pack or through consumer communications. Overall this space showcases the multitude of areas that can bring frozen to life in new ways.

 

 

Better For You:

‘Better For You’ is the second space that was explored within the Frozen Futures Framework, the aim being to remove the assumption that frozen food is an unhealthy option. It focuses on offering nutrition, systems and transparency within frozen food to prove that you can choose frozen food without the guilt. The use of superfoods and plant-based options were some examples explored within ‘Better For You’, but again some key messages emerged. In this instance it is around highlighting the goodness and freshness of the ingredients in frozen products, as well as how the products can promote health and wellness among consumers. However, a further education piece on the goodness of frozen could also be beneficial.

 

Better For the World:

The third space is ‘Better For The World’ which focuses on the sustainability aspect, which in turn aims to showcase that frozen food can be an environmentally positive purchase. As with the other spaces there are a number of talking points that suppliers can dial up. From using sustainability messaging which can highlight the longer shelf-life and less food waste that frozen food allows for, to speaking about local sourcing where appropriate and even around the packaging used for the product, specifically around recyclability and sustainability. All of these can engage consumers.

 

Better Choice:

The fourth and final space that emerged within the Frozen Futures Framework is ‘Better Choice’, which is all around pushing the boundaries within frozen food. From scratch cooking to different meal occasions, frozen food allows for more versatility and creativity while also being both convenient and hassle free. Irish suppliers can take learnings from this space too and giving consideration to certain elements and calling these out, will encourage consumers to think about and talk about frozen in a new manner.

 

Implications for Irish Suppliers:

While the above only briefly looks at some of the findings and insights from the ‘Future of Frozen Food’ report, the report still has a lot more to offer. Irish suppliers that are interested in this category can use it to help with their planning and strategy, particularly through the use of the Futures-Led Innovation Toolkit that was developed to support this work. If there are any questions or queries on any of this, contact Klara.Lynch@BordBia.IE or Fiona.O'Shaughnessy@BordBia.IE, where we will be happy to answer them.

 

References:

Bord Bia. 2020. Future Proofing Toolkit: GB Edition – 200 Days On. Accessed June 9, 2021, from: https://www.bordbia.ie/globalassets/bordbia2020/industry/insights/new-publications/future-proofing-toolkit---uk-edition---november-2020.pdf

The Guardian, 2020. UK shoppers rush to buy frozen food and freezers amid coronavirus outbreak. Accessed June 9, 2021, from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/10/uk-freezer-sales-rise-200-amid-coronavirus-crisis