This rebound can be attributed to what the study describes as “increased purchases by the category’s core shoppers.”
“In 2018, frozen food growth was driven by more dollars and trips, but household engagement was largely unchanged. These are the core frozen food shoppers: buying more and visiting the aisle more often,” AFFI and FMI said in the study’s announcement. “Core shoppers are older Millennials, juggling families and careers, and they are heavily focused on convenience in their shopping and meal preparation.”
As a whole, frozen food sales saw a 2.6 percent increase in dollars over the 52-week period that ended Nov. 4, 2018, totaling $56.7 billion in sales. When asked about the reason to purchase frozen foods, 52 percent of consumers cited convenience, with 23 percent naming it as the top reason.
“In terms of sales, the frozen food category is only a fraction smaller than fresh produce, bigger than all other fresh perimeter departments, bigger than candy and even snacks,” said Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations at FMI.
For more information about the AFFI/FMI study, click here.
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