To stretch their food dollars, cash-strapped consumers have been reining in their spending and changing the way they shop. Many are trading down—going to restaurants less often for dinner, reconsidering which products really are necessities, and switching to brands and product types with higher perceived value. The good news for the frozen foods industry is that consumers appear to be cutting back on away-from-home meal purchases and buying more convenient frozen items to eat at home or to ‘brown bag” to work for lunch. Even as the nation begins to pull out of recession in late 2009 or early 2010 frozen foods will continue to be buoyed by new convenience- and health-targeted introductions, with sales forecast to grow 25% between 2008 and 2013 to reach $64.8 billion.

This Packaged Facts report examines the U.S. market for frozen foods and beverages sold to consumers through the entire retail spectrum, focusing primarily on savory meal-type items and meal components. Following a comprehensive “Market Overview” chapter, separate chapters are devoted to the Center Plate, Vegetables/Appetizers/Snacks/Sides, and Breakfast Foods classifications—each of which focuses on high-growth product categories and market trends and opportunities. The report provides extensive retail sales breakouts, past and future, along with a thorough examination of market drivers, the competitive situation, marketer and brand shares, marketing trends and consumer trends. Special features include extensive data presented in easy-to-read and practical charts, tables and graphs. The report also covers topics including organic and “green” appeals, competition from fresh meal solutions, shifts in the retail landscape and global new product trends.

The report extensively documents ongoing and emerging product trends, using data from Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics tracking service to quantify and categorize new product introductions. Via Information Resources, Inc.’s InfoScan Review data for mass-market channels, the report tracks sales and marketer/brand shares across five categories (Dinners/Entrees, Pizza, Vegetables, Appetizers/Snacks, and Breakfast Foods), while relying on SPINSscan data to document sales and brand shares through natural supermarkets. Simmons Market Research Bureau, BIGresearch, and Packaged Facts’ own online consumer survey data form the basis of an in-depth examination of consumer trends including attitudes toward frozen foods and related trends such as the economy and healthy eating, as well as product and brand penetration levels and preferences.