The global frozen food market in 2022

According to Frozen Food Europe, the global frozen food market was estimated at USD 392.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 612.3 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% between 2023 and 2032. In 2022, Europe dominated the global frozen food market, with a market share of around 37%.^[1]

 

The frozen food market in Europe

After the United States and Japan, Germany is the largest importer of frozen vegetables worldwide and in Europe, accounting for 20% of market shares. ^[1]

In Germany, sales of frozen foods rose by 3.6% in volume to reach 3.909 million tonnes in 2022 (versus 3.773 million tonnes in 2021), worth 18,5 million euros. Unit sales significantly exceeded the prior record of 2019 by 2%. ^{[2, 3]}

 

In France, inflation caused the frozen vegetable market to shrink by 7% in volume and 4% in value in 2022 compared to 2021.Volume sales were also slightly lower in 2022 (-1%) than in 2019, the pre-covid reference year. ^[4]

 

In the UK, shoppers switched from fresh to frozen food due to food price inflation. Volumes of frozen food remained unchanged, although consumers bought fewer groceries (total grocery volumes fell by 4%). ^[5]

 

The frozen food market in North America

In the US, frozen food sales reached USD 72.2 billion in 2022 according to the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), representing a +8.6% increase in value from 2021. Although sales volumes have not kept pace with the records of 2020, they remained 5% above pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (see “units” sales in figure below). ^{[6, 7]}

*Unit volume is the number of units sold to the consumer.

 

 

 

 

Sources

[1] Frozen Food Europe September-October 2023. https://www.frozenfoodeurope.com/magazines/2023-5-sept-oct-uixydf87f/

[2] https://www.frozenfoodeurope.com/record-year-for-german-frozen-food-industry-dti-says/

[3]   https://www.tiefkuehlkost.de/tk-fuer-alle/aktuelles/marktdaten1/absatzstatistik2022

[4] https://legumes-info.fr/linflation-bouscule-les-choix-alimentaires-des-francais-en-2022/

[5] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/14/shoppers-in-great-britain-switch-to-frozen-food-amid-cost-of-living-crisis

[6] Frozen food sales remain elevated following pandemic spike. https://www.foodbeverageinsider.com/market-trends-analysis/frozen-food-sales-remain-elevated-following-pandemic-spike

[7] https://affi.org/post-pandemic-frozen-trends-consumers-invested-in-freezer-space-retailers-are-following-suit/