Ed Griffiths

The move towards healthy eating looks here to stay, with even frozen fruit’s chilly exterior unable to deter shoppers from their nutrition fix.

Sales of frozen fruit have rocketed by 23.5 per cent on this time last year, but in comparison the fresh fruit market only experienced growth of 5.3 per cent. So how is frozen staying ahead of its fresh competitor?

On the surface, they seem to be on a level pegging. Frozen fruit and fresh fruit are equally vibrant, tasty and healthy and, frozen or otherwise, colourful blueberries and papayas are an Instagram lover’s pick of choice to ensure their meal is social media friendly.

But frozen fruit pips fresh fruit on a convenience level. It provides customers with a cheap and easy way to recreate the kinds of meals they’d expect in cafés and restaurants in their own kitchens, without allowing fresh fruit to go to waste. In fact, 1kg, 750g, 600g and 500g packs are all outstripping 300g, 350g, 400g and 450g formats.

Frozen smoothie mixes have seen sales increase by 38 per cent over the past year as customers turn their hand to more complex, vitamin-laden breakfast options, instead of as a one-off treat at a café or juice bar. Traditional breakfast and brunch fruits like avocados are also experiencing success in a frozen format as consumers’ love for weekend brunch culture influences their choices. Frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are helping to contribute to this growth.

Frozen fruit is also increasingly popular alongside our morning cereal; shoppers have paired the two together 36 per cent more often than this time last year, as any leftover fruit can be easily popped back into the freezer.

As a comparison, frozen vegetables are currently bought by over 90 per cent of the population and there’s no reason why frozen fruit can’t live up to this if retailers continue to think about further innovations to keep the frozen market relevant. New product development needs to make sure popular exotic fruits like mango and papaya are available frozen and that there are a variety of portion sizes to choose from to suit a wider range of needs. It is a market based around convenience and fun, and remembering this will leave frozen fruit retailers well placed to reap the rewards.

Topics