Top 150 Frozen Foods Processors Report 2022: Millennials, Innovation Drove Frozen Foods in 2021

While frozen food sales didn’t post the double-digit gains seen during 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, changing consumer tastes and perceptions look to shape the industry in 2022.

Frozen foods sales came in at $69 billion in 2021, moving over 17 billion units, according to the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA). That marked a 1.4% increase YOY.

In contrast, the YOY growth for frozen foods from 2018 to 2019 was just 2%. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, sales are about 21% higher, according to AFFI.

With older millennials making up about 48% of frozen food buyers – the largest segment of customers, according to the AFFI Power of Frozen in Retail 2021 report – stigma around frozen food is thawing. Frozen food brands continue to introduce better-for-you options with an increase in organic, gluten-free and ethnically-authentic flavor trends like Indian, Asian and Mediterranean.

Frozen foods

Image courtesy of MarianVejcik | iStock / Getty Images Plus

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Meals & Entreés

Snacks, Apps & Sides

Meat, Poultry & Seafood

Dairy

Fruits & Vegetables

Bakery

See the Reports

In a survey of 2,000 respondents published in September, market research firm Deloitte found that frozen growth outpaced fresh food last year due to three factors: price, perishability and preference. Consumers are not as tolerant of perishability now as they were before the pandemic and frozen has become a priority in American households, with 30% of shoppers increasing their freezer capacity since the onset of the pandemic according to research by AFFI.

Deloitte’s research found that while frozen food spoilage can happen, it “doesn’t occupy the consumer’s imagination like fresh’s overripe avocados or funky fish. In fact, consumers’ ability to stock up on frozen between less frequent shopping trips—without creating spoilage and waste—is a major feature.”

Price is still king and reflected in consumer perception—62% of Deloitte’s respondents said fresh food costs more than frozen alternatives and in head-to-head comparisons, 40-50% of consumers say frozen is just as good, or better than, fresh.

Our Rankings

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ annual Top 150 Frozen Foods Processors Report is a snapshot of the top 25 frozen foods processors in six categories: Meals & Entrees; Snacks, Appetizers & Sides; Meat, Poultry & Seafood; Dairy; Fruits & Vegetables; and Bakery.

This report represents Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ best efforts to reflect recent sales data based on annual reports, news releases, and statistics from our sister publications Dairy Foods and National Provisioner, and other business media sources. Many of the numbers come from AFFI’s Power of Frozen report, and from the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), who compiled retail frozen food sales in 2021 with market research firm Nielsen.

Because most companies do not separate frozen sales from their total sales, the figures are either company-wide or segmented by region (North American sales, for example). If you work for a company on this list and know the approximate sales data of the frozen products your business produces, please contact me and I will update this page.

Meals & Entrées

Includes frozen pizza, breakfast items, handheld foods, bagged meal kits, pasta meals, dinners and prepared foods. Image courtesy of VeselovaElena | iStock / Getty Images Plus

Breakfast was among the bright spots in 2021.

According to NFRA statistics, many of the major contenders in this category experienced dips in sales and units sold, including handheld entrées sold $1.2 billion in 2021 a YOY decrease of 1%, according to NRFA/Nielsen retail statistics.

Complete meals experienced 9.2% dollar growth YOY for $5.2 billion in sales. Meanwhile, sales of frozen breakfast meals jumped to $588 million, up from $508 million in 2020, +15.3% dollar growth YOY. Many other breakfast items posted positive figures: breakfast sandwiches sold $1.9 billion, +14.2% and breakfast meals and combos had dollar growth of 15.3%. Most breakfast meats also posted positive numbers.

Image courtesy of Fuzullhanum | iStock / Getty Images Plus

Significant Events in 2021

Nestle announced it will upgrade its Singapore R&D facilities to support the development of plant-based meal solutions.
St. Louis-based Louisa Foods, makers of frozen pasta products, were named the 2021 R&FF Frozen Foods Processor of the Year.
US Foods rolled out nearly two dozen new products, aimed at Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
Devanco Foods’ no-MSG chicken gyro kits were named the 2021 R&FF Best New Frozen Retail Product.

Snacks, Appetizers & Side Dishes

Frozen snacks, appetizers

Includes frozen prepared snacks, appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, side dishes, breakfast items and potato specialties. Image courtesy of alpaksoy | iStock / Getty Images Plus

Asian flavors and appetizers led sales in 2021.

Sales of many of the frozen potato-based sides slid last year: French fries sold $1.3 billion in 2021, with dollar growth down 2.6%; figures for tater tots fell 5.6%; and frozen hash browns were down 3.2%.

Other categories experienced growth, including appetizers, which sold $2.8 billion for +6.2% growth YOY. Cheese-based apps and party trays both experienced double-digit increases, while the frozen dumpling/gyoza/shumai/Rangoon category saw explosive dollar growth, with +43% YOY, according to NFRA. Frozen egg rolls jumped by 22%.

Image courtesy of OlgaLepeshkina | iStock / Getty Images Plus

Significant Events in 2021

Smucker’s announced plans to build a $1 billion new plant for its Uncrustables line.
Pilgrim’s Pride acquired the prepared meats and meals business from Kerry Consumer Foods for $952 million.
CJ Foods announced plans for a 700,000-square-foot production facility for Asian frozen foods, including appetizers and snacks.