Last spring, as national publications reported declining sales in their foods, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Va., launched a national campaign to encourage consumers to take a fresh look at frozen foods. With growing competition from food establishments offering healthful options on their fast food menus and well-prepared foods available in supermarkets, the frozen and commercially prepared food industry is trying to capture consumers who feel they have less need for these foods.
According to a report released last spring from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), Washington, D.C., unlike mainstream frozen foods, sales of natural frozen foods with “real” ingredients increased, which points to our desire to have the convenience without compromising our diet. With this in mind, frozen food manufacturers will continue to communicate their message of freezing as “nature’s pause button” in 2015 in an effort to capture a larger market. Refrigerated prepared foods will echo the message that they are good options for busy days when you need to someone else to do the work for you and do it the way you would have done it.