Frozen food sales rose significantly the final week of April, according to new research by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), 210 Analytics, and IRI. The +50.3% increase was the highest since the height of mid-March stockpiling by consumers, when frozen food sales peaked at +94.4% compared to 2019 sales for the same time period. The +50.3% increase translates to $1.3 billion compared to $442 million in 2019.
The AFFI report notes the uptick in overall frozen food sales is driven by perceived meat shortages and subsequent panic buying by consumers. Many stores are limiting fresh meat sales per customer in response, but few limits are on frozen meat products, which resulted in empty shelves at some stores. One consumer surveyed for the current report mentioned going to the store to buy "frozen bags of chicken tenderloins and wings, but there were not available.”