Frozen food industry is facing ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to grow sales

Frozen food industry has a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to grow sales and cut carbon emissions, British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) president and chain Ian Stone has said recently.

Stone was speaking at recently-held BFFF’s annual Luncheon this week when he revealed that consumers have “fallen in love” with frozen food during the Covid-19 pandemic. The renewed love, combined with heightened interest in environmental issues, has given a momentum to the industry.

“Consumers have discovered what we have always known- frozen food are easy to store and cook and has little wastage. Quality and taste are fantastic and there is a wide range of menu choices,” Stone said, adding that the industry has seen “£1 billion added to the value of retail sales above that of 2019”.

Sales of fish fingers and frozen peas skyrocketed during the pandemic lockdown last year. As per reports, frozen food sales boomed by £285m in the 12 months to March 22 last year due to the impact of Covid restrictions.

“We need to seize this pivotal moment,” he said, adding that more needs to be done to highlight the sustainability benefits of frozen food. The federation is planning to run a Frozen Food Week in September next year to show how frozen food can help in reducing waste.

Pointing out how Britain wastes about 9.5m tonnes of food per year, Stone said that frozen food manufacture minimises loss of raw material and is a more “efficient process from start to finish”.

Stone is also chief commercial officer and managing director of Wiltshire Farm Foods.