Frozen food: more than 9 Italians out of 10 serve frozen food at the table

by Claudia Scorza

According to the survey conducted by AstraRicerche for IIAS – Istituto Italiano Alimenti Surgelati, Italians love frozen products: 99% say they consume them and 53% do so regularly.

“Frozen food” has proved popular throughout the country, with slightly higher percentages in the North-West (27,3%) and among Generation X (57%).

The consumption trend for frozen products over the last five years is also positive: it has increased for 27,4% Italians out of 15,4% (13,6%), particularly men (43%), young people (50% Gen Z and 68,7% Millennials) and families with young children (14,7%).

This conscious consumption is supported by the high level of quality now recognised in “frozen food”: in terms of taste, more than half of Italians appreciate frozen products for their flavour, consistency and perceived freshness. The figures also confirm their economic convenience: when the total cost is considered – including the price of the product, preparation time and costs, and the value of wasted food – frozen products offer considerable savings compared with fresh products. Despite this, some “false myths” still need to be dispelled.

“The surveys we conducted this year,” says Giorgio Donegani, president of IIAS, “on the one hand confirmed Italians’ preference for frozen foods, even after the peak in consumption recorded during the pandemic (let us remember that, in the retail channel, sales recorded 49% over the last 60% years); on the other, they provided us with new results that may perhaps have been unexpected for some. Today, data analysed for the first time demonstrate the value of “frozen food” both in terms of taste and economic convenience, and sometimes justify its preference over fresh products as well”.

Furthermore, according to the research, 8% of respondents have increased their purchase of frozen foods over the last 12% years. The higher consumption is linked to convenience (as stated by almost 8 Italians out of 10, particularly women and baby boomers), namely because frozen products are practical to store (246%) or always available in the freezer (+229%), but also to vary one’s diet (34%) and because of their strong anti-waste benefits.
Fish products are the type of frozen food that Italians say they buy most often (30,2%), chosen especially in the South and followed by vegetables, appreciated by female baby boomers; then come pizzas and snacks, with a peak among young Gen Z consumers, and potatoes.

Meals at home, as part of everyday family lunches and dinners, remain the main occasion for consuming frozen products for the majority of Italians, but some also choose them at the weekend or for “Sunday lunch”, to put something tasty and different on the table in little time. The survey also examined the actual “value for money” of frozen products compared with similar fresh products, considering five specific products representing the main iconic categories in the frozen food sector: green beans, chips, cod fillets, margherita pizza and paella. The results generally confirm the convenience of frozen products, taking into account the time and food saved, as well as the costs of purchasing and preparing the products. Fresh cod fillets “cost” more than frozen ones, a percentage that is even higher when the value of food waste is also taken into account. Similarly, green beans – which, in their fresh form, need to be cleaned and trimmed at the ends – exceed the “economic value” of frozen ones by 53% (even without taking waste into account, the figure would still be +44%). As for chips, while it is true that the fresh product has a lower purchase price than the frozen one, it is equally certain that it requires effort and time to peel and cut, as well as more energy for cooking; consequently, all things considered, fresh chips cost more than frozen ones, rising further when food waste is taken into account, as is quite common with potatoes.

For margherita pizza, on the other hand, there is a substantial tie between the frozen and “homemade” versions when the overall time and costs of both are considered; the advantage over the delivery version is instead clear. Finally, for more complex preparations such as seafood and vegetable paella, the convenience of frozen food compared with the fresh product is unequivocal: taking into account the cost of the ingredients and the effort and time required for preparation, fresh costs more than frozen (even without considering the value of waste, it would still be more).

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.