Cologne / DE. (km) Frozen food products are equally indispensable for consumers and for catering facilities. From 10th to 14th October, the frozen food sector will confirm its strong market position as part of Anuga – the world´s largest and most important food trade fair. Around 400 suppliers will once again present their innovations and expertise in the area of frozen products and concepts in Cologne. This makes Anuga Frozen Food, one of Anuga´s ten specialised trade shows, the most comprehensive international show on the topic of frozen food products.
The frozen food sector will also point the way forward with its supporting programme. The sector meeting «Frozen Food 2009», which will take place on the Sunday evening of the trade fair, will bring together the top decision-makers of the trade, industry, and food service and catering market. The get-together is organised jointly by the German Institute for Frozen Products (dti), Quick Frozen Foods International, LPV-Lebensmittel Praxis Verlag and Koelnmesse GmbH. Quick Frozen Food International will also award the renowned Golden Ice Crystal to outstanding individuals from the sector at «Frozen Food 2009».
The companies exhibiting their products at Anuga Frozen Food in Cologne in October 2009 will include Ardo, Aviko, Freiberger, Frenzel, Frosta, Hiestand, Lamb-Weston, Neuhauser, Oerlemans, Salomon Food World, Wagner, Wernsing and Ysco. The complete and continually updated exhibitor list is available on the Anuga website. Anuga Frozen Food will occupy Halls 4.1 and 4.2 at Koelnmesse.
Frozen foods: business is booming
The frozen food business is booming. Around the globe more and more consumers are appreciating the benefits of «frosty freshness». According to surveys conducted by The Nielsen Company, frozen foods generated a total turnover of more than 5,1 billion EUR in the German food retail trade in 2008 – a plus of 4,3 percent compared to the previous year.
The British Frozen Food Federation reported a 6,7 percent increase in turnover in the retail business in the UK – to around 5,5 billion EUR. And according to the National Frozen + Refrigerated Foods Association, the US market generated turnover of nearly 40 billion USD from frozen food products – an increase of nearly four percent.
The driving forces of growth in the «frozen business» are mainly the segments pizza and fish. In Germany, these segments are running neck and neck in the race for the pole position in the frozen food product group. In 2008, the food retail trade was able to break the billion-euro turnover barrier in both segments for the first time. «Product innovations have propelled the frozen pizza market forward», says Andreas Dürr from the renowned market research company Information Resources. «However, the trends of wellness and organic food haven´t been able to penetrate the frozen pizza segment». Leading manufacturers are increasingly focusing on products with unusual toppings, mini-pizzas for children and premium-quality products.
Consumers are also very open to new products in the frozen fish segment. They are increasingly purchasing fish filets and other forms of frozen exotic fish products, such as goatfish and barramundi. Shellfish and crustacean products are also becoming fast-sellers in the retail trade. In general, consumers are increasingly attaching importance to sustainable products when purchasing frozen fish and seafood.
In the business of frozen ready-meals the keyword is «premium». The trend is towards complete meals made from challenging recipes, which are increasingly available as one-portion meals and aimed at consumers with high expectations regarding quality.
Frozen fruits are in great demand across the globe. According to surveys conducted by The Nielsen Company, worldwide turnover growth in this segment is twelve percent. Especially in Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA, the trade in frozen fruits has experienced substantial increases in turnover. Here, it is the trade brands that are primarily providing the impetus for growth. In general, trade companies´ own brands are on the road to success in the freezer cabinets. Their market share is continually rising in the various segments of the frozen food product group. In the frozen fruit segment the market share across the world is already over 60 percent, and in the fish and vegetable segment it is nearly 40 percent.
