Over the last 21 years, BFFF have run the ultimate new product awards event which has become known as the ‘Oscars of the Frozen Food Industry’. The rationale for this highly prestigious awards scheme is to reward and recognise the terrific quality and product development in the frozen food market during the last year.

The winners in the retail sector are decided by panels of consumers throughout the UK, who mark the products for appearance, taste, packaging utility, clarity and accuracy of preparation instructions, buying intention, frequency of purchase and value for money. The BFFF Retail Awards represent ‘the people’s choice’ and whilst the consumer is certainly looking for top quality at value for money prices, they are willing to pay extra for high quality. This year the trend towards retailers’ premium product labels picking up awards has continued with more notable success across most retailers. There is no doubt consumers continue to be aspirational in their needs and that frozen food is increasingly able to meet those aspirations.

The frozen food market is in good growth and has shown accelerating growth for the last eight quarters. The retail frozen food market is now worth £4.6 billion according to the latest TNS World Panel Data and is growing at 4.2% annually. The growth in the market is well-founded with virtually all sectors in growth while some sectors particularly fish are achieving double digit growth rates. One only has to look at the list of winners in these awards to understand how and why that growth has been achieved.

The catering products are judged by representatives of the Craft Guild of Chefs who, as executive chefs, catering managers and recipe developers, are expert in their field and uncompromising in their assessments of the entries. They are always impressed by products which take the labour out of prestigious dishes which normally require intensive preparation in the kitchen. In the foodservice sector, frozen foods, with their established logistical benefits, have gained still higher acceptance through clever, innovative ideas in both recipe formulation and preparation functionality as well as product sector insight. Backed by a deep understanding of the catering market, frozen foods continue to make significant progress in the foodservice sector as end users demand enhanced quality, recipe authenticity and significant labour-savings in the kitchen.

Information received from Horizons show that the foodservice market continues to grow and is now worth some £2.2 billion. It is through the deep understanding of operators, suppliers, wholesalers and all those involved in this dynamic market that enables new and innovative products to be launched that meet the ever demanding consumers’ needs. 

The future remains very positive for the frozen food sector as new product innovation continues, consumers understand why Delia gave frozen foods such a ‘ringing’ endorsement and as money tightens consumers turn to the fantastic value and quality that frozen can offer.

‘You Can Be Sure It’s Fresh – It’s Frozen’

(Contact: BFFF Tel: 01476 515300, Fax: 01476 515309)