New research finds that more than 90% of foodservice operators use frozen foods in their menus, with the healthcare, convenience store and fast casual categories reporting the greatest increase in use since 2019. Operators report that frozen foods offer solutions to many of the operational challenges they face in light of the ongoing supply chain and labor market disruptions.
Commissioned by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and conducted by Technomic Inc., the second edition of the Power of Frozen ihttps://affi.org/insights/foodservice/n Foodservice research sought to understand operator attitudes and uses of frozen foods.
Forty percent of foodservice operators surveyed reported purchasing more frozen foods than they did in 2019, and more than 50% indicated they are using as much as before. Overall frozen food use in foodservice is high and a large majority of operators report purchasing frozen vegetables (83% of operators), potato products (78%) and fruits (76%). The fastest-growing frozen products that operators purchased were appetizers (75% of operators indicated increased purchases since 2019), seafood (55%) and vegetables (53%).
Research also found that consumers consider it highly acceptable to use frozen ingredients, creating a win-win for both the operator and their customer.
An infographic summarizing top findings from the Power of Frozen in Foodservice is available here.
Source: American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) news release
