Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Details regarding sources of consumer data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Flat growth—market not reaching new users
- Competition is growing for convenient prepared meals
- Segments struggle to diversify their image
- Supermarket sales challenged by mass merchandisers
- Factors impacting frozen meal sales
- Top two suppliers declining; growth from smaller players
- Nestlé and ConAgra targeting different demographics
- Innovation driven by premium and health focuses
- The frozen meals consumer
- Habits and beliefs of the frozen meal consumer
- What consumers want in frozen meals
- Consumers align brands with certain images
Insights and Opportunities
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- Honed demographic exploration
- Opening up the children’s market
- Men need…
- Multi-serve meals pushing the nutritional angle
Competitive Context
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- Competition from categories within the retail environment
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- Figure 1: Growth of prepared meals, by storage type, 2003-08
- The foodservice factor
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Mature market is challenged to produce significant growth
- Frozen meals sales and forecast
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- Figure 2: Total U.S. sales and forecast of frozen meals, at current prices, 2003-13
- Figure 3: Total U.S. sales and forecast of frozen meals, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-13
- Wal-Mart sales
Segment Overview
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- Key points
- Convenience, health, and premium offerings support interest across all segments
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- Figure 4: U.S. FDMx sales and forecast of frozen meals, at current prices, by segment, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Single-Serve Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Moving beyond diet focus
- The double trend—nutritional and premium-slanted product lines
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- Figure 5: U.S. FDMx sales and forecast of single-serve frozen meals, at current prices, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Multi-Serve Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Segment ready for the next big push in innovative multi-serve meals
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- Figure 6: U.S. FDMx sales and forecast of multi-serve frozen meals, at current prices, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Frozen Pot Pies
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- Key points
- Quick-preparation pot pies pique interest, but have no staying power
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- Figure 7: U.S. FDMx sales and forecast of frozen pot pies, at current prices, 2003-13
Retail Channels
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- Key points
- Mass merchandiser expansion driving sales in “other” outlets
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- Figure 8: U.S. sales of frozen meals, by retail channel, 2006 and 2008
Retail Channels—Supermarkets
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- Key point
- Supermarkets sales grow incrementally—advantage: space and promotion
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- Figure 9: U.S. sales of frozen meals at supermarkets, 2003-08
Market Drivers
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- Exploring the child demographic: healthy kids’ meals
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- Figure 10: Population, by age, 2003-13
- Targeting households without children
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- Figure 11: Households, by presence of children under age 18, 1996-2006
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- Figure 12: Households, by size, 1996-2006
- Hispanic usage significantly lags that of other racial/ethnic groups
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- Figure 13: Household consumption of frozen meals, by race/Hispanic origin, 2003-08
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- Figure 14: Hispanic household consumption of frozen meals, by language spoken in the home, January-November 2007
- Women want healthful meals—men want big portions and premium quality
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- Figure 15: Personal consumption of individual frozen meals and family-size frozen meals, by gender, July 2008
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- Figure 16: Types of individual frozen meals users would like to see more of, by gender, July 2008
Leading Companies
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- Key points
- Heinz’s alliance with the well-known Weight Watchers diet plan supports growth
- Private label gaining momentum in a mature category
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- Figure 17: FDMx sales of leading frozen meals companies, 2007 and 2008
Brand Share—Single-Serve Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Brands abort their diet image in favor of healthy living references
- Swanson Classics and Marie Callender’s appeal to classic TV dinner eaters
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- Figure 18: FDMx brand sales of single-serve frozen meals in the U.S., 2007 and 2008
Brand Share—Multi-Serve Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Bertolli continues to build sales; Birds Eye gains recognition
- ConAgra’s sales plummet as the novelty of crock pot meals wears off
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- Figure 19: FDMx brand sales of multi-serve frozen meals in the U.S., 2007 and 2008
Brand Share—Frozen Pot Pies
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- Key point
- Marie Callender’s brand cultivates a premium and wholesome identity
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- Figure 20: FDMx brand sales of frozen pot pies in the U.S., 2007 and 2008
Brand Qualities
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- Nestlé successfully reaches out to women with Lean Cuisine
- How has Lean Cuisine become the brand for women watching their weight?
- Why do Lean Cuisine’s chief competitors not have as high alignment as a brand for women?
- Stouffer’s and Marie Callender’s—premium brands, different consumers
- Who does the Stouffer brand connect with?
- Who does the Marie Callender’s brand connect with?
Innovation and Innovators
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- Convenience remains the cornerstone of innovation
- New products focus on premium stance
- Health and wellness drive innovation
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- Figure 21: Healthy Choice Café Steamers, 2008
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- Figure 22: Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations, 2008
- Top 10 frozen prepared meals product launches
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- Figure 23: Top 10 frozen prepared meals product launches, by product claim, 2003-08
- Innovator Spotlight: Private Label
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- Figure 24: Top brands in new product launches for frozen prepared meals in the U.S., 2007 and 2008*
Advertising and Promotion
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- Overview
- Demographic target: Moms/family
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- Figure 25: Banquet Crock Pot Classics, 2008
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- Figure 26: Nestlé’s Stouffer Dinners, 2008
- Demographic target: Adults/couples
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- Figure 27: Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie, 2008
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- Figure 28: Marie Callender’s Country Fried Chicken Dinner, 2008
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- Figure 29: Bertolli Frozen Dinners, 2008
- Demographic target: Women
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- Figure 30: Lean Cuisine, 2008
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- Figure 31: Lean Cuisine, 2008
- Demographic target: Men
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- Figure 32: Swanson Hungry-Man, 2008
Fast Forward Trends
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- Extend my brand
- What's it about?
- Specifics
- Implications
- Home of the Senses
- What's It About?
- What we've seen
- Specifics
- Implications
The Consumer: Personal and Household Usage of Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Personal consumption of frozen meals
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- Figure 33: Personal consumption of individual frozen meals and family-size frozen meals, by gender, July 2008
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- Figure 34: Personal consumption of individual frozen meals and family-size frozen meals, by age, July 2008
- Household consumption of frozen meals
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- Figure 35: Household consumption of frozen meals, 2003-08
- TV dinners
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- Figure 36: Household usage of frozen complete (TV) dinners, by household size, marital status, and race/Hispanic origin, February 2007-March 2008
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- Figure 37: Household usage of frozen complete (TV) dinners, by key cohorts, February 2007-March 2008
- Frozen main courses
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- Figure 38: Household usage of frozen main courses, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2007-March 2008
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- Figure 39: Household usage of frozen main courses, by key cohorts, February 2007-March 2008
- Brands of frozen meals used
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- Figure 40: Top 10 brands of frozen complete (TV) dinners used in household, February 2007-March 2008
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- Figure 41: Top 10 brands of frozen main courses used in household, February 2007-March 2008
- Mean number of frozen meals eaten in past month
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- Figure 42: Mean number of frozen meals consumed in last month, February 2007-March 2008
The Consumer: Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Frozen Meals
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- Key points
- Reasons for eating individual frozen meals
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- Figure 43: Reasons for eating individual frozen meals, 2007 and 2008
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- Figure 44: Reasons for eating individual frozen meals, by gender, July 2008
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- Figure 45: Reasons for eating individual frozen meals, by age, July 2008
Frozen Meals: Retail Channel Preferences
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- Figure 46: Where frozen meals are bought, by number of people in the household, July 2008
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Frozen Meals: Types Consumers Want to See More Of
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- Key points
- Individual frozen meals
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- Figure 47: Types of individual frozen meals users would like to see more of, 2007 and 2008
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- Figure 48: Types of individual frozen meals users would like to see more of, by gender, July 2008
- Family-size frozen meals
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- Figure 49: Types of family-size frozen meals users would like to see more of, 2007 and 2008
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- Figure 50: Types of family-size frozen meals users would like to see more of, by gender, July 2008
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- Figure 51: Types of family-size frozen meals users would like to see more of, by number of people in the household, July 2008
- Type of ethnic foods consumer want to see more of
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- Figure 52: Types of ethnic food you would like to see more of in frozen meal choices, 2007 and 2008
- Family-size frozen meals: specific behaviors
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- Figure 53: Purchasing and serving behaviors among those who use family-size frozen meals, 2007 and 2008
Opinions About Specific Frozen Meal Brands
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- Brand analysis, part I
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- Figure 54: Opinions about specific frozen meal brands, July 2008
- Brand analysis, part II
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- Figure 55: Opinions about health/diet frozen meal brands, July 2008
The Consumer: Teens’ and Kids’ Frozen Dinner Usage
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- Teen consumption of frozen dinners
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- Figure 56: Teen consumption of frozen complete dinners, by gender and race/Hispanic origin, January-November 2007
- Brands of frozen meals eaten among teens
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- Figure 57: Top 10 brands of frozen dinners eaten by teens, January-November 2007
- Mean number of frozen meals eaten by teens in past month
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- Figure 58: Mean number of frozen dinners consumed in last month among teens, January-November 2007
- Kids’ consumption of frozen dinners
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- Figure 59: Kids’ consumption of frozen complete dinners, by gender and race/Hispanic origin, January-November 2007
Custom Groups: Moms and Childless Females
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- Personal consumption of frozen meals
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- Figure 60: Personal consumption of individual frozen meals and family-size frozen meals, by moms and childless females, July 2008
- Reasons for eating individual frozen meals
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- Figure 61: Reasons for eating individual frozen meals, by moms and childless females, July 2008
- What women would like to see more of
- Individual meals
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- Figure 62: Types of individual frozen meals users would like to see more of, by moms and childless females, July 2008
- Family meals
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- Figure 63: Types of family-size frozen meals users would like to see more of, by moms and childless females, July 2008
IRI/Builders—Key Household Purchase Measures
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- Brand map
- Single Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Single Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées Buying Rate Analysis
- Multi-Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Multi-Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées Buying Rate Analysis
IRI/Builders Panel Data
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- Consumer insights—Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Single-Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Brand leaders by penetration
- Multi-Serve Frozen Dinners/Entrées
- Brand leaders by penetration
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- Figure 64: Key purchase measures for the top frozen single-serve dinners/entrées and multi-serve dinners/entrées brands, by household penetration, *2007
Appendix: IRI/Builders Panel Data Definitions
Appendix: Trade Associations
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