Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Moderate growth for frozen snacks
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of frozen snacks, at current prices, 2010-20
- Health factors weigh heavily on frozen snacks
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- Figure 2: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by generation, January 2016
- Higher-income households wanting more organic options
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- Figure 3: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by household income, January 2016
- Frozen snacks possibly suffering a lack of identity among consumers
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- Figure 4: Frozen snack attributes, January 2016
- The opportunities
- Consumers believe snacks can be healthy and tasty
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- Figure 5: Salty snack opinions – Any agree, January 2016
- Familiar brands, organic options offer potential for households with children
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- Figure 6: Frozen snack purchase factors, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Hispanic consumers seeking healthier, if indulgent, snacks
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- Figure 7: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Frozen snack sales begin to rise
- Slow growth for both category segments
- Snacking almost a meal unto itself
Market Size and Forecast
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- Moderate growth forecast for frozen snacks
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- Figure 8: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of frozen snacks, at current prices, 2010-20
Market Breakdown
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- Both handheld entrees and appetizers segments forecast to grow, though slowly
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- Figure 9: Sales of frozen snacks, by segment, 2010-20
- Frozen appetizers/snack rolls to grow more than 2% annually
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- Figure 10: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen appetizers/snack rolls/pretzels, at current prices, 2010-20
- Slow growth, but still a turnaround in handheld entrees fortunes
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- Figure 11: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen handheld entrees, at current prices, 2010-20
- Frozen snacks faring well in other channels, less so in supermarkets
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- Figure 12: Total US retail sales of frozen snacks, by channel, at current prices, 2010-15
Market Perspective
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- Grab-and-go options resonate more with on-the-go consumers
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- Figure 13: Food sales at home and away from home, January 2012-December 2015
- Foodservice encroaching on snacking occasions
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- Figure 14: LSR specialty snack shops – Any snacking, by gender, March 2015
Market Factors
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- Growing demographic groups looking to snack more
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- Figure 15: Population, by generation, in millions, 2011-21
- Households with children snack more often
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- Figure 16: Households, by presence of own children, 2003-13
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Manufacturers seek to counter consumer perceptions of frozen snacks as artificial
- Private label frozen snacks enter the public eye
- Restaurant and other CPG brands continue to emerge in frozen snacks
Manufacturer Sales of Frozen Snacks
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- Frozen brands capitalize on convenience and ease
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- Figure 17: Totino's Pizza Rolls TV Commercial "Sports" ad, 2015
- Figure 18: Hot Pockets TV ad, “Hot Pockets House: Skydiving Chamber,” 2015
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- Figure 19: Farm Rich Snacks TV ad, “Real Life Good – Laundry,” 2014
- Figure 20: Welch's Graham Slam! ads, “Unicycle Football and SkiJoring,” 2014
- Manufacturer sales of frozen snacks
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- Figure 21: MULO sales of frozen snacks, by leading companies, rolling 52-weeks 2014 and 2015
What’s Working?
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- Microwaveable, real ingredient claims surge in frozen snack launches
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- Figure 22: Frozen snack introductions, by claim, 2010-15
- Private label frozen snack sales rise 13% year-on-year
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- Figure 23: MULO sales of frozen appetizers/pretzels, by leading companies and brands, 52-weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015
- Figure 24: Frozen snack introductions, private label versus branded, 2010-15
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- Figure 25: Private label frozen snack launches
- Frozen snacks with free-from claims emerge
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- Figure 26: Frozen snack introductions by claim category, 2010-15
- Figure 27: Frozen snack launches with free-from claims
What’s Struggling?
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- Stouffer’s handhelds struggle, as segment begins slight recovery
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- Figure 28: Advancepierre Foods’ Steak Eze
- Nestlé focuses healthy efforts on struggling brands
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- Figure 29: Stouffer’s TV ad, “Made for You to Love,” 2016
What’s Next?
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- Non-frozen brands making headway in frozen snacks
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- Figure 30: Frozen snacks from brands outside frozen
- Culinary influences impacting launches
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- Figure 31: Culinary influenced frozen snacks
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Frozen snacks could benefit from fresh perceptions
- Increased snacking occasions could boost frozen snacks
- Frozen snack convenience resonating with Millennials
- Functional benefits could resonate with households with children
- Hispanics seek healthier snacks, but family demands take priority
- Potential for leveraging frozen snacks' ease of preparation and consumption
- Health factors top the deterrents to frozen snack purchase
Purchase of Frozen Snacks
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- Consumers concerned about healthy aspects of frozen snacks
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- Figure 32: Frozen snack purchase, January 2016
- Millennials seeking international flavors in frozen snack purchases
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- Figure 33: Frozen snack purchase, by generation, January 2016
- Households with children notably more likely to turn to frozen snacks
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- Figure 34: Frozen snack purchase, by number of children in household, January 2016
- Italian, Mexican snacks of most interest to Hispanic consumers
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- Figure 35: Frozen snack purchase, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Frozen Snack Eating Occasions
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- Half of consumers have replaced meals with frozen snacks
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- Figure 36: Frozen snack occasions, January 2016
- A quarter of Millennials eating frozen snacks away from home
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- Figure 37: Frozen snack occasions, by generations, January 2016
- Households with 2+ children almost twice as likely as childless households to have frozen snacks as a meal
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- Figure 38: Frozen snack occasions, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Half of those using frozen snacks for breakfast/lunch want more microwavable packaging options
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- Figure 39: Frozen snack occasions, by purchase factors, January 2016
- Almost three quarters of Hispanics replaced a meal with frozen snacks in the past six months
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- Figure 40: Frozen snack occasions, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Attributes Associated with Frozen Snacks
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- Apps and snack rolls most likely regarded as convenient, handhelds as filling
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- Figure 41: Frozen snack attributes, January 2016
- Convenience of frozen snacks resonating most with younger generations
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- Figure 42: Frozen snack attributes, by generation, January 2016
- "Kid friendly" describes most frozen snack options – even for childless households
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- Figure 43: Frozen snack attributes, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Hispanics most likely to describe frozen apps and snack rolls as "tasty"
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- Figure 44: Frozen snack attributes, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Frozen Snack Purchase Factors
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- Price of frozen snacks resonating with nearly half of consumers
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- Figure 45: Frozen snack purchase factors, January 2016
- Frozen snack price resonating most with youngest generation
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- Figure 46: Frozen snack purchase factors, by generation, January 2016
- Brand resonating with more than a third of all races, except for Asians/Pacific Islanders
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- Figure 47: Frozen snack purchase factors, by race, January 2016
- Low price motivating lower-income households; organic resonating more with higher incomes
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- Figure 48: Frozen snack purchase factors, by household income, January 2016
- Familiar brands a key frozen snack factor for half of households with 3+ children
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- Figure 49: Frozen snack purchase factors, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Brand and resealable packaging most important factors for Hispanic frozen snack consumers
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- Figure 50: Frozen snack purchase factors, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Opinions of Snacks
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- Consumers believe snacks can be healthy and tasty
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- Figure 51: Salty snack opinions – Any agree, January 2016
- Younger generations seeking healthier snack options
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- Figure 52: Doritos Jacked 3D ad, 2015
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- Figure 53: Salty snack opinions – Any agree, by generations, January 2016
- Sizable portion of consumers cite health concerns about snacks
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- Figure 54: Salty snack opinions – Any agree, by race, January 2016
- Hispanic consumers seeking healthier, if indulgent, snacks
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- Figure 55: Salty snack opinions – Any agree, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Opinions of Frozen Snacks
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- Brands can capitalize on frozen snacks’ ease of preparation and eating on-the-go
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- Figure 56: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, January 2016
- Youngest generations seeking frozen snacks to satiate between meals
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- Figure 57: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, by generation, January 2016
- The more children, the greater a household's interest in frozen snacks for on-the-go consumption
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- Figure 58: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Those who use snacks as part of a meal less likely to say snacks keep them full between meals
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- Figure 59: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, by occasions, January 2016
- Customizability could offer potential for both frozen snack segments
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- Figure 60: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, by purchases, January 2016
- Hispanics express notable interest in frozen snacks with more international flavors
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- Figure 61: Frozen snack opinions – Any agree, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Deterrents to Purchasing Frozen Snacks
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- Health issues top consumer concerns about frozen snacks
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- Figure 62: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, January 2016
- Calorie, salt, fat content weigh heavily on older generations
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- Figure 63: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by generation, January 2016
- Asian, Other consumers more likely to prefer fresh foods to frozen snacks
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- Figure 64: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by race, January 2016
- Higher-income households worry about calories and fat, but also want more organic options
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- Figure 65: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by household income, January 2016
- A quarter of households with 2+ children want more organic frozen snacks
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- Figure 66: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by presence of children in household, January 2016
- Consumers eating frozen snacks at breakfast notably likely to indicate a preference for fresh foods
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- Figure 67: Deterrents, by occasions, January 2016
- For both appetizer and handheld purchasers, calorie, fat, and salt issues top the list of deterrents
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- Figure 68: Deterrents, by purchases, January 2016
- Almost a quarter of Hispanics would like more organic options, and also prefer homemade snacks to frozen options
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- Figure 69: Frozen snack purchase deterrents, by Hispanic origin, January 2016
Target Group Segmentation
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- Figure 70: Target groups, January 2016
- Group one: Super Snackers
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- Figure 71: Opinions – Any agree, by Super Snackers
- Group two: Convenient Snackers
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- Figure 72: Opinions – Any agree, by Convenient Snackers, January 2016
- Group three: Apathetic Snackers
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- Figure 73: Opinions – Any agree, by Apathetic Snackers
- Group four: Healthy Snackers
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- Figure 74: Opinions – Any agree, by Healthy Snackers
- Group five: Simple Snackers
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- Figure 75: Opinions – Any agree, by Simple Snackers
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 76: Total US sales and forecast of frozen snacks, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2010-20
- Figure 77: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen snacks, by segment, at current prices, 2010-20
- Figure 78: Total US retail sales of frozen snacks, by segment, at current prices, 2013 and 2015
- Figure 79: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen appetizers/snack rolls/pretzels, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2010-20
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- Figure 80: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen handheld entrees, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2010-20
- Figure 81: Total US retail sales of frozen snacks, by channel, at current prices, 2010-15
- Figure 82: US supermarket sales of frozen snacks, at current prices, 2010-15
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- Figure 83: US sales of frozen snacks through other retail channels, at current prices, 2010-15
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 84: MULO sales of frozen handheld entrees, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52-weeks 2014 and 2015
- Figure 85: MULO sales of frozen appetizers/pretzels, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52-weeks 2014 and 2015
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