If you know Tommy’s, then you know that we’re big believers in the recent frozen food comeback.
Because of this belief, we’re always looking for ways to highlight and help those who are doing their part to show the power of frozen. We recently helped sponsor research from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). This research explored how frozen food is used, consumed, and the key factors that lead consumers to purchase frozen vegetables and fruit.
We’re so thrilled to have been able to be a part of making this report happen, and we wanted to share the findings with you! Here’s what the power of frozen really means in 2019.
The Frozen Vegetable Comeback
According to AFFI’s president, and CEO Alison Bodor, the frozen food aisle is making a strong comeback. That’s not exactly news to us, we even wrote a post about the return to the freezer aisle last Summer! But you may not have heard of this frozen food comeback. If so, here’s a quick synopsis of the numbers for frozen food brands:
The frozen food section brings in quite a bit of money for retailers (about $57 billion each year). That beats out sales in other popular departments, like candy, snacks, and even some fresh foods! In 2018, there was significant growth for frozen food: 9 out of 10 best selling frozen foods sold almost 3% more, and 10 out of 10 bestselling sold about 2% more units of products.
That means brands like Tommy’s are helping more people get dinner on the table faster every year.
Why Consumers Are Returning to the Freezer Aisle
One of the biggest factors for buying frozen? Convenience. Consumers, especially the core shopper group of older millennials, have busy lives with work and family. Research shows that these shoppers are ditching traditional ingredients, and instead buying food that’s pre-cut, pre-seasoned and easily accessible. (Does that sound like you?)
Other factors that influence purchases include the taste, quality, variety, and consistency of frozen food. As we know, today’s frozen food isn’t like what your grandma used to buy! Top frozen food companies like ours are really stepping up to the plate with unique offerings, appealing to a wide variety of palettes and diets. We’re also working hard to provide vegetables that are rich in taste and real ingredients, catering to the considerations of today’s consumers.
Tommy’s + the Power of Frozen
In addition to our sponsored research from the AFFI and the FMI, we’re doing work on our own to give consumers what they’re looking for and keep them coming back to the frozen food aisle. The Power of Frozen Report has shown that people buy frozen food not only because of convenience and taste, but also because they care about what they eat, and because the freezer aisle provides “better for you” options with real ingredients and nutrients. Here’s how we’re making frozen vegetables the best they can be:
A Wide Variety
Our frozen vegetable medleys aren’t your typical choices, they’re all totally unique. We worked tirelessly to bring you exciting flavor profiles, delicious seasonings, and perfectly mingled vegetable blends. We’ve created so many, you can have a different taste on your plate every night of the week. It’s why we constantly hear from our customers that Tommy’s is one of their favorite frozen vegetable brands.
Saving You Time + Money
One of the best parts of buying frozen foods (besides their great taste!) is how they can save you time and money. Our frozen veggies are pre-washed, pre-seasoned, and pre-cut. So you won’t be wasting any time on meal prep; all you have to do is pour your favorite into the skillet or onto a baking sheet, cook for a short time, and you’ll have dinner in a flash.
Our vegetable medleys save you money too! If you can’t finish a whole bag in one meal, don’t worry, you can easily portion out a smaller amount, then put the rest back in the freezer for later. That means no throwing out veggies you forgot to eat. Plus, you don’t have to worry if you’ve got a busy week or even a busy month; our vegetables can be kept in the freezer for up to two years, saving you from throwing out food that you paid for and helping to save our planet.
Providing Real Food
Real food isn’t just something that’s important to us, it’s important to frozen food buyers too! According to the report, the promise of “real” ingredients has a big influence on which frozen foods the consumers buy. We aren’t turning our veggies into pizza crusts, sausages, or masquerading them as other foods. Tommy’s is providing non-GMO and vegan verified, low-sodium vegetables with no artificial colors or preservatives. Just simple, hand-crafted seasonings and good vegetables that are flash frozen at their peak.
Responsible Farming Practices
Tommy’s only teams up with farmers who practice responsibly and sustainably. We’ve traveled the world to find the best possible farmers, and we found them on family farms from Oregon to Michigan, and beyond. And our farming partners go beyond the typical responsible practices- they’re doing their part to farm sustainably and keep the Earth healthy too. From using biofuel to composting, we’re all about healthy dirt and healthy vegetables.
Shopper Education
Another finding in the report is that consumers would love to have access to recipes, coupons, and education to make their experience even better. Are you one of those shoppers? Well, we’ve got you covered!
We love coming up with new recipes that are simple to make and delicious to eat. We’ve created options for every meal, season, and most diets, and you can find it all on our blog.
Of course, our vegetable medleys do have cooking recommendations printed on the bag for easy prep, but our blog also has lots of tips for preparing your vegetables. Whether you want to fire up the grill, cook them in a skillet, or roast them in the oven, you can find instructions on exactly how to do it.
We also provide buy one, get one free coupons every month for our email subscribers. If you want to try out some vegetables but aren’t sure which to choose, this is a perfect way to find your favorite.
Want to know more about The Power of Frozen?
If you want to to learn more about frozen foods and try some out for yourself, check out these resources below:
Leave a Reply