Frozen to compel
I remember the wise words of a teacher who said, more than once, every day is an opportunity to have a fresh start. It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday; all that counts is today. When you wake up in the morning know that today is full of opportunities waiting to be grabbed.
Why this springs to mind is because I’m attending the British Frozen Food Federation conference: The Future of Frozen Food.
Assembled speakers are discussing frozen’s flexibility at a time when industry faces unprecedented challenges. This is not to err on the side of negativity. On the contrary, great opportunities are presenting themselves in this sector, whether retail or foodservice. With recent increased use of frozen food by consumers, products at reasonable prices are not just a serious solution to the ever increasing amounts of food waste but also the cost of living. I was struck by the advantages the frozen market’s players see.
Presenters from Simon Stenning, a strategic advisor & futurist, Future Foodservice, to Andrew Selley, CEO, Bidfood, spoke positively about frozen’s advantages although outlining the issues we face. However, it was Joanne Martin & Ian Pogson, account managers, at plant-based manufacturers, Strong Roots that drew in assembled guests. This brand is on a mission to redefine the frozen food category,
With a clean label ethic and B Corp certification, Strong Roots has gone from strength to strength and wants to evolve with consumers’ changing tastes and needs.
The pre-family shopper is key to its ambitions. So too, conscious consumption, which has been growing in popularity for a number of years. It was great to hear how Strong Roots attracted its shoppers. How buying decisions made by the target group are influenced by the opinion of peers and the role of social media platforms to share information with like-minded individuals. As such, products that have good reviews from peers and friend are likely to lead to customer loyalty.
What transpired today, is it doesn’t matter what challenge producers face, the most important thing is, though some have fallen, it is how they rise and how high they want to go, and where they want to go from that rise on. A tough winter to come, but the frozen sector is one sector doing something about its position and ability to succeed.
- Rodney Jack, editor, Food & Drink Technology.
Keep in touch via email: rodney@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @foodanddrinktec or LinkedIn: Food & Drink Technology magazine.
