Dr. Sophie Attwood is a behavioral scientist and founder and director of Behavior Global, which helps companies and governments with solutions for better health, well-being and sustainability.
Ridged carrot medallions and potato cubes that go mushy when you cook them might be some of the first items that come to mind when you think of frozen food.
A total revolution when first introduced to American supermarkets by Birdseye in the 1920s, frozen food is a category that has undoubtedly endured the test of time, yet has never quite succeeded in melting away its image as a sub-par alternative to fresh produce — a problem not only for food retailers, but also for the future of our rapidly warming planet.
Why? Well, because using the humble freezer is one of the best strategies for consumers to cut the amount of at-home food waste, which is one of the big sources of planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane. Each person throws away an average of 174 pounds of food per year and a huge portion of global food waste — around 60% — is generated by households, the United Nations said last year.
Buying frozen fruit, vegetables or meat, or freezing excess bread, leftover meals or milk prevents these products from spoiling before they can be eaten, meaning consumers save more food, consume more nutrients and throw away less of their hard-earned money directly in the trash. We are much less likely to discard frozen foods compared to fresh, with frozen products making up just 6% of our weekly total food waste.
For consumers, turning to frozen food should not be underrated, as it’s estimated to reduce household food waste by 47% compared to fresh food. Even considering the energy inputs required to power people’s freezers, the cost of saving food is thought to be around 300 times greater than the additional energy costs of freezing, while 100 times more GHG emissions can be avoided by saving food versus those generated from freezer usage. Setting the freezer at a slightly higher temperature can further tip these equations in favor of going frozen.
Despite these benefits, grocers still struggle to get consumers to eat their (frozen) veggies.
While the frozen food category experienced an uptick in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic as shopping more infrequently became the norm, consumers generally still think of frozen produce, particularly fruit and vegetables, as having poorer texture, blander taste and less nutrition compared to fresh.
Many consumers also don’t know how to cook meals directly from frozen or are unaware of which foods are safe to freeze. For example, fresh eggs, herbs, avocados and even ripe bananas can all be safely frozen and eaten defrosted.
So what needs to happen now to address this perception gap? Reframing frozen products to enhance their appeal to consumers is one good starting point for retailers and brands. This can involve rebranding existing frozen products to emphasize their quality or time-saving attributes (rather than marketing them as solutions to food waste) as well as expanding the range of options. Here, brands can build on existing trends for new and interesting frozen foods, including a wider selection of global cuisine meals, breakfast items like bake-at-home croissants and bite-sized frozen snacks.
Retailers can also promote their frozen goods, including “upcycled” expiring produce. To address excess bread, British retailer Marks & Spencer repurposes unsold loaves into frozen garlic bread at the end of the retail day. Increasing the number of aisles dedicated to frozen foods, and integrating frozen cabinets next to fresh food displays — such as frozen spinach, berries or milk placed next to fresh options — can also draw attention to these products, as can “Keep for longer. Switch to frozen” prompts online or via shelf tags. These can be used dynamically at the end of the day when fresh products, like bread, may have sold out and consumers may be more open to considering frozen alternatives like frozen bread loaves.
Much of the food that consumers purchase in the U.K. and bring home already has a small “suitable for freezing” label or snowflake icon on the packaging, but this is rarely in a prominent enough position to attract much attention. Consumer education via in-store or online ad campaigns can raise awareness on which products can be frozen safely, like Sainsbury’s supermarket in the UK attempted in 2022.
Rather than extolling the benefits of fresh produce when introducing recipes to the public, chefs can inspire consumers to cook tasty meals direct from frozen and emphasize their advantages in terms of taste, nutrition, convenience and versatility — all values that speak directly to a growing Gen Z audience. Knowing how to prepare frozen foods once defrosted is particularly valuable as most frozen products that are eventually discarded at home are actually thrown out of the fridge once defrosted, recent research has found.
As 2024 was the warmest year on record, and January 2025 the hottest month ever, there is no better time than right now for retailers, brands and chefs to support consumers’ efforts to waste less food at home by putting some cool back into the frozen food category.
