Frozen food market in Germany - statistics & facts
Consumers often wish for a larger fridge in their homes, but they might wish for larger freezers even more. The convenience of frozen food is far-reaching and the competition between brands is increasing. While certain products in this category have been around for a while, food companies are experimenting and expanding the types of food that can be deep-frozen in a constant bid to win over new consumer demographics. With growing consumer attention to topics such as sustainable production, fair trade, food safety, healthy eating and transparency in food manufacturing, advertising and branding on the frozen food market changes as well. The emphasis is placed on frozen products not including harmful ingredients via chemical treatments, being frozen fresh and so forth. Increased food prices across Germany may have made consumers more hesitant and led to planning their grocery shopping budgets anew, reconsidering choices when buying fresh produce in particular. This is a powerful advantage for the frozen foods section, since stocking up for longer seems more possible to a customer looking to save money.
The German frozen food market is an integral part of the development of the convenience food market. Any options that allow both prolonged storage, thus avoiding food waste and repeated grocery shopping over shorter periods of time, and quick preparation (or hardly any) for consumption are a powerful selling point for customers, one which food companies continue to eagerly use to their advantage. However, the initial production methods and handling of the food products being frozen needs continued supervision and monitoring to ensure long-term retail success and safe consumption.
Best served cold
Germany is a leading market for frozen food, coming in ahead of the United Kingdom and France. Forecasts for 2026 predict a sales value of 19.46 billion U.S. dollars. As mentioned before, the German frozen food market is already offering a variety of products that have come to count as staples among fans. Baked goods were the most bought products as of 2023, with sales volume making up around 27 percent. The other leading categories in the top three were vegetables, which is a classic, and frozen meals. The latter included stews and soups. Meat and fish were ranked further down the list. Speaking of staples, there is one more product that immediately comes to mind when thinking of frozen foods, perhaps ahead of all others, and that is pizza. The appeal of storing and then baking at one's convenience right at home seems to be rising, with almost 409,260 tons of frozen pizza sold in Germany in 2023. Figures had been increasing annually in the last ten years alone. Aside from wanting to stock up, consumers also, quite simply, turn to frozen food because they do not want to spend a lot of time and effort when putting their meals together.Fruit and vegetables
German frozen fruit sales volume fluctuated in recent years, with around 67,500 tons sold in 2023. Certain fruits may freeze better than others, and some keep longer without the necessity of freezing if stored properly. In countries with winter seasons, consumers may be drawn to buying frozen berries, for example, when the summer has passed. Germany relies on other European markets for fruit imports, among them first and foremost Spain, followed by Italy and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, frozen vegetable sales had increased slightly in 2023, with around 525,220 tons sold.The German frozen food market is an integral part of the development of the convenience food market. Any options that allow both prolonged storage, thus avoiding food waste and repeated grocery shopping over shorter periods of time, and quick preparation (or hardly any) for consumption are a powerful selling point for customers, one which food companies continue to eagerly use to their advantage. However, the initial production methods and handling of the food products being frozen needs continued supervision and monitoring to ensure long-term retail success and safe consumption.
