To save in the shopping cart you have to be cold, not hungry. Choosing frozen instead of fresh saves up to 40%. The option is popular among consumers amid sustained inflation.
“Prices are usually between 10% and 15% lower,” says Alberto Bueno, manager of Frozen Spain, which includes producers, distributors and salespeople. The biggest purchases come from the covid. “There was a rise in consumption focused on storage. In 2023 the upward trend continues. Prices have been growing, but they have remained more stable than for fresh and seasonal products,” Bueno reviews. With the pull, the sector expects to bill between 5% and 15% more this year. “The current situation has made many consumers opt for these products, we are optimistic,” says Ãlvaro Aguilar, general secretary of the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Prepared Meals (Asefapre).
Searches for frozen foods have risen 147% in the last six months, detail sources from Tiendeo, a portal for brochures and online offers. “With inflation, more promotions are sought. Frozen is an increasingly used option because it allows you to save even though fresh ones are not neglected,” he points out. Consumers want to cut back on hake, cod, prawns or potatoes, the ones that represent the most searches. Depending on the product, the savings vary from 15% to 40%, they explain, a maximum that can be assumed by buying white brands and in the case of vegetables, the cut skyrockets depending on what is purchased. Peas (-72%), hake (36%) or broccoli (-19%) are some examples that are given.
The OCU, in an analysis of 20 products from eight chains, has detected a saving of 71% in beans, 57% in spinach, 23% in chicken hindquarters or 13% in tuna steak. “The rise in prices has caused 28% of consumers to now choose to buy products with a longer expiration date, including frozen ones,” says Enrique GarcÃa, spokesman for the consumer organization.
Despite the lower cost, frozen products have not escaped price increases. The higher energy cost has had an impact on the freezing or fishing process. “Until now they used to have more stable prices in the face of fluctuations in fresh produce. However, they have suffered from the rise in the price of electricity, which has made them significantly more expensive,” continues GarcÃa.
According to the INE, frozen fish rose 12% year-on-year in April; shellfish, 6%, and legumes and vegetables, 15%. More than their cool counterparts. This can gradually close the gap. “It is difficult to make predictions, since production costs are very volatile. It will also depend on how the fresh market goes,” says Aguilar. The evolution of the price “depends on the product at origin”, says Bueno. 58% of Frozen Spain associates expect costs to continue to rise due to lack of product, especially with the effects of the drought. “Vegetables can be the most affected. You will have to look for it in other places or raise prices â€, warns Bueno. In meat the price remains stable and in fish today it depends on the cost of fuel.
Frozen foods represent a business of 5,000 million euros per year, according to figures from Informa (Cesce). From the point of view of quality or nutrition, when opting for frozen there are no counterparts. “Sometimes it is better than the fresh product. It preserves the properties better. It is a good saving alternative, we recommend it even to save timeâ€, explains Alba López, nutritionist at the Júlia Farré center. The frozen processed, such as croquettes or breaded, does have to be monitored more. “You have to see its ingredients, what is part of the food. Oils, sugars…â€, she points out. In the case of fish, it is recommended to check whether it is wild caught or farmed, since in the latter case it may have lesser properties.
Avoiding food waste is another thing in favor. “They offer the same nutritional quality as a fresco and it lasts much longer without spoiling,” says Aguilar. And in what comes from the sea, “deep freezing definitively puts an end to anisakis”, he recalls.
“There is no doubt that incorporating frozen foods into the shopping basket today represents significant savings and proof of this is the increase in consumption”, summarized from the OCU.