Frozen food is a relatively new addition to India’s food industry, which has long been dominated by shelf-stable products. The category is set to expand, driven by rising urbanisation, smaller family units and the need for convenience with an increasing number of women entering the workforce. According to the Mintel survey, half of Indians have consumed at least one frozen food item in the past six months, reflecting an emerging preference for convenience in daily life. Among frozen options, vegetables remain the top choice, while French fries and vegetable-based snacks lead the way in the snack segment.
The Report thoroughly examines usage barriers and preferred consumption occasions, emphasising the importance of delivering superior taste and freshness to attract users. It highlights convenience, time savings and cost-effectiveness compared to ordering takeout as key drivers of consumption. Notable use cases include serving starters and special meals to guests, preparing quick snacks and adding variety to home-cooked meals throughout the week.
The Report emphasises the pivotal role of clean labels and nutrient-based claims – both positive and negative – in positioning frozen foods as premium products. It also provides guidance on developing innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs and desires of today’s consumers.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Consumption of different types of frozen foods
- Key drivers and occasions for consumption
- Factors restricting the usage
- Features that can justify a premium with a focus on health and nutrition
- Innovation opportunities to spark excitement in frozen foods
- Product inspirations from both global and Indian markets
- Exciting product concepts generated by Mintel Spark
Hosting guests and adding meal variety are key usage drivers. Recruit users by excelling on taste and freshness, premiumise with protein claims and create excitement with diversified offerings.
Anamika Banerji, Senior Research Analyst – Food and Drink, India
Market Definitions
This report includes packaged frozen ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals, snacks and bakery products, and vegetables/fruits, meat, and seafood.
This report does not cover frozen ice cream, ice cream cakes or ice cream biscuits.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Frozen foods emerge as a go-to solution for hosting guests
- Graph 1: reasons for consuming packaged frozen foods in the last six months, 2024
- Non-users cite taste and freshness as key concerns with frozen foods
- Graph 2: reasons for not consuming packaged frozen foods in the last six months, 2024
- Health and nutrition are key priorities in premium frozen foods
- Graph 3: features that can justify a premium in packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Cater to the demand for a wider variety of frozen foods
- The outlook for the Indian frozen food category
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KEY TRENDS AND MARKET FACTORS
- What you need to know
- Convenience and time saving
- Indian families are getting smaller
- Graph 4: % of households, by size, 1992-2020
- More Indian women are joining the workforce
- Graph 5: estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for women of age 15 years and above, 2017-23
- Increasing disposable incomes fuel consumer spending in India
- Indian consumers are embracing convenience food options
- The frozen segment takes baby steps in India
- Graph 6: % of food launches in frozen format, 2019-24
- Processed non-vegetarian foods dominate the market
- Graph 7: share of frozen food launches by category, 2022-24
- Evolution of modern retail chains and ecommerce give impetus to frozen foods
- Allana Consumer Products to enter French fries and frozen potatoes segment with INR300-crore investment
- Rising experimentalism
- Consumers want to awaken their taste buds with adventure
- Graph 8: frequency of select food behaviour “look for new foods/flavours to try”*, 2024
- Graph 9: agreement with statements around flavour trial*, 2023
- Indian consumers embrace cooking diverse and specialty meals at home
- Graph 10: agreement with select attitude statements about RTC products, 2022
- The spirit of experimentalism extends to the frozen food category
- Indian brands are exploring diverse flavours and formats in ready meals and frozen foods
- Vigilance among shoppers
- Mintel Trend: Prove It
- Concern for health and safety drives conscious consumerism
- Social media influencers guide consumers to research products before making a purchase
- Food & drink brands can prove value with messaging around naturalness and nutrition
- Graph 11: top factors when shopping for food*, 2024
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Frozen food consumption
- Frozen vegetables drive category usage
- Graph 12: consumption of packaged frozen foods in the last six months, 2024
- The majority of users have consumed frozen foods at least once a month
- Graph 13: frequency of consuming packaged frozen foods in the last six months, 2024
- Frozen non-vegetarian foods are more ingrained in daily routines compared to other frozen options
- Graph 14: frequency of consumption of packaged frozen foods, by types of packaged frozen foods consumed, 2024
- Frozen non-vegetarian foods are more ingrained in daily routines compared to other frozen options
- The East region leads in popularity of non-vegetarian frozen foods
- The young, well-to-do and Northern Indians are core users
- Graph 15: consumption of packaged frozen foods in the last six months, by age, region, city tier and socioeconomic group, 2024
- Both working and non-working women see value in frozen vegetables
- Graph 16: consumption of select frozen foods, by working and non-working women, 2024
- French fries are particularly popular in the West region
- Graph 17: consumption of frozen French fries, 2024
- What drives consumers to use frozen foods?
- Frozen foods bring convenience to everyday life while also helping to create special meals
- Graph 18: reasons for consuming packaged frozen food(s) in the last six months, 2024
- Key factors driving the use of packaged frozen foods
- Convenience and time saving
- Cooking fatigue fuels frequent use, appealing to both working and non-working women
- Graph 19: “feeling lazy or tired to cook” as a reason to consume packaged frozen foods, by frequency of consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 20: “feeling lazy or tired to cook” as a reason to consume packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Frozen foods are poised for growth as they tap into the snacking occasion
- The need for quick fixes tempts young and well-to-do Indians to stock frozen treats
- Graph 21: agreement with the statement “Keeping a stock of frozen foods in the freezer is a good idea”, 2024
- Graph 22: agreement with the statement “Keeping a stock of frozen foods in the freezer is a good idea”, 2024
- There is an opportunity to bolster the communication around convenience of time and speed
- Graph 23: % of frozen food launches featuring different convenience-related claims, 2022-24
- Capture snacking occasions with exciting flavours and formats
- Harp on no nasties and explore fun formats for kids
- Mintel Spark’s take on exciting yet healthy frozen snacks for kids
- Adding meal variety and hosting guests
- Consumers look to add frozen treats to the plate through the week
- Graph 24: ‘to make mealtimes interesting on a weekend’ as a select reason for consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 25: ‘to make mealtimes interesting on a weekday’ as a select reason for consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Seen as healthier and more affordable than takeaways, frozen foods gain wider appeal
- Graph 26: select reasons for consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 27: ‘to make mealtimes interesting on a weekday’ as a select reason for consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Offer celebrated flavours without the premium price tag
- Lift home-meals with yummy sides
- Satisfy the palate with desi favourites
- Give experimentalists an easy means to indulge in global flavours at home
- Case study: Very Berry Fruits makes berries easier to include in the daily diet
- Frozen treats make affordable choices for hosting guests
- Graph 28: agreement with select statements about usage of frozen foods, 2024
- Simplify party hosting with a range of exciting frozen starters
- Empower home chefs to add special treats to the party menu
- Mintel Spark imagines a royal kebab platter to woo guests at a party
- Displays and advertisements
- Online platforms compete closely with in-store displays to capture consumer attention
- Graph 29: select reasons for consuming frozen foods, 2024
- Spark excitement with interactive social media experiences
- What’s holding back frozen foods in India?
- Non-users question the freshness and sensorial appeal of frozen foods
- Graph 30: reasons for not consuming packaged frozen foods in the last six months, 2024
- Go big on taste and freshness to win over metro dwellers as key customers
- Graph 31: select reasons for not consuming packaged frozen foods, by city tier, 2024
- Urge consumers to thaw their doubts about the taste of frozen foods
- Spotlight exciting flavour cues to captivate consumer attention
- Buffet Foods shares the secret behind its fresh and flavourful frozen treats
- Bring the flavours of dining out home to showcase true value
- Graph 32: select reasons for not consuming packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 33: agreement with the statement “frozen foods are not as tasty as restaurant food”, 2024
- Leverage restaurant-style cues to elevate taste appeal
- Highlight chef creations to add a special touch
- Communicate minimal processing, clean label and balanced nutrition
- Graph 34: select reasons for not consuming packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Health and nutrition as a key route to premiumising frozen foods
- The premium claim sees an uptick in Indian frozen foods
- Graph 35: % of frozen food launches featuring the premium claim, 2020-24
- Health and nutrition are key priorities in premium frozen foods
- Graph 36: features that can justify a premium in packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Play the protein card to premiumise frozen offerings
- Graph 37: % of launches of frozen foods with the high/added protein claim, 2022-24
- Graph 38: willingness to pay more for packaged frozen foods with ‘high protein’, 2024
- Elevate snacking with a healthy dose of protein
- Nestlé delivers high-protein frozen meals tailored for GLP-1 users
- Flaunt the inherent protein power on-pack
- Offer veggie delights with a protein punch
- Tap into the interest in egg-based products as a route to offer protein
- Graph 39: agreement with the statement “Egg-based frozen foods would appeal to me”, 2024
- Turn eggs into delicious, protein-packed snacks
- Eggoz brings the magic of eggs to Indian burgers
- Take the all-natural route to create differentiation
- Graph 40: % of launches of frozen foods featuring select claims, 2024
- Leverage the power of an all-natural message
- Attract upper city tier consumers with low-fat offerings
- Graph 41: willingness to pay more for packaged frozen foods with low fat, 2024
- Graph 42: % of launches of frozen foods featuring the low/no/reduced fat claim, 2022-24
- Use low fat claims to introduce permissibility in delicious snacks
- Explore new technologies to reduce fat substantially
- Spotlight the use of healthier oils in low-fat offerings
- Respond to the emerging interest in the low sodium claim
- Graph 43: willingness to pay more for packaged frozen foods with low sodium, 2024
- Support healthier lifestyles with low-salt choices
- Spotlight low-fat and low-sodium claims on social media to boost visibility and engagement
- Graph 44: ‘influenced by advertisements on social media’ as a select reason for consumption of packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Leverage healthy ingredients
- Hero healthy ingredients on-pack
- Elevate veggie-based frozen snacks with premium ingredients and superior nutrition
- Graph 45: willingness to pay more for packaged frozen foods with select features, by users of frozen vegetable-based snacks, 2024
- Bring out the goodness of veggie-based snacks
- Upgrade veggie-based frozen snacks with premium ingredients
- Innovation opportunities to spark excitement in frozen foods
- Spice up frozen offerings with novel flavours and tempting taste hints
- Graph 46: willingness to pay more for select features in packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 47: willingness to pay more for exciting flavour cues in packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Bring novelty by tapping into popular seasonal flavours
- Infuse tempting taste hints for differentiation
- Play the provenance card to add a unique twist
- Variety seekers create a demand for diverse Indian and global cuisines
- Graph 48: agreement with the statement “Frozen foods offer less variety than restaurants or cloud kitchens”, 2024
- Graph 49: agreement with select statements about frozen foods, 2024
- Widen the range of Indian offerings
- Precia brings convenience into celebrated Indian desserts
- Invite experimentalists to savour Western cuisines with at-home comfort
- Tap into the emerging interest in Asian cuisines
- Partner with renowned food service chains to capture guest hosting occasions for frozen foods
- Graph 50: select reasons for consuming packaged frozen foods, 2024
- Graph 51: willingness to pay more for packaged frozen foods provided by renowned foodservice chains, 2024
- Bring restaurant favourites to the freezer doorstep
- Haldiram’s makes its popular Indian treats more accessible
- Cater to the demand for onion-/garlic-free delights
- Graph 52: agreement with the statement “It would be great to see more frozen foods without onions and garlic”, 2024
- Expand horizons with no-onion, no-garlic options
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
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