Frozen food sales in the Italian retail channel have grown by 2.9% from January to August 2017, compared to a flat performance in 2016 (+0.1%).
This comes from a recent report, published by Italy's frozen food institute - Istituto Italiano Alimenti Surgelati (IIAS).
The report details that about 328,149 tonnes of frozen food were purchased in the first eight months of the year, with particular growth seen in sales of vegetables (+4.1%), fish (+4.4%), pizzas and snacks (+4.5%).
Food Trends
In 2016, the per capita consumption of frozen products in Italy was 13.69 kg (+1% compared to 2015).
However, the vegetable segment remains one of the most popular frozen categories, with Italians consuming 395,500 tonnes in 2016 (+0.6% year-on-year).
In the first eight months of 2017, sales of frozen vegetables in the retail channel grew by 4.1%, boosted by new food trends, such as organic produce, and strong demand for vegetarian and vegan products.
As well as benefits for consumers, the IIAS also points out that frequent consumption of frozen food can cut food waste by 47%.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
