Summary of our market study
The French frozen food market is estimated at around 9 billion euros.
The global frozen food market has grown significantly, with the European market holding over 35% of the share.
Europe is characterized by high consumption in countries such as Germany, the UK and France.
The market is driven by growing consumer demand for ready-to-cook meals, particularly among millennials. A report by Grand View Research estimated the value of the market at $177.07 billion in 2021, with average annual growth projections of 5.2% leading to $279 billion in 2030.
The fast-food sector, a major consumer of frozen ready meals, saw an upward trend of 5% in the out-of-home catering market in 2021 compared to 2020, but still down 11% on 2019 levels.
The pandemic has changed eating habits, boosting home cooking and demand for frozen foods.
Transformative trends in the French frozen food market
Despite setbacks such as the horsemeat scandal, which shook consumer confidence, the French frozen food market rebounded to reach around 9 billion euros. Almost all French households consume frozen foods.
Consumers are turning to frozen foods that require a minimum of preparation effort. This trend has fueled the growth of the ready-to-heat meals sector, which dominates the frozen foods market.
The fast-food industry, known for its intensive use of frozen ready-made meals, has become a major growth driver for the market.
The market is also driven by the widespread use of frozen foods in educational establishments, retirement homes and healthcare establishments.
Distribution channels for B2C frozen foods have been diversified, but supermarkets and hypermarkets are the leaders with 58% of the market.
Specialized frozen food stores are gaining ground, with banners such as Picard, Thiriet, Place du Marché and Ecomiam
Picard, in particular, has over a thousand stores in France, and Thiriet is the second-largest specialist retailer.
Technological advances mean that traditional freezing methods can now be abandoned. The hydrotreatment protection technique now offers an alternative.
Market players :
- Picard: The undisputed specialist and market leader.
- Thiriet: Second only to Picard
- Place du marché (ex Toupargel):
- Ecomiam: a big name in specialized distribution
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition
Deep-freezing is the process of rapidly lowering the temperature of a foodstuff, while still fresh and wholesome, to -18°C at the core. Freezing, a similar but less efficient process, offers less rapid cooling.
There are several techniques for freezing a product:
- Contact freezing, reserved for thin foods (fish fillets, for example), is achieved by introducing the food between two plates through which a fluid circulates at -35°C.
- The forced-air circulation technique, better suited to smaller products such as vegetables, involves placing products in tunnels where freezing air (-35°C) circulates rapidly.
- The immersion method, adapted to irregularly-shaped products, involves immersing the food in a fluid at a very low temperature, such as liquid nitrogen.
- IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) involves immersing foodstuffs in a liquid gas. More expensive, it is better suited to fragile products.
These complex industrial techniques mean that the core temperature of products must always be maintained below -18°C, which presents distributors with a real technical challenge.
This study on frozen products will focus on the different market segments, business-to-business and business-to-consumer, and the different forms they can take. Regarding B2C trade, the GSA (Grandes Surfaces Alimentaires) is in the lead, with total sales of 2.4 billion euros in 2021, compared with 921.2 million euros for specialist chains. [LSA]
1.2 The global market
According to a study by Grand View Research, the global frozen food market is estimated at $***.** billion in ****. Average annual growth is expected to be *.*% between **** and ****, generating sales of $*** billion by ****. The creation of supermarkets and hypermarkets has driven market growth in recent years.
The trend in frozen food market ...
1.3 The French frozen food market
The frozen food market has been particularly turbulent in recent years following the horsemeat scandal from the Spanghero factory. It turned out that Findus had been selling products labeled "pure beef" when they were made from horsemeat. The ensuing investigation revealed the weaknesses of meat traceability in Europe and eroded consumer ...
1.4 Foreign trade
Given the variety of frozen products on the market, in this category, we focus on foreign trade in frozen beef, one of the most critical segments of the European frozen food market.
Using the UN Comtrade website, it is therefore possible to obtain the graph below corresponding to foreign trade associated ...
1.5 Covid-19 pandemic boosts frozen food market
The Covid-** crisis has positively impacted the frozen food market in France. Indeed, with government-imposed restrictions such as confinement and restaurant closures, the French have been led to spend more time at home, turning to frozen foods to facilitate their daily diet.
More specifically, the sweet frozen food segment saw its ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Fast food, a growth driver for frozen ready meals
The fast food market growth drives demand for frozen products, mainly frozen-ready meals. With increasingly busy lifestyles, consumers are looking for practical solutions for their meals. Frozen ready meals offer a quick and convenient option while allowing consumers to control ingredients and choose healthier options. This trend is contributing to the ...
2.2 Foodservices
Another demand segment, Business to Business this time, is the sale of frozen products to catering establishments. These include :
Educational establishments Retirement homes and social establishments Companies and government bodies Hospitals and health establishments Catering
Education
There will also be a slight increase in the number of public and private secondary ...
2.3 Traditional catering
Restaurants can call on wholesalers for frozen food deliveries as part of their B*B business.
Trends in French household consumption of catering services
The graphs below illustrate several indicators representative of the traditional food service market (***).
Number of businesses registered under NAF code ****A (***) France, ****-****, in number of establishments Source: ...
3 Market structure
3.1 BtoC distribution - Food superstores
The business-to-consumer segment corresponds to the distribution between a company and a consumer.
A survey carried out by YouGov in **** gives an idea of the distribution channels for frozen foods preferred by the French.
Answer to the question "Which retailer do you usually buy your frozen food from?" France, ****, in Source: ...
3.2 B2C distribution - specialized channels
Among the most important are Picard, Thiriet, and Ecomiam. [***]
Picard
Picard, with its *,*** stores in France, remains the undisputed leader in the specialist retail channel,by the beginning of ****, Picard will have *,*** stores. The company achieved sales of *.* billion euros in ****, a figure stable compared with previous years. Picard also has ...
3.3 Business to Business distribution
Business-to-business distribution, which involves the delivery of frozen products between two companies, accounted for **% of the frozen food market in **** according to Unigrains data. This type of distribution can occur between a frozen food manufacturer (***).
Gira Foodservice has collected data on this distribution segment. This data dates back to **** but gives ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Frozen products on the market
To build an overview of the frozen food offer, we can analyze the request of Picarda specialized retailer. The company distinguishes between :
fruit and vegetables meat and poultry fish and shellfish
These dishes can be sold in various forms:
aperitifs starters, tarts, and salads ready-made meals breads and pastries pastries ice ...
4.2 Low prices and frozen food prices
Prices for private customers
By analyzing prices of Picard products, we can establish that they are :
between *.** euros and * euros for vegetables ; between *.** euros and * euros for fruit; between * euros and * euros for meat and fish products.
Prices for food professionals
When selling frozen products to food professionals, it is essential ...
4.3 Towards the obsolescence of deep-freezing?
Hydroprocessing protection: a revolution?
Agro Media notes that advances have been made in food preservation recently. For example, the Centre de Développement Bioalimentaire du Québec has developed a new food preservation process: the "hydroprocess de protection," or HPP for short.
HPP involves vacuum-packing pressure-resistant foods and subjecting them to ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Respecting the cold chain
All players in the frozen food market (***) are obliged to respect the cold chain, i.e., to ensure that frozen foods are kept at a negative temperature that complies with regulations. The core temperature must always be below -**°C and the ambient temperature between -**°C and -**°C. This ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
The following segmentation is used:
- Auchan groupe
- Picard Surgelés
- Place du Marche (Toupargel)
- Thiriet
- Maximo
- Pomona Groupe (Passion Froid)
- Sysco Groupe - Davigel
- Transgourmet France
- Martin-Brower France
- Orly Gel
- M&M Quality Food
- Ecomiam
- Boncolac
- Bonduelle Groupe
- Ajinomoto
- Escal Sea Food
- Carrefour Groupe
- E.Leclerc
- Findus France
- Fleury Michon
- Iglo (Nomad foods)
- McCain Food
- Sodebo
- Cargill France
- Routhiau Groupe
- Traiteurs de Paris
List of charts presented in this market study
- Trends in frozen food market size
- Breakdown of frozen food market size by product type
- Sales (excl. VAT) of frozen food retailers
- Fast food sales (NAF code 56.10C)
- Answers to the question "At work, where do you eat most often?"
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the frozen food market | France
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