BOSTON — As shoppers continue to balance tight grocery budgets with growing concerns about food safety, frozen foods are taking on an increasingly important role in American households. To better understand how consumer sentiment has shifted over the past year, SmartSense surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and found that economic pressures, product recalls and expectations for greater transparency are reshaping the frozen food landscape.
Last year’s inaugural Frozenomics survey showed that consumers viewed frozen foods as a cost-effective way to stretch grocery dollars without sacrificing convenience. It also examined Gen Z purchasing habits and the role transparency plays in building confidence in frozen products. The latest research explores how those trends have evolved amid a changing economic and food safety environment.
Since that survey, inflation has moderated (but not disappeared), and recalls have consistently made headlines, including ones directly impacting the frozen foods category.
Consumers Remain Financially Squeezed
Grocery inflation eased slightly in August, but prices remain 2.7% higher than a year ago, continuing to pressure household budgets. While overall food inflation has slowed, consumers have little cushion to absorb additional increases, and price spikes in key categories could quickly reignite concerns about rising grocery costs.
Nearly two-thirds of consumers (64%) say their financial situation has worsened compared with a year ago, up seven percentage points from last year. Gen Z respondents report the greatest strain, with 76% saying their economic circumstances have deteriorated.
The financial pressure is also evident at the checkout. Sixty-six percent of consumers say their grocery budgets have tightened over the past year, while 60% say they would buy more frozen foods if food prices continue to rise. Although both figures are only one percentage point higher than last year, they underscore the persistence of economic stress even after months of easing inflation.
As shoppers look for ways to stretch their budgets, frozen food is playing an increasingly important role. Fifty-eight percent of consumers view frozen food as a financial safety net if their situation worsens, and half say they have already purchased more frozen food in the past six months to reduce spending. Millennials are leading that trend, with 62% reporting they have turned to frozen foods to cut costs, up six percentage points from last year. What was once seen as a backup plan for tougher times is now becoming a regular strategy for managing everyday grocery expenses.
Households with Children Feel the Pinch More
Households with children are feeling the impact of rising grocery prices more acutely. Seventy-three percent (73%) of households with kids have tightened grocery budgets year over year, which is 10 points higher than households without kids. Other habits have surfaced as more pronounced between these two groups. For households with children:
- Sixty percent (60%) have purchased more frozen food over the last six months (vs. 44% without children);
- Forty-nine percent (49%) have panic-purchased grocery items over the last six months (vs. 32% without kids);
- Sixty-eight percent (68%) are likely to purchase even more frozen food items if prices continue to rise (vs. 55% without kids).
Price isn’t the only motivator. Those with children see a wider set of benefits to leaning into frozen foods beyond price alone. Households with children buy more frozen food to make it last longer (44%) and purchase frozen food because produce or proteins were more affordable than fresh options (40%). This compares to households without kids at 32% and 31%, respectively. Two-thirds of consumers overall (67%) and 70% of households with kids would also switch to frozen food if their favorite fresh product became more expensive. This shows that frozen food is not only a hedge against inflation and a convenience hack for those with children, but also a way to keep feeding their children nutrition-dense foods. But not without qualms. Food safety concerns continue to be a hurdle for the frozen sector.
Frozen Foods Still Have a Perceived Risk
Storage and transport are a concern when it comes to frozen foods. Forty-seven percent (47%) of respondents overall worry frozen food may not stay at a safe temperature during transport, and 44% worry it may be exposed to unsafe temperatures while being unloaded, stocked or stored at a grocery store. Overall, Seventy-seven percent (77%) would be less likely to shop at a grocery store if they learned the frozen food had been stored outside a safe temperature range. In addition, over a third of shoppers (35%) say they trust frozen food less than other food categories and close to a third (32%) believe frozen food is more prone to recalls.
Twenty-eight percent (28%) of shoppers will choose the lower-priced option only if they trust it’s safe. A quarter of shoppers (25%) are willing to pay more if they have greater confidence in a product’s safety.
These concerns can’t be dismissed and speak to a broader need for transparency and communication across all food categories. Brands that can demonstrate safety and savings will win out. Seventy-eight (78%) would feel more confident buying frozen food from a grocery retailer that publicly explains how it monitors temperature and food safety, and 71% expect retailers to use automated temperature monitoring rather than relying solely on manual checks.
Balancing Priorities in the Freezer Aisle
Frozenomics 2.0 reveals a consumer who is balancing two competing priorities: controlling costs and ensuring food safety. While frozen foods continue to serve as an economic safety net for many households, concerns about storage, transportation and temperature integrity remain top of mind. As shoppers seek greater transparency, retailers that use technology to monitor and communicate food safety practices can strengthen trust and build loyalty while meeting the growing demand for affordable food options. SmartSense’s condition monitoring provides the real-time intelligence and visibility needed to give shoppers and grocers peace of mind.
