Frozen red meat is big business in UK retail. In the 12-week period, ending April 16, £185.3 million ($229.80) worth of frozen red meat was sold. According to a recent AHDB report from analyst Tom Price, that's a £26.2 million ($32.5 million) or 16.5% increase year-on-year. Citing data from Kantar, Price said frozen accounted for 10.2% of total red meat volume sales, an increase of 0.4 percentage points year-on-year.

According to the AHDB report, volumes sold increased by 1.4% year-on-year. Price points to the cost-of-living crisis as a potential cause for changing consumer purchasing patterns. Consumers, he said, have switched to frozen red meat due to its lower price point, which is, on average, 39.2% cheaper than its fresh counterpart.

Opportunities for frozen red meat

With frozen red meat often being cheaper than fresh versions of the same products, they provide a budget-friendly version with the benefit of added convenience. Food-price inflation is causing consumers to seek to spend less on food and cook their own meals at home more often. This provides opportunities for more frozen red meat products to be offered at promotional prices, especially as less frozen red meat than fresh is sold on promotion, at just 22% compared to 26% (Kantar, 12 w/e 16 April 2023). With the pandemic highlighting the importance of having a well-stocked freezer, increasing the prevalence of recipe inspiration on displays and on packaging could help to boost consumer demand.

A further opportunity lies in the green credentials that frozen meat possesses, considering red meat can be preserved longer by freezing – thereby helping to minimise food waste along the supply chain and in-home, a key issue at present. Highlighting these claims on packaging could be key to attracting the environmentally minded consumer to purchase more of these products, especially as the environmental impact of food is becoming more important for shoppers.