Packaging of deep-frozen foods

29/10/2024

Oct 29, 2024

In summary form, the 2023 market data collected in Italy, numbers and information on types of packaging.

Barbara Iascone

To analyse the data relating to deep-frozen and frozen foods, we have to first define precisely the boundaries of this market area, starting from the differences between the two types of products (often confused).
The process of deep-freezing can only occur at industrial level; the product is brought to a temperature of under -18° centigrade, maintaining the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the food. Freezing, instead, is the home preservation process that we carry out in everyday life using freezers, taking the foods to temperatures no lower than -15° centigrade: the product, albeit well preserved, deteriorates over time.
The data used in this analysis refer, therefore, only to deep-frozen products, in which also the packaging, with its characteristics and peculiarities, is linked to an industrial packaging process.

Table 1. Frozen foods: distribution channels. % values refer to tonnes of product. Year 2023.

Retail	63.40%
Away from home	29.10%
Door to door	6.60%
E-commerce	0.90%

Source: IIAS

The market: values and products

On the basis of the data of the Italian Deep-Frozen Foods Association (“IIAS”), the market reached its historic high in 2023, exceeding one million tonnes. More precisely, in Italy, 1,016,358 tonnes of deep-frozen foods were consumed, with a growth of 0.4% compared to 2022. In terms of turnover, the market recorded a growth of +6.5%, reaching 5.8 billion euros. The distribution channels are retail, with 63.4%, away from home with 29.1% door-to-door with 6.6% and, lastly, e-commerce with 0.9%. The classification, in the retail area, is subdivided between vegetables (sector leader), potatoes, fish, ready-meals, meats, pizzas and snacks.

Table 2. Segmentation of frozen products in the retail market. % values refer to tonnes of product. Year 2023.

Vegetables	39.70%
Potatoes	17.20%
Fish	14.40%
Ready meals	10.40%
Pizzas	9.90%
Snacks	5.20%
Meats	2.40%
Other	0.90%

Source: IIAS

The packaging

As already mentioned, deep-frozen foods undergo an industrial process with the rapid lowering of temperature to -18°. To avoid the deterioration of the product, this temperature must be maintained for the entire life of the product, including transport, storage, sale and consumption. The packaging therefore needs to be suitable for this process, offering an adequate barrier effect.

We need to point out here that, in weight terms, we are talking about around 43,700 tonnes of packaging, including primary and secondary.

With regards to the packaging, in general terms, plastic is the most used material: under the form of flow packs or trays, it’s used for all types of products, representing, for the whole segment, 85.5%. In the case of flow packs, this is a type of flexible packaging with structures made in poly-polymer or mono-polymer coupling. A number of these packages can be contained inside cardboard boxes, considering them, in this case, as secondary packaging.
Still referring to the market as a whole, the cardboard box can, however, also be used as primary packaging, obviously treated in an appropriate way to adequately protect the deep-frozen product. In this case, it accounts for 9.5%.
The paper/compostable biopolymer combination has also been making ground in the deep-frozen products scenario in the last few years, representing 1.2%. A number of brands are using it to package fruit and vegetables, eroding market shares principally of the plastic flow pack.
We complete our overview of the packaging mix by mentioning the 3.8% relating to aluminium trays.

Table 3. Mix of packaging, referring to primary packaging. Values in %.