India Frozen Food Market Outlook, 2027-28

Good food is something that everyone likes and there is a growing trend of trying hands at fancy dishes right in the comfort of the house. Additionally, growing influence of food bloggers sharing their tips to try out new recipes, a lot of people have discovered their hidden culinary skills. However, busy household and professional life has made indulgent cooking difficult nowadays and that’s where frozen foods come to the rescue. Frozen food offers a practical alternative to busy households but preserving the original quality of the ingredients remains a challenge and primary concern of food producers and consumers. Therefore, businesses have invested in new technologies like IQF, quick freezing and high quality of inputs to protect the freshness and nutritional properties of food. The Indian market has been witnessing the entry of many brands offering a host of products across various processed food categories such as frozen foods, beverages, spices, seasonings, and curries. One segment, which has evolved significantly in the processed food section, is frozen convenience food. Any new brand of frozen food needs to focus on providing great quality fresh food with affordable price and variety to the customers. High mutton prices, religious restrictions on beef and pork, and the limited availability of fish outside the coastal regions have all helped to make poultry meat the most preferred and most consumed meat in India. Expanding domestic production and increasing integration have pushed poultry meat prices downward and stimulated its consumption.

According to the report India Frozen Food Market Outlook, 2027-28 the market has grown exponentially with a CAGR of above 18% in volume consumption till the year 2021-22. Snacks and ready meal segments of the market have been generating the highest revenue from the overall market. India’s working population prefers convenient food products that offer less meal preparation time and ease of consumption. Rising urbanization has resulted in the growth of the organized retail sector in India. The high demand for convenience food items, changing lifestyle, and increasing product innovation are the key factors driving the demand for the Indian Frozen Food Market in the forecast period. Growth in the reach of the e-commerce industry in every corner of the country due to high internet penetration and proliferation of smart devices is accelerating the purchase of frozen food items. In addition to this growing expenditure capacity of consumers to purchase quality products is playing a significant role in influencing the demand for Frozen Food. Urban areas account for 80% of the demand which include dairy, canned, frozen, ready-to-eat meals, diet snacks, health products and drinks among others.

Frozen vegetable segment is growing at a rapid growth rate due to busier lifestyles of the Indians.

Readily available pre-cut clean vegetables, high in nutritional content, and no added preservatives have been observed as the reasons for the growth of frozen vegetable products. These reasons posing as growth drivers will have a positive effect on its forecasted growth, which will let the market grow with a significant CAGR during the forecast period. In the overall development of the market, the organized segment has been playing an important role, which has catered to increasing demand from both residential as well as commercial segments of the market. Developing the infrastructure of modern retail stores in every corner of the country has led to an increase in the distribution of frozen food products. On contrary to this in recent years, the traditional stores are getting equipped with advanced freezing technologies as it is allowing them to stock up the frozen food inventory and attract more consumers.

Food consumption patterns have come a long way from preparing a complete meal to opting for frozen food products. The growth of the frozen food market in India is directly proportioned to the increasing awareness associated with such food products. Intact freshness, longer shelf life, and high nutritional content in frozen food products are driving the market. Currently, India is a potential market for the consumption of frozen foods. However, the consumption of such foods is still negligible in the global comparison. This is due to the large population, high priced foods product, a handful of existing players, and lower awareness among the consumers. This has posed an opportunity for prominent global players to explore the market.

The Indian palettes require a different taste and therefore companies have come up with new and more Indian variants like frozen samosas, cutlets, kebabs, and parathas among others. The increasing number of nuclear families and the shift from rural areas to urban areas is booming demands for frozen foods. Increased number of women population in India and young populace residing alone in the urban areas for work or studies are other factors that contribute to the demands for frozen foods. However, the less developed cold supply chain, logistics and hot & humid Indian climate are major hindrances to the market.

Covid-19 pandemic effect: The lockdown forced people to work from home and helped frozen food products to fly off shelves as no outside food was available. Corona virus having affected the restaurant business has left the public in fear of food ordering, adding to the popularity of frozen foods. The students stranded in PGs and with no access to a kitchen the frozen food segment came to their rescue as the best meal alternative. With even roadside food joints remaining shut due to Covid restrictions, pressure/demand for all types of snacking at home spiked sharply, which necessitated household stocking of more and different types of ready to cook snacks, meals, Instant mixes and frozen foods that could be made instantly with little effort and fuss by any member of the family. The consumers changed their brand preference and moved towards those brands which display guaranteed safe, regulated plants and processing properties for manufacturing food, Clean and pure ingredients and safe handling of products. Post-Covid-19, frozen food brands got more acceptances from consumers and is further expected to grow rapidly in India.

Companies present in the market: McCain Foods (India) Private Limited, IFB Agro Industries Limited, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Private Limited, Godrej Tyson Foods Limited, Venky's (India) Limited, Tanvi foods, Innovative Foods Limited, ITC Limited, West Cost Fine Foods Private Limited, Gadre Marine Export Private Limited, Vadilal Industries Limited, Al Kabeer Exports Private Limited, Darshan Foods Private Limited

Considered in the report

• Geography: India
• Base year: 2021-22
• Historical year: 2016-17
• Estimated year: 2022-23
• Forecasted year: 2027-28

Aspects covered in the report

• Global Frozen Food Market Outlook
• India Frozen Food Market Outlook
• India Frozen Food Market Share (Company, Product Type, End-User, Organized V/S Unorganized, Sales Channel, Regional Analysis)
• India Frozen Vegetable Market Outlook
• India Frozen Snacks & Ready Meal Market Outlook
• India Frozen Meat & Poultry Market Outlook
• India Frozen Seafood Market Outlook
• Price Product And Variant Analysis
• India Frozen Food Trade Analysis
• India Frozen Food Trends & Developments
• India Economic Profile
• Porters Five Force Model
• Company Profile Of Top Players

Segments covered in the market

• Frozen Vegetable
• Frozen Snacks & Ready Meals
• Frozen Seafood
• Frozen Meat & Poultry Products

The approach of the report:

The publisher performed primary as well as secondary research for this study. Initially, a list of manufacturers and suppliers operating in the Sun Care Market of India were sourced through secondary sources. With the identified companies and consumers, primary research was carried out which included conducting online surveys, competitor analysis and exhaustive personal interviews - both face to face as well as telephonic basis, to extract maximum information from participants like industry executives/ distributors or consumers. Primary research gave us an idea of company revenues, export, pricing, geographical presence, channel partner model, USP etc. and also helped us to identify various small players who otherwise have less presence on the web.

The publisher seeks secondary data from third-party sources such as published articles, company websites, magazine articles, associations, trade journals, annual reports, government official websites and other paid database sources. In addition, data is also mined from a host of reports in our repository, as well as a number of paid databases of Indian government. Using both primary and secondary information, the publisher calculated the market size through a bottom-up approach, where manufacturers’ value sales data for different types of sun care products were recorded and subsequently forecasted for the future years.

Intended audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the frozen food industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.