Frozen food boom: Iceland revamps recipes to unveil large-scale own label overhaul

03 Sep 2019 --- In response to a resurgence in frozen foods, UK retailer Iceland is unveiling 550 new and improved products as part of an update of its own label frozen ranges. The revamp has been prompted by “unrivaled growth” in the frozen category which has seen an increase in popularity recently as consumers seek out convenient and healthy options. According to Innova Market Insights data, 25 percent growth was observed in frozen ready meal launches tracked globally between 2017 and 2018. Buoyancy in this segment is notably sustained by busy consumer lifestyles and increasing demand for healthier, preservative-free options.

Iceland says this is the biggest shake-up in its own-brand history and the overhaul follows months of market trends, social media and sales analysis as the supermarket looks to create the UK’s first own-label range driven directly by customer feedback.

The supermarket is also introducing a range of frozen Limited Edition products, which will be released throughout the coming months to provide a steady stream of new products for customers to try each week. Iceland says the launch reflects an investment of around £2million (US$2.4 million) in innovation.

The range will tie into key seasonal moments such as Halloween and is also driven by restaurants, street food, takeaway and social media food trends. 

All new products have been informed by customer product reviews; shared on social media, Iceland’s ecommerce site and in-store; and backed by trend research. The lines will be unveiled, comprising of dishes well known to customers that have been given a recipe revival alongside brand new ones. Iceland’s most popular ranges – including fish, ready meals, pizza and vegan – will all see significant expansions.

 “In response to the increase in demand for frozen food we are proud to be launching our biggest ever range of new and improved own label products and giving customers even more of what they want,” says Andrew Staniland, Director of Frozen at Iceland. “We undertook an intensive research project, analyzing our customer feedback and reviewing our product recipes to challenge each one, and we’re confident that our new recipes and products will respond to customer trends.” 

“This latest range embraces the benefits of frozen food and is based on trends, customer opinion and optimized recipes. It is our biggest launch to date and definitely the most ambitious frozen food range in UK supermarkets,” he adds.

 Iceland says it is focused on delivering products in line with customer demand and trends. The No Bull meat-alternative range has sold more than 2.6 million burgers since its launch. The range was introduced in response to a greater demand for supermarket vegan food, as demand for meat-free food soared.

In April 2018, Iceland announced a plan to completely remove palm oil from its own label food and by the end of the year 130 products were reformulated. 

“Over the course of the last year, we’ve looked in detail at every one of our own-label products and really scrutinized the range. We’ve worked hard in the development kitchen to revamp recipes and create brand new products based on customer feedback,” adds David Lennox, Head Chef at Iceland.

By Gaynor Selby