Frozen and Convenience Food Market Sees Strong Growth with Rising Demand

Frozen and Convenience Food Market Size, Share and Growth Drivers

The global frozen and convenience food market size reached at USD 468.93 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to increase from USD 507.38 billion in 2025 to an estimated USD 1,031.29 billion by 2034, witnessing a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The growth of the market is driven by the increasing demand for convenience food due to modern lifestyles and busy schedules, which may enhance consumer satisfaction.

Key Highlights

• By region, Europe dominated the frozen and convenience food market share of 35% in 2024, driven by the increasing demand for frozen foods.
• By region, Asia Pacific is expected to grow fastest during the forecast period, driven by increasing demand for natural and plant-based animal food products.
• By product, the frozen meals & RTE segment held a major market share of approximately 30% in 2024, driven by increasing consumer changing and modern lifestyles.
• By product, the frozen snacks and plant alternatives segment is projected to grow at a CAGR between 2025 and 2034, driven by the increasing demand for organic and plant-based food.
• By category, the ready-to-cook segment held a major market share of 45% in 2024, driven by increasing working women population.
• By category, the ready-to-eat segment is projected to grow at a CAGR between 2025 and 2034, driven by the increasing consumer changing lifestyles.
• By distribution channel, the supermarkets and hypermarkets segment held a major market share of 50% in 2024, driven by the increasing demand for offline stores.
• By distribution channel, the online/e-commerce platforms segment is projected to grow at a CAGR between 2025 and 2034, driven by the growing e-commerce platforms.
• By end user, the household and residential segment held a major market share of 55% in 2024, driven by the increasing trend towards home cooking.
• By end user, the foodservice (QSRs, HORECA) segment is projected to grow at a CAGR between 2025 and 2034, driven by the increasing demand for home delivery food services.

Industry Coverage

Increasing Demand for Ready-to-Eat and Ready-to-Cook Food May Revolutionize Market growth in 2024

The global frozen and convenience food market covers the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of ready-to-cook (RTC), ready-to-eat (RTE), and semi-prepared food products designed for extended shelf life, ease of preparation, and time-saving convenience. This category includes frozen meals, snacks, bakery items, meat & seafood, fruits & vegetables, and packaged convenience foods. Market growth is driven by urbanization, rising dual-income households, demand for quick meal solutions, expansion of cold-chain logistics, and the adoption of Western dietary habits in emerging markets.

There are several major factors driving the frozen convenience food market growth, including rising customer moder and busy lifestyles, and increasing demand for ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat foods are expected to fuel growth of the market across the globe. In addition, rising need for frozen food including frozen snacks, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits and ready-to-cook foods is becoming a household initiative, which may accelerate the demand for market during the forecast period.

Frozen and Convenience Food Market Trends

• Increasing Extended Shelf Life: The frozen and convenience foods are preserved through freezing, which makes them an appropriate option for consumers and rises their shelf life, which is expected to drive market growth.
• Increasing Freshness and Quality of Food: Frozen and convenience foods offer customers high-quality foods and maintain their nutritional flavor and value, which is expected to fuel the growth of the market. 
• Increasing demand for ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat foods: The increasing demand for ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat food products, such as bakery items, dairy products, seafood, and meat products, ready-to-drink beverages and fruit and vegetables, is further expected to boost market growth across the globe.

Market Opportunity

Rising Advanced Freezing Technologies 

One of the major opportunities revolutionizing the market growth is the increasing technological advancements in frozen and convenience food. The rising advanced techniques including vacuum sealing, quick frozen (IQF) and cryogenic freezing focus on nutritional texture, taste, and value. In addition, due to the adoption of smart packaging, robotic automation, and AI-generated quality control, the production procedures are becoming more efficient and convenient in frozen and convenience food, which may present major growth opportunities in the global market. In addition, rising demand for personalization and data-driven innovation are also revolutionizing the frozen and convenience category, as technology becomes more advanced into customer life, which is further considered to revolutionize the growth of the frozen and convenience food market in the coming years.

Market Challenge

Supply Chain Issues

One of the major factors restraining market growth is the increasing supply chain disruptions in frozen and convenience food. From manufacturing to the retail shelf, balancing the consistency of the cold chain is complicated. Any disruptions in the supply chain can lead to issues in food safety, product spoilage, and recalls. This can be vital for grocery stores, hypermarkets and supermarkets, which may create major hurdles in customers satisfaction. In addition, display and storage prices, regulatory compliance, and environmental effect are other challenging factors expected to restrain the growth of the frozen and convenience food market.

Frozen and Convenience Food Market Regional Insights

How Europe Dominates the Frozen and Convenience Food Market Revenue in 2024?

Europe dominated the global market revenue in 2024. The market growth in the region is attributed to the factors such as the increasing demand for convenient and time-saving food solutions, increasing high consumer spending power, increasing consumer awareness for nutritional value, increasing shrinking households and busy lifestyles, increasing consumer preference towards private-label and plant-based food options, expansion of product offerings and growing e-commerce and online retail platforms. UK, Germany and France are dominating countries driving the growth in Europe.

Germany dominated the market revenue in 2024, driven by the increasing high disposable incomes, increasing demand for online delivery services, increasing demand for sustainable and healthy options, increasing demand for meat/poultry, fish, potato products and fruit and increasing consumer demand for convenient and high-quality frozen foods.

Asia Pacific Frozen and Convenience Food Market Trends

Asia Pacific is expected to grow fastest during the forecast period. The market growth in the region is driven by factors such as the rising innovations in product offerings such as ethnic food and ready meals, increasing cold chain and retail infrastructure enhancing accessibility, growing working women population, growing rapid urbanization, increasing consumer changing lifestyles, increasing disposable incomes and increasing demand for frozen bakery products. China, India, Japan and South Korea are the fastest growing countries driving the market growth in the region.

Segmental Insights

Product Insights

How Frozen Meals & RTE Segment Dominates the Frozen and Convenience Food Market Revenue in 2024?

The frozen meals and RTE segment dominated the market in 2024. The segment growth in the global market is attributed to the rising technological advancements in processing and packaging methods, increasing rapid urbanization, increasing changing lifestyles, increasing demand for ready-to-eat frozen food, increasing demand for foodservices such as cafes, restaurants and hotels and increasing demand for on-the-go options such as RTE products, sandwiches, snacks and other frozen foods.

The Frozen Snacks and Plant-Based Alternatives Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the market is driven by the increasing demand for sustainable choices, increasing changing and busy lifestyles, reduced waste and increasing longer shelf life, increasing affordability and convenience, increasing demand for clean-label and plant-based food products and increasing consumer awareness towards health and wellbeing.

Category Insights

Why RTC Segment Held the Largest Frozen and Convenience Food Market Revenue in 2024?

The ready-to-cook (RTC) segment dominated the market in 2024. The segment growth in the global market is driven by factors such as increasing focus on transparency and quality, increasing demand for ready-to -cook frozen food, increasing demand for direct-to-consumer and online platforms services, rising technological advancements in freezing and packaging technologies, increasing number of working populations, increasing rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles, increasing need for quick meal solutions and increasing dual-income households.

The Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the global frozen and convenience food market is driven by factors such as increasing consumer preference towards modern eating habits, increasing demand for on-the-go options, increasing changing lifestyles and rapid urbanization. In addition, by offering unparalleled convenience for time-saving and busy consumers, ready-to-eat foods significantly enhance the growth of convenience and frozen food, which is further expected to drive the segment growth in the global market.

Distribution Channel Insights

What Factors Help Supermarkets or Hypermarkets Segment Grow in 2024?

The supermarkets and hypermarkets segment dominated the frozen and convenience food market revenue in 2024. The growth of the market is attributed to the factors such as increasing demand for offline stores, increasing demand for high-quality and plant-based food products, increasing demand for bakery product, increasing product accessibility, increasing demand for convenience food and increasing consumer preference towards one-stop shopping experiences.

The Online/E-Commerce Platforms is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the global market is driven by factors such as increasing consumer preference towards online shopping, growing e-commerce platforms, increasing integration of internet connectivity and increasing demand for ready-to-eat options.

End-Use Insights

How Household/Residential Segment Dominates the Frozen and Convenience Food Market Revenue in 2024?

The household and residential segment dominated the global market in 2024. The growth of the market is driven by factors such as increase in dual-income households and working women population, increasing rapid urbanization, increasing changing lifestyles, and increasing demand for convenience and frozen foods. The ready-to-eat and frozen foods provide a easy and quick solution, with modern consumers having less time for traditional food preparation, which is further expected to drive the segment growth.

The Foodservice (QSRs, HORECA) Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The foodservice segment such as restaurants, hotels, cafes and others play an important role in frozen and convenience food. To enhance the cost-efficiency, consistency and speed needed by their business models, these food service segments based on convenient and frozen products. In addition, enhanced speed and convenience, consistent quality, inventory management and rise of online food services such as Swiggy and Zomato, which are further expected to drive the market growth.

Frozen and Convenience Food Market - Value Chain Analysis

Raw Material Procurement

• In the frozen and convenience food industry, the raw material procurement deals with strategic process of managing, purchasing and sourcing the perishable packaging and ingredients essential for production. 

Packaging and Branding

• Branding and Packaging for frozen and convenience food market helps to extend shelf life, preserving quality and protecting food packaging. Effective branding and packaging features innovative designs and specific materials for user-friendly and protection, which may enhance brand’s promise of convenience and freshness.

Waste Management and Recycling

• The waste management and recycling in the frozen and convenience food industry deals with both the end-of-life of product packaging and the processing waste from manufacturing.

Recent Developments in the Frozen and Convenience Food Market

Conagra Brands, Inc.

• Launch: In June 2025, one of North America's leading branded food companies, Conagra Brands, Inc. launched more than 50 delicious new frozen foods such as multi-serve and single serve meals, plant-based, gluten-free meals and vegetable side dishes. (Source: PR Newswire)

Nestlé

• Launch: In January 2025, Nestlé launched its new Max Pro line under the Vital Pursuit brand, launched frozen pizzas that feature a major protein content. The aim behind this launch was to enhance health-conscious consumers. (Source: FoodBev Media)

Frozen and Convenience Food Market Leading Companies

• Nestlé
• General Mills
• Conagra Brands
• Kraft Heinz
• Tyson Foods
• McCain Foods
• Unilever
• Nomad Foods Ltd
• Hormel Foods

Segments Covered in the Report

By Product Type

• Frozen Meals & Ready-to-Eat (RTE)
• Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood
• Frozen Fruits & Vegetables
• Frozen Bakery & Confectionery
• Frozen Snacks (Pizza, Nuggets, Fries, etc.)
• Packaged Convenience Foods (Instant Noodles, Pasta, Soups, Sauces)
• Others (Dairy, Plant-Based Alternatives)

By Category

• Ready-to-Cook (RTC)
• Ready-to-Eat (RTE)
• Semi-Prepared

By Distribution Channel

• Supermarkets & Hypermarkets
• Convenience Stores
• Specialty Food Stores
• Online/E-commerce Platforms
• Institutional Sales (Hotels, Restaurants, Catering – HORECA)

By End-User

• Household/Residential Consumers
• Foodservice (QSRs, Restaurants, Hotels)
• Institutional (Schools, Hospitals, Corporate Cafeterias)

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East and Africa (MEA)
• Latin America