Cash-strapped consumers are switching to frozen peas to save money, new data from Yes Peas has suggested.
Internet searches for frozen peas in the UK had increased 20% in the past 12 months, the industry campaign group said.
This increased focus on frozen peas comes alongside wider changes to consumer shopping habits, Yes Peas found, with the number of Brits shopping monthly at Aldi and Lidl rising by 4.6% and 4.5% respectively.
“Not only are peas incredibly cost-effective, they’re also a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals – making them a staple for any dinner plate”, said Holly Jones, crop association executive at the British Growers Association.
She added that the UK is nearly 90% self-sufficient in pea production, meaning “you’re supporting the country’s local farmers when you buy them”.
Additional data from the British Frozen Food Federation has found that in the 12 weeks to 19 March this year, the volume sales of frozen vegetables including peas grew by 1.3%, or 978,000 tonnes.
This, BFFF CEO Rupert Ashby said, showed that “consumers are increasingly switching fresh for frozen”.
“Frozen vegetables are a premium option as freezing locks in all the vitamins and nutrients, ensuring that our vegetables and peas are always as fresh from the freezer as they were on the day they were picked,” added Ashby.
This is indicated in wider trends according to new data from Kantar, which found that the vegetable category had grown by 3.6% in the year to 16 April 2023.
“With 67% of shoppers worried about rising prices in a survey taken in January, we’ve seen shoppers attempting to negate this through moving away from fresh to frozen, dried and tinned varieties,” said Bella Ursell, client executive at Kantar.
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