The 2026 Power of Frozen in Retail report, from the American Frozen Food Institute and FMI, finds that 77% of frozen-food shoppers now buy frozen with a specific meal or day in mind, up from 71% in 2023. The research is a 210 Analytics survey of 1,560 frozen-food shoppers, fielded in October 2025. It covers people who already shop the category, not all U.S. adults.
The details
77% buy frozen with a specific meal or day in mind (71% in 2023).
40% use frozen foods every few days or daily (35% in 2019).
76% combine fresh and frozen in the same meal.
30% of shoppers plan to buy more frozen.
What it means at your table
Soccer starts in forty minutes and nothing has thawed. Your partner eyes the freezer as though it has failed the week. But frozen has moved from panic purchase to plan ingredient, and it works best when it’s chosen instead of improvised.
This week’s move
Give the freezer a slot on the board. Name one freezer dinner out loud: chicken and frozen broccoli in a skillet, sheet-pan fish and vegetables, a waffle-and-egg stack for a night that has to be easy.
Foodoodle helps a household decide dinner together. It isn’t an AI recipe writer and it doesn’t replace any frozen brand. It’s free during beta, no card, in your browser.
What’s the frozen item you’d defend to anyone? Tell us in the comments.