The latest business report on the front lines of the frozen foods industry] The COVID-19 crisis has brought about a drastic change in the industry! The “hot battle” for the leading role on the dining table
Ajinomoto taking the high road / Nichirei Foods No. 1 in fried foods and sweets / Nissui, the oldest player in the industry / Eat & Foods collaborates with Osaka Ohsho / Maruha Nichiro battles with seafood / Nipun makes a breakthrough with one-plate set meals / Nissin has strong pasta products
Frozen foods are just a few side dishes for lunch.
What shattered this FRIDAY reporter’s perception was “@FROZEN,” a frozen food specialty store on the first floor of “AEON STYLE Shin-Urayasu MONA,” just off JR Shin-Urayasu Station.
The store is crammed with as many as 1,500 frozen food items, including frozen bakery items and authentic Western-style dishes priced at over 3,000 yen, such as a Japanese black beef hamburger steak.
It was unthinkable for a store to carry only frozen foods. But in the past two to three years, the demand for frozen foods has exploded. The COVID-19 crisis made consumers realize the convenience and taste of frozen foods that can be eaten in the comfort of one’s own home. Their status as “snacks” and “gazillion meals,” which had been gradually built up even before Corona, has also been further solidified. There are currently only five @FROZEN stores in Japan, and I am sure there will be more in the future,” says Takemura Dai, a frozen food meister.
In fact, the average number of frozen foods before Corona was about 200 items at regular supermarkets and 300-400 items at large supermarkets, but now they have increased to 400-500 items and 700-1000 items, respectively.
The product that most clearly represents this change is actually “shaomai. Mr. Takemura continues.
Until now, frozen shaomai was made small to fill the space in a bento box. Ajinomoto Frozen Foods’ “The* Shumai” overturned this conventional wisdom. Each one is quite large, weighing 30 grams, and contains nine pieces. Coarsely ground Japanese pork and large cuts of bamboo shoots, onions, and shiitake mushrooms are used in abundance. The commercial of Shun Oguri eating a bowl of white rice with “The Shumai” was impressive, and this is a dish that can be eaten as a main side dish at the dinner table.
The product was launched in 2004, but the COVID-19 crisis has greatly increased its sales.
The Fried Rice” also boasts strong popularity. Although Ajinomoto Frozen Foods has only a small number of products, it is characterized by the fact that it devotes a large amount of resources to high-profile products. As symbolized by its unique commercials featuring big-name celebrities, Ajinomoto also has the ability to boost sales through outstanding branding and marketing. Above all, the company’s strength lies in its “dumplings” (annual sales of over 20 billion yen), which are said to be the best-selling frozen food for household use. The company’s commitment to this product is so great that it continues to make improvements even more than 50 years after its launch,” said Takeshi Nishikawa, a frozen food expert.
