Frozen Food Companies are looking to overhaul their image.
In response to what they feel are mediocre sales, two major food organizations, The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and Frozen Food Roundtable (FFR), signed a $50 million advertising deal with two ad agencies, including ad giant McCann Erickson says NPR.
The frozen food organizations represent some of the largest companies in the United States such as H.J Heinz, ConAgra, Kellogg Co, Nestle USA and Walmart.
One nutrition manager and registered dietician with ConAgra Foods commented on the image overhaul, saying that frozen foods are actually fresher than their counterparts in the produce section.
"What we call fresh in the supermarket is really better termed raw," said Kristin Reimers, the dietician who works for ConAgra. "A lot of times, those vegetables have been transported for days, and then sit. It could be a matter of weeks between when they're picked and consumed."
She claims, frozen vegetables are "probably more nutrient-rich than many of the raw vegetables in the produce section."
The goal of the image overhaul is to "change the way consumers think and feel about frozen food by promoting positive messaging regarding the benefits and attributes of frozen food," according to AdAge.
Although frozen food sales accounted for $5.7 billion last year, which is up 1 percent in sales according to NPR, the food giants aren't content. They are still worried about how their foods appeal to older demographics in their 30's and 40's.
NPR was able to catch up with the Vice President of Communications of AFFI, Corey Henry, who elaborated on their groundbreaking advertising plan.
"We're going to do this in a way that hasn't been done before," Henry said. You've had various voices weighing in here and there on the value of frozen. Here, frozen food manufacturers are united to weigh in in a comprehensive fashion."
According to Henry, the campaign should launch later this year.
