Latest news with #frozenfood
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The restaurant-quality hidden gems I always buy from Aldi Australia
Aussie foodies have uncovered a secret menu of sorts, but it's not at your local fine-dining hotspot. Instead, fans are raving about the tasty treats tucked away in the freezer aisles of their local Aldi. A recent foodie thread has unveiled what many budget-savvy Aussies are calling a 'secret menu' of restaurant-quality food - and they can all be found in the unassuming low-cost supermarket. From flaky beef pies that rival gourmet bakery favourites, to Greek-style spanakopita praised by actual Greeks, and buttery roti that's been declared 'better than any restaurant,' shoppers have taken to the Reddit page to spill the beans on Aldi's best-kept food secrets. The now-popular thread began with a simple question from a shopper praising the supermarket's frozen roti and once-stocked dumplings, asking others to share their own underrated finds. What followed was a flood of fan-favourite recommendations, tips and hot takes on the best-value, most delicious eats - many of which cost less than $7. 'I go to Aldi just for spanakopita more times than I care to admit,' one user confessed. While another said of the popular frozen pies, 'They're a dupe for the Herbert Adams pies - but half the price.' With Australia's cost-of-living crisis forcing many households to tighten their belts, it's no wonder this thread struck a chord. Shoppers are desperate for budget-friendly meals that don't taste like cardboard, and according to hundreds of Redditors, ALDI is quietly delivering restaurant-style flavour for a fraction of the cost. So, if you're tired of overpriced takeout or just want to upgrade your weeknight dinners without blowing the budget, this list might just change your grocery game. From spicy quesadillas to dangerously addictive Portuguese tarts, these are the cult ALDI products everyday Aussies can't stop raving about - and why you might want to stock up. First up were Aldi's Elmsbury Beef Peppercorn Pies ($6.49 for two) which have won major praise for their gourmet flavour at a budget price. 'I think the fancy frozen beef pies that are like $6 for two are actually super good,' one shopper wrote. 'Came here to say this! They are a dupe for the Herbert Adams pies which retail for $10. The Aldi ones are $6.49.' The only catch? Shoppers warn not to confuse them with ALDI's standard beef pies from the same brand, which didn't rate as highly. Next, shoppers listed the Urban Eats Spanakopita ($5.99), with some customers admitting they visit Aldi just to stock up. 'I go to Aldi just for spanakopita more times than I care to admit.' 'I'm Greek and I find their spanakopita to be excellent.' 'I keep them stocked in the work freezer, and bust them out in the sandwich press when I haven't brought in a proper lunch.' Other shoppers recommended pairing it with lemon juice, tzatziki or the chain's seasonal lamb koftas for a Mediterranean-inspired dinner. Described as 'elite' and 'better than any restaurant,' were their Urban Eats Roti Paratha ($4.99 8pack) on the other hand, with this flaky flatbread moonlighting as an Aldi MVP. 'The roti is amazing and same if not better than any restaurant I've been to,' one Redditor claimed. ''The roti is elite. We've been getting the pre-made Massaman [curry] from the fridge section and it's delicious with some jasmine rice and roti as an easy week night 'fakeaway'.' It's also vegan-friendly and cooks perfectly in a fry pan or sandwich press with no oil required. If you're into Taco Tuesdays, they just got easier with their Urban Eats Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas ($4.99 2pack) making the list These cheesy quesadillas are ready in minutes and pack a smoky chipotle punch. 'Pan fry those babies and you have a pretty decent meal for the price,' one person wrote. 'Definitely! I love them with salsa, jalapeños and sour cream. I'm going tomorrow, dinner is sorted.' 'Seconded! Just had one for lunch - absolutely top tier,' another wrote. For the sweet toothers, shoppers shouldn't go past Aldi's Sweet Haven Portuguese Tarts ($5.49 4pack), apparently. The golden, creamy custard tarts are a hit straight from the freezer and multiple shoppers say they should be illegal they're that good. 'Portuguese tarts are pretty good!' 'Those ought to be illegal! I love them.' 'Just tried these tonight. Pretty good is understating it.' 'I'll second that. They're a freezer staple for us.' For a pro tip, bake them in the oven for 10 minutes to get that fresh-from-the-bakery crisp. While many of these cult buys are available year-round, some may only appear during limited promotions, so fans recommended stocking up when you see them.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I've Eaten More Than 50 Frozen Dinners So Far This Year — These Are the 3 I'll Stock in My Freezer Forever
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. Thanks to major improvements in flash-freezing technology, better sourcing, and a surge of innovative brands, the freezer aisle has become one of the most exciting (and overwhelming) sections in the grocery store. There are hundreds of meals touting plant-based ingredients, globally-inspired recipes, and famous chefs. It can be hard to tell what's worth stocking up on just by looking at the frosty packaging. I've made it my mission this year to try as many frozen meals as I could get my hands on — more than 50 and counting. There were frozen burritos, sandwiches, pasta, and plenty of frozen pizzas. These are the three that really stood out to me and have (and will continue to be) on my grocery list. 1. Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala There's a wealth of frozen Indian food options in grocery stores today (Trader Joe's has a dozen in its freezer case). I've tried a handful of tikka masala, and while a lot of them fell short (too much cream or not enough spices), Saffron Road's Chicken Tikka Masala is absolutely delicious. It's got a bit of warmth from the medley of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. The chicken is really tender, and you really won't believe that it came straight from the freezer, while the rice is plentiful and fluffy. Saffron Road makes a few other really good frozen meals, too. Try the Saffron Road Chicken Biryani with Basmati Rice; our resident registered dietitian raves about it. Buy: Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala, $5.99 for 10 ounces at Amazon 2. Dr. Praeger's Pizza Stars I'm getting a little abstract on what is considered a meal. These Dr. Praeger's Pizza Stars are what happens when you cross a pizza pocket with veggie-shaped nuggets, and I am here for them. They are gluten-free (the exterior is made with a cauliflower base) and feature a cheesy, marinara sauce-rich filling with a few hidden (as in you can't taste them) vegetables, like zucchini and cauliflower. I'd say the entire box is a meal in itself, but it also goes great with a side salad. I heat them in the air fryer to get a bit crispy while the center stays gooey. It's one of Dr. Praeger's greatest creations to date, just behind those frozen veggie burgers. Buy: Dr. Praeger's Pizza Stars, $5.99 for 9 ounces at Target 3. Mìla Caramelized Scallion Noodles Most frozen foods are meant to be baked or microwaved, but Mìla has helped redefine convenience by offering a variety of frozen dumplings and noodles that are steamed or boiled. These Caramelized Scallion Noodles require a quick stint on the stovetop before being tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Trust me — these noodles taste better than takeout and cost less than half as much. Plus, they're readily available at retailers nationwide, like Target, Whole Foods, and more, in addition to Mìla's website. Buy: Mìla Caramelized Scallion Noodles, $5.99 for 9 ounces at TargetWhat frozen dinner do you always have in your freezer? Tell us about it in the comments below. The Weekly Checkout Sign up for The Weekly Checkout to get the most up-to-date grocery news, tips, and highlights. Subscribe to The Kitchn! Further Reading We Used Our New 'Room Plan' Tool to Give This Living Room 3 Distinct Styles — See How, Then Try It Yourself The Design Changemakers to Know in 2025 Create Your Own 3D Room Plan with Our New Tool Sign up for The Kitchn's Daily newsletter to receive our best recipes, posts, and shopping tips in your inbox.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Findus Crispy Pancakes to air-fryer chips: How the British freezer has changed though the years
The idea of preserving food by stashing it in a very cold place is as old as humanity itself. But the process wasn't successfully domesticated until a century ago, when Clarence Birdseye returned from a stint as a fur trapper among the Inuit community in Newfoundland between 1912 and 1926. Noting that the fish they caught would freeze immediately when pulled from the water at this latitude, Birdseye was impressed that it kept its texture and flavour when defrosted months later. He discovered that the same retention of flavour applied to peas if they were blanched after picking and then immediately frozen, even keeping their bold green colour. Fast forward to 1929 and, operating under the catchy moniker Captain Birdseye, Clarence introduced frozen food to the American consumer. It wasn't until the 1970s that home freezers (produced by brands such as Lec and Co-op) began to replace traditional larders on this side of the Atlantic. They've housed our homemade and processed comestibles ever since... Having smoked endless cigarettes and sipped Party Sevens and Lambrini until we passed out on our paisley bedspreads, our only hope of getting up in time for work was the teasmade going off. Which it almost never did. Our frozen-meal choices reflected our lack of concern for our health. Vegetables and homemade soups were considered suspicious interlopers while Crispy Pancakes and lasagne filled the drawers (courtesy of Findus), along with boxes bearing BirdsEye Steakhouse Grills and, for afters, Sara Lee gâteaux and Arctic Roll. Meanwhile Rodney ' Likely Lads ' Bewes enticed the housewives of Britain to buy BirdsEye products during ITV ad breaks with the pay-off line: 'Be a good girl, have a proper lunch tomorrow'. Different times indeed. Our freezers had to keep up with our frenetic, shoulder-padded lifestyles but the nutritional content of what was in them was firmly stuck in the epoch of Dennis Skinner and the three-day week. It was the advent of the frozen microwave meal – Vesta Chow Mein or Beef Curry? Take your pick – which could be heated up in our new Panasonic in minutes, meaning a near-instant dinner for the stressed, junior-executive coat-hanger salesman. The results were barely an improvement on boil-in-the-bag; questionable, too, was the noxious ooze of a BirdsEye Chicken Kiev, a common precursor to the glacial, impasted horror of a Wall's Viennetta. We maxed out our credit cards like avaricious Gulf sheiks in Harrods, but, looking back, our diet was in fact on the level of an Uzbek coal miner. Only we had McCain Oven Chips and a lot more plastic trappings to fill the pedal bin. By the end of the Thatcher era, home freezers were as ubiquitous as Gazza and Danny Baker's 'Daz' adverts. But we were starting to consider our life expectancy. Enter the health-conscious ready meal, a category dominated by WeightWatchers and Lean Cuisine, which tried to tempt us with 'meals' such as Honey Mustard Chicken with Grey Poupon, which, if you're wondering, is just another kind of mustard. Frozen-food manufacturers also assumed that we wanted smaller versions of things – which we did, buying up McCain Micro Chips and Chicago Town Mini Pizzas in our droves, perfect for that sensation of feeling both fiscally cheated and still really hungry come 9pm. We wanted to live longer but our new commitment to healthier frozen choices extended neither to our children – who, for the first time, were able to gorge on freezer treats marketed exclusively to them such as Turkey Dinosaurs and Calippo Shots – nor to our pudding choices, alternating as we did between Mars ice creams and tubs of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough. Happy type 2 diabetes to us all. As budget airlines made a trip to Bali a more tempting option than a fortnight in Benidorm, frozen food manufactures struggled to produce versions of pho, sushi and nasi goreng that tasted even remotely like what we ate on holiday. In response, produce actually became more parochial, but with a premium twist. The downmarket reputation of the freezer-friendly microwave meal for one was rescued by M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury's launching top-rung ranges of dinners, from beef bourguignon to 'luxury' fish pies. If the concomitant prices were too high, there was also the option of a frozen Yorkshire pudding from Aunt Bessie, one of the most successful ways in which a dish perfected in the 1920s gas oven could be transposed to the era of Big Brother and Benetton. One of the few outliers with international aspirations was Sharwood's, which branched out from sauces into frozen Indian meals. More redolent of Doncaster than Delhi, they were at least an improvement on the Vesta curries of the 1970s. Meanwhile, BirdsEye dipped its toe into health-food signalling with its frozen Chicken Dippers, 'now with Omega 3'. The strapline was later quietly dropped from the packaging, presumably when it became apparent that most consumers thought Omega 3 was a games console; an item which freezes just as adequately as battered chunks of cheap hen. The premium trend reached its apotheosis with the M&S Gastropub range and, a notch higher still, Charlie Bigham's frozen meals which, if eaten daily, remain capable of bankrupting Warren Buffett himself. Yet this was also the era when we started to get artisanal with our freezer drawers. Herbs? Avocado chunks? Smoothies? Bone broth? We discovered we could freeze them all. While ensuring that there was still room for bags of frozen seafood mix for our make-from-scratch endeavours, as well as the ever-expanding thin-crust pizza ranges with toppings that, finally, extended beyond margarita and pepperoni. This was also the decade that saw Instagram infiltrate our kitchens. All at once, Little Moons mochi ice cream balls became an essential dessert staple among children and Instagrammers with the IQ of children but with access to a tripod and portable charger. Domestic freezers today can breathe a sigh of capacious relief after the full-to-bursting era of Covid stockpiling. They still contain forgotten Plant Chef and Moving Mountains vegan burgers, which we will eventually eat with the kind of grudging sanctimony usually displayed by Jeremy Corbyn's inner retinue. As for kitchen newcomer the air fryer, well, that's just far more fun isn't it? Discovering that frostbitten Brussels sprouts from last Christmas taste good in the Ninja is the present-day equivalent of Alexander Fleming mucking about with penicillin. We must now, naturally, give frozen chips the same treatment. TGI Friday's and Greggs have, oddly, compelled us to eat in rather than dining out by launching 'fakeaway' chicken meals and frozen sausage rolls respectively, and I won't even pass comment on the 'innovation' that is frozen veggie tots. Of course, there's little room left in our Miele for any Rodney Bewes-endorsed goods today. But open your freezer on a full moon and it's still possible to hear a Findus Crispy Pancake rattling its icy chains.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Frozen Food Market Size to Hit Valuation of US$ 722.50 Billion by 2033
Accelerating urban lifestyles, globalized tastes, advanced cold-chain technology, e-commerce convenience, health-oriented reformulations, stringent sustainability metrics, rising emerging-market penetration, and agile competition are reshaping the frozen food market, positioning freezers as primary, premium meal solutions worldwide. Chicago , July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global frozen food market was valued at US$ 450.1 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 722.5 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. The steady erosion of discretionary cooking time is the single most reliable predictor of frozen food market growth in North America, Western Europe, and urban Asia. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics clocked average weekday meal-prep at just 52 minutes in 2023, down from 75 minutes only eleven years earlier. Similar time-compression is reported by Japan's NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, which found that dual-income households now complete weeknight dinners in roughly 35 active minutes. As commutes return, Gen Z and millennial professionals repeatedly cite 'no-mess cooking' as their top weekday priority, steering them toward frozen skillets, breakfast sandwiches, and smoothie kits that jump from freezer to plate in under ten minutes. Brands such as Conagra's Healthy Choice Max and Nestlé's Lean Cuisine Balance have capitalized by launching single-serve entrées calibrated to 450-calorie targets and 25-gram protein thresholds—claims verified through NSF International testing and prominently displayed on pack fronts. Request Free Executive Sumnmary: Importantly, convenience does not stop at preparation speed. Most new launches now feature resealable film tops and microwave-crisping sleeves engineered by AptarGroup to keep breading crunchy without switching appliances. On-pack dynamic QR codes link to 90-second instructional reels, eliminating any cooking uncertainty. The effect is visible on retail scanner data: IRI's 2024 read shows frozen bowls ringing up 362 million individual units at U.S. mass retailers, surpassing the combined unit sales of ambient boxed dinners and shelf-stable rice pouches. Time-starved consumers are voting with their wallets, signaling that the freezer is no longer a last-minute backup but a primary weeknight solution. Key Findings in Frozen Food Market Market Forecast (2033) US$ 722.5 billion CAGR 5.4% Top Drivers Expanded cold-chain capacity enabling faster replenishment and broader geographic reach. Retail private-label proliferation boosting shelf-space allocation for value frozen offerings. Foodservice volume contracts stabilizing year-round demand for standardized frozen ingredients. Top Trends Expanded cold-chain capacity enabling faster replenishment and broader geographic reach. Retail private-label proliferation boosting shelf-space allocation for value frozen offerings. Foodservice volume contracts stabilizing year-round demand for standardized frozen ingredients. Top Challenges Expanded cold-chain capacity enabling faster replenishment and broader geographic reach. Retail private-label proliferation boosting shelf-space allocation for value frozen offerings. Foodservice volume contracts stabilizing year-round demand for standardized frozen ingredients. Frozen Aisles Showcase Global Dishes Mirroring Post-Pandemic Travel-Inspired Palates Worldwide Pent-up wanderlust has found an unexpected outlet in the frozen food market. As international travel rebounded in 2022–2023, shoppers returned with broadened taste expectations, and manufacturers responded with an unprecedented wave of globally inspired SKUs. Data partner SPINS recorded more than 640 distinct frozen entrées featuring regional callouts—ranging from Korean bulgogi to Moroccan tagine—introduced across U.S. natural and conventional channels in the twelve months ending February 2024. Importers such as Ajinomoto Foods North America and JBS-owned Seara launched lines prepared in USDA-inspected facilities using authentic marinades flown in from origin countries, ensuring flavor fidelity while meeting domestic safety codes. Retailers in the frozen food market are dedicating end-caps to these offerings to encourage trial. Kroger's 'Taste of the World' freezer sets rotate every eight weeks and drove an incremental 14,000 facing placements for ethnic frozen entrées during their pilot period, according to proprietary Kroger Precision Marketing data. Beyond entrées, dessert makers are embracing the same ethos—Witness Magnolia's ube purple-yam ice cream bars, moving 1.7 million bars through U.S. club stores since launch. The trend is equally pronounced in Europe, where Iceland Foods' 'Mexican Nights' range sold out within three days of debut. By integrating storytelling on-pack—complete with sourcing maps and chef partnerships—brands satisfy both curiosity and credibility, turning the freezer into a culinary passport that fits a Tuesday budget. Cold-Chain Technology Innovations Ensure Quality From Factory Conveyor To Fork What once happened behind supermarket loading docks is now a centerpiece of competitive advantage in the frozen food market: the cold-chain. Ultra-low-carbon trans-critical CO₂ refrigeration systems, installed in over 5,600 European stores by 2024, cut energy draw by up to 14 megawatt-hours annually per location compared with legacy hydrofluorocarbon setups. Logistics firms are layering Internet-of-Things telemetry onto these systems; Maersk's Captain Peter platform captures real-time container temperature every 15 minutes, issuing instant alerts if shrimp dumplings or cauliflower crusts drift just 0.5 °C outside tolerance bands. Quality preservation is equally rigorous on land in the frozen food market. In 2023, Walmart finished rolling out its 116-site High-Velocity Distribution model, where pallets are cross-docked into regionally optimized trucks within an average 27-minute dwell time—half the previous interval. This tighter cadence slashes frost crystals that compromise texture, allowing premium croissants and vegan nuggets to hold artisan integrity even after 1,300-mile hauls. Meanwhile, autonomous mobile robots from Seegrid now ferry frozen pallets inside warehouses at line speeds exceeding 5.5 feet per second, compensating for chronic labor shortages without sacrificing HACCP compliance. These combined technical strides reinforce the category's ability to promise 'chef-quality taste straight from the freezer,' a claim that resonates with consumers wary of flavor trade-offs. Digital Grocery Platforms Reshape Visibility, Pricing, And On-Demand Fulfillment Expectations E-commerce's share of frozen food market transactions may be small in absolute unit terms—IRI clocks it at 397 million picks in 2023—but its influence on merchandising strategy is outsized. Algorithms on Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and rank frozen items based on heat-indexed substitution risk, basket size lift, and fulfilment dwell time, reshuffling digital shelves weekly. Brands fine-tune tile images accordingly: alpha-numerically shorter names, proven by A/B tests from Profitero, index 12 positions higher on average search returns than longer descriptors. Quick-commerce operators magnify the impact. Gopuff, which locates 10,000-square-foot micro-fulfilment centers within three miles of 35 million U.S. households, delivers ice-cream pints in 16 minutes median. Such speed reframes frozen indulgence as an impulse treat rather than a planned stock-up, encouraging premium price-points. Retailers are also leveraging geofenced coupons so that consumers passing a Target location receive in-app 2-for-5 prompts for frozen dumpling brands stocked specifically in that store. On the back end, Shopify and BigCommerce APIs feed near-real-time inventory to Google Merchant Center, ensuring out-of-stock items are quietly de-indexed to avoid shopper frustration that would tarnish algorithmic quality scores. The net result is a shopper journey where discovery, evaluation, and delivery occur in under an hour—a paradigm that frozen food, with its shelf-life cushion, is uniquely positioned to dominate. Health-Conscious Shoppers Trigger Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Forward Evolution In Modern Freezers Globally The narrative that frozen equals preservative-laden is being dismantled by data-backed reformulation in the frozen food market. In 2024, Mintel tracked 1,180 global frozen launches labeled 'high protein,' 'keto,' or 'whole grain,' each supported by laboratory assays rather than marketing puffery. MorningStar Farms' Incogmeato chik'n tenders now achieve a 23-gram protein delivery through mycoprotein fermentation, bypassing textured soy's allergen baggage. Sweet Earth's frozen burritos feature 6 grams of dietary fiber derived from inulin-fortified tortillas, verified via AOAC Method 991.43. These quantitative improvements allow brands to align with American Heart Association sodium caps set at 1,300 milligrams per entrée without compromising satiety. Dietary tribes are simultaneously accommodated in the frozen food market. Gluten-free demand continues to rise; Udi's sells 5.4 million frozen pizza crusts annually through U.S. retail, up from 3.1 million units in 2021. Low-FODMAP mapping, already adopted by Australia's Monash University certification program, now appears on Feel Good Foods' potstickers, easing IBS sufferers' path to variety. Meanwhile, regenerative-ag source stories bolster the trust factor: Caulipower specifies cauliflower acreage contracted from Iowa growers practicing cover-cropping, and this traceability earns the brand an average 4.8-star rating on Thrive Market reviews. Together, these product upgrades support a thesis that nutritional density and clean labels are no longer contrary to freezer convenience but integral to its next growth curve. Emerging Economies Expand Frozen Food Adoption Amid Urbanization And Infrastructure Urban migration is rewriting food storage norms in India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia, where domestic freezer penetration hit 44 million additional households between 2020 and 2023, according to Euromonitor appliance shipment data. In India's Tier-I cities, Reliance Retail's Smart Bazaar chain installed 3,600 extra freezer doors in fiscal 2024 alone, allocating half the capacity to regional favorites such as aloo-tikki patties and paratha stacks that previously required labor-intensive home preparation. Infrastructure investment is underpinning the trend in the frozen food market. Indonesia commissioned 31 public cold-storage hubs along its Java and Sumatra corridors, each capable of holding 2,400 metric tons at ‑18 °C. The hubs feed a blossoming quick-service restaurant sector that depends on fail-safe supply of frozen fries and poultry. Local producers are rising to the occasion: BRF's Sadia plant in Abu Dhabi now dedicates a 100-container monthly export quota to West African ports where consistent electricity remains scarce, ensuring product integrity despite port dwell delays. These developments mirror smartphone adoption curves; once hardware—freezers and cold warehouses—becomes accessible, usage behaviors accelerate non-linearly. Consequently, global brands from McCain to Green Giant are tweaking SKUs for spice palettes and portion sizes specific to these high-growth geographies, positioning themselves to capture the freezer's next billion servings. Need a Customized Version? Request It Now: Competitive Landscape Blends Legacy Brands, Venture-Backed Startups, And Strategic Partnerships The modern frozen food market is a chessboard in the frozen food market where century-old incumbents share squares with digitally native upstarts. Conagra, General Mills, and Kraft Heinz still command multibillion-unit sell-through volumes, yet venture-funded entrants like Daily Harvest, Tattooed Chef, and Snow Days added a collective 58 million units to U.S. scanner tallies in 2023. These challengers differentiate with direct-to-consumer logistics, delivering dry-ice packed assortments that bypass planogram constraints. Mergers and joint ventures are blurring boundaries. In December 2023, Nestlé and Deliveroo inked a five-year agreement to stock 76 Deliveroo Hop dark stores with Nestlé-branded frozen pizzas and plant-based proteins, granting Nestlé near-instant access to 23 million European app users. Private-label momentum cannot be ignored either; Aldi's Fremont Fish Market sold 120 million frozen shrimp rings during the most recent holiday quarter, demonstrating that store brands can sustain premium volumes when quality parity is achieved. Meanwhile, ingredient suppliers are arming all players with faster iteration cycles—Givaudan's AI-driven Recipe Recommender trims flavor development to eight weeks, letting both giants and garage startups launch seasonal limited editions in step with viral TikTok trends. In this highly fluid ecosystem, strategic agility rather than legacy scale determines who claims the prime real estate in consumers' freezers. Global Frozen Food Market Major Players: Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Associated British Foods PLC CJ Foods ConAgra Brands, Inc. General Mills Inc. Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. De C.V Grupo Bimbo Kellogg Company Lantmannen Unibake International Maruha Nichiro Holding Inc. Mccain Foods Limited Nestle SA NH Foods Ltd. Nichirei Corporation Nippon Suisan The Kraft Heinz Company Tyson Foods, Inc. Unilever Other Prominent Players Market Segmentation: By Product Type Fruits Seasonal Regular Vegetables Peas Corn Potatoes Others Dairy Products Milk Butter Cheese Others Meat & Poultry Red Meat Pork Meat Poultry Meat Seafood Bakery Products Bread Pizza Crust Cakes & Pastries Others Soups Ready Meals Dumplings Rice-based Italian (Pastas) Indian Korean Chinese Others Others By Distribution Channel Retail Online Supermarket/ Hypermarket Convenience Stores/ Standalone Stores Enterprise Sale (B2B) HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurants, Café) – Food Service Travel (Railway/ Airline/ Others) Educational Institutes Food Processing Industry By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific The Middle East and Africa South America Need Strategic Clarity? Talk to Our Analyst Today: About Astute Analytica Astute Analytica is a global market research and advisory firm providing data-driven insights across industries such as technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and more. We publish multiple reports daily, equipping businesses with the intelligence they need to navigate market trends, emerging opportunities, competitive landscapes, and technological advancements. With a team of experienced business analysts, economists, and industry experts, we deliver accurate, in-depth, and actionable research tailored to meet the strategic needs of our clients. At Astute Analytica, our clients come first, and we are committed to delivering cost-effective, high-value research solutions that drive success in an evolving marketplace. Contact Us:Astute AnalyticaPhone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World)For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Follow us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube CONTACT: Contact Us: Astute Analytica Phone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World) For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Website:
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Australian supermarket chicken nuggets taste test: from ‘mushy' and ‘yuck' to ‘super good'
What makes a good chicken nugget? Ahead of this taste test, I put a call-out on Instagram asking this question. Dozens of messages essentially said the same thing: real chicken flavour, evenly textured meat and a crisp exterior. Though a handful suggested I make my own, most understood the assignment: the appeal of a chicken nugget lies not in Nara Smith-ing it but in its convenience, especially during school holiday chaos. To that end, on the first day of winter break, I rounded up good friends, compliant siblings (including a 34-year-old nugget connoisseur-sister who still orders kids' meals) and their respective children to rate frozen supermarket offerings for their overall appeal, their texture and flavour. Nuggets were cooked in an oven according to their packet instructions, but the consensus was that almost all the nuggets needed longer cook times. The battered nuggets, which came out on top, tended to stick to the baking paper, and some tasters felt that an air fryer would definitely produce a superior crispiness. With 10 testers under 10, we learned fast that kids under seven are a little remiss in their paper scoring (lots of 10s and even more zeros, often for the same nugget) but great at verbalising feedback, so I prioritised their audible reactions and the scores of older children and adults as I pulled together the results. Just as we were wrapping up, one child went screeching through the kitchen yelling 'I NEED WATER'. I felt the sodium levels too, palming the leftovers off and declaring I'd be fine never seeing another chicken nugget again. My sister, meanwhile, sent me a picture of a small bowl of nuggets the very next day, with the message 'Chicken Nuggets for life'. Steggles Tempura Chicken Dino Snacks, 1kg, $13.50 ($1.35 per 100g), available at major supermarkets Score 7.9/10 It's easy to assume that these came out on top simply for their novelty. A cheer went out as they were brought to the table – surprising since we were six varieties in at that point. One little tester proudly declared she'd had three by the time I'd scouted everyone else's reaction. Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Younger kids declared them 'really soft and nice' and 'super good'; older kids said they were 'just right' in both texture and flavour. The adults concurred, finding they had a 'crispy outside', 'delicious and tender' inside and an overall 'taste and texture that was consistent'. Their listed ingredients have one of the highest percentages of chicken (not breast) at 52% and a tempura coating of 26%. Could it be the shape? It's possible, one tester said, that the dino shape contributes to an exterior that is crispier in some parts and softer than others, making the overall experience a little better. Farmwood Chicken Breast Tempura Nuggets, 1kg, $9.29 ($0.92 per 100g), available at Aldi Score: 6.7/10 Across many of the nuggets we tried, we found the exterior texture and flavour weighted a nugget up or down more than the inside flavour and texture, which was relatively consistent no matter the brand. These budget versions from Aldi are a case in point: though three of the adults found they had a gummier inside than the other tempura varieties, they still ranked highly for inside taste, and exterior taste and texture. While some of the batter came off during baking, younger testers gave them a thumbs up on the whole, with one noting their taste and 'good exterior'. A similar ingredient makeup to the top scorer (52% RSPCA-approved chicken breast, 27% tempura coating) likely helps. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Steggles Tempura Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $13.50 ($1.35 per 100g), available at all major supermarkets Score: 6.6/10 These are essentially the same as their dino counterparts, with only a small variation in the ingredients (49% chicken and 30% tempura), yet testers found them 'soft' and 'bland' on the inside, with a superior outside thanks to their 'crispy texture'. One tester said the tempura layer tasted 'bread-like' and felt 'thin', which could suggest the dino shape theory has legs (pardon the pun). Ingham's Chicken Breast Nuggets Tempura, 1kg, $11 ($1.10 per 100g), available at all major supermarkets Score: 6/10 These were my pick of the bunch, but other tasters found the inside to be better than the outside, describing them as 'well-seasoned' and 'peppery and salty'. But they were short on the crispy exterior that makes a nugget what it is. Despite their lower chicken content (48%) these nuggets are made from chicken breast, with a much-lower tempura coating of just 22% that allows the taste of real chicken to come through. Woolworths Chicken Breast Crumbed Nuggets, 1kg, $9 ($0.90 per 100g), available at Woolworths Score: 5.9/10 Adult testers found these to be 'crumbly' or 'sandy' in texture, but found their inside taste and texture redeemable: 'flavourful' and 'soft'. Younger testers were overwhelmingly negative, blaming a 'no flavour inside taste' for their rejection of a second or third bite. On checking the ingredients after the taste test, these had a whopping 41% crumb coating, but the highest percentage of RSPCA-approved chicken breast at 59%. Their ingredient panel was also more specific than many, naming flavours like paprika and cumin over the more abstract 'seasoning'. Coles Crumbed Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $11 ($1.10 per 100g), available at Coles Score: 5.1/10 Younger testers described the inside of these nuggets as 'weird' and 'not nice'; older ones as 'eggy' and 'bland'. The outside fared a little bit better: although some described the exterior as 'too crumbly', others found it to be the best in flavour. They do their job on a basic level, tasting sufficiently chicken-adjacent with a crispy enough outside, though coming out overall as kind of 'mid'. Farmwood Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $6.49 ($0.65 per 100g), available at Aldi Score: 3.3/10 At 25c cheaper per hundred gram than the nearest competitor, these tied for lowest-cost nuggets. Their results were divisive. Some praised their 'good taste' and 'nice crumb', but one tester went so far as to say they should go 'in the bin'. It was the 'mushy' texture that let them down, with one person saying: 'If you'd told me these were made of potato, I would have believed you.' Black & Gold Australian Chicken Nuggets, 500g, $3.25 ($0.65 per 100g), available at independent grocers Score: 0.9/10 Although tied for first place on low price, this was the only variety I spat out. Testers also concluded they 'felt sandy', 'tasted horrible', were 'too hard' and had 'no flavour'. They have the lowest percentage of chicken at just 34% (and not specifically chicken breast), which I suspect affects the flavour. The rough, uneven crumb, noted as soon as they came out of the oven (and inferred when they were removed from the freezer), can't help.
