Don’t worry; things aren’t cooling off that much for frozen desserts.
According to the latest report from Dairy Foods, frozen dessert sales are falling, including the king of frozen desserts – ice cream. The crowded marketplace, competition, changes in consumer preferences and the healthier focus consumers are looking for in their favorite ice cream has made it difficult for some in the refrigerated and frozen food marketplace. However, according to a June 2018 report from the Freedonia Group, “Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts: United States,” U.S. demand for ice cream and frozen desserts is forecast to total 7.6 billion pounds in 2022.
This doesn’t seem like it’s a slowing market segment to me. In fact, I’m seeing an increase in product and shipping with our numerous frozen dessert processors and distributors that I work with, contradicting these reports, at least for my customers.
So what does the future hold for the refrigerated and frozen food industry?
Innovation will be a crucial ingredient to the success of some frozen dessert processors and distributors moving forward.
Innovation for the frozen food market can mean many things from new product introductions, on-demand ordering or new go-to-market strategies. At Galbraith, we pride ourselves in assisting frozen dessert facilities to increase capacity, make their facilities flow more efficiently, plan for growth, and troubleshoot problems.
In many cases, we will work with an owner’s engineer and design team to verify field conditions to stave off conflicts and problems before they arise, as well as offer pre-emptive suggestions on how to resolve an issue. We can do this due to our decades of experience in the cold storage and food processing industry. Owners and their design teams appreciate our collaborative mindset and the fact that we look out for everyone’s best interests. We enjoy brainstorming with a team, learning new methods and materials, as well as providing our input as well.
Moral of this story is that innovation can come in many forms. In this case for some of our frozen food customers, they are looking at innovation as a way to make their processes better and more efficient to combat the changing landscape of the food industry.
Vice President/Owner,
Galbraith Pre-Design
As co-owner of Galbraith/Pre-Design, Inc., Mark Galbraith is responsible for the construction of commercial facilities in nine states. Continuing his family’s tradition of commercial and industrial construction in south central Pennsylvania and beyond, Mark’s experience includes site analysis and selection, pre-construction services, field engineering and project management.
