The freeze-dried food market - France (2024)

1.2 The global market

The size of the global freeze-dried food market was estimated at $**.* billion in ****, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.*% from **** to ****. Increasing demand for food products with a long shelf life is contributing to the growth of this market. There has been a significant increase in consumer demand for non-perishable food products, in particular freeze-dried foods, such as meat products or their counterparts, vegetables, fruit and ready-to-eat meals. The spread of COVID-** has also stimulated demand for food products that can be stored for longer periods to avoid frequent visits to the stores and to avoid catching infections, thus increasing consumption of freeze-dried foods.

Market size for freeze-dried foods World, ****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

In terms of distribution channels, freeze-drying methods are increasingly deployed by B*B channels, notably in fast-food chains, cafés and hotels, as they ethey eliminate almost all the water, making the final product lighter and with a longer shelf-life , making it more accessible and logistically easier to manage than non-freeze-dried foods. Market players are also increasingly using freeze-drying technology to improve product color, nutrient content and shelf life, which bodes well for overall market growth.

Market share of freeze-dried ...

1.3 The European market

According to Mordor Intelligence, the European freeze-dried food market is set to record a compound annual growth rate of *.**% between **** and ****.

Freeze-dried food market size Europe, **** - ****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

In ****, the largest market share was held by Germany, with **.*%, followed by the UK at **.*%. France and Italy were the third and fourth biggest markets, with **.*% and **.*% respectively. The market shares of Spain, Russia, the Netherlands and Poland were below **%, but still significant.

Breakdown of freeze-dried food market share in Europe Europe, ****, in Source: ****

1.4 The French market

To obtain an estimate of the size of the national market for freeze-dried foods, we used the following figures [***]

value of the world market in ****, i.e. **.* billion dollars, or **.** billion euros (***) ; europe's share of this global market: **%; the value of European GDP in ****, i.e. **,*** billion euros; the value of French GDP in ****, i.e. €*,*** billion; the proportion of French GDP to European GDP, i.e. **.*%.

The following calculation was then performed:

World market value * Europe's share * France's share of European GDP.

The result: **.** * **% * **.*% = * billion euros.

2.1 Demand drivers

The freeze-dried food market is influenced by a number of demand drivers, both from end consumers and B*B caterers.

The main factor impacting the freeze-dried food market is the superior quality of the food compared to other drying technologies. The final product has an excellent shelf life (***) without any added preservatives. What's more, products retain their original shape after rehydration, while becoming convenient to transport.

Globally, the market for preserved foods in a variety of forms (***) has been growing rapidly as a result of the trend towards increasingly busy lifestyles with less and less free time. This has led to increased demand for fast-food solutions and ready-to-eat meals.

In Europe,its application in healthy snack products is growing rapidlyanother major market driver. Freeze-dried foods can be kept for longer periods at home or when traveling, and require no time for cooking, which has gained in importance with consumers. Consumers are looking for convenient, easy-to-prepare foods that don't require refrigeration, which also makes freeze-dried foods popular with people who travel frequently or engage in outdoor activities.

The shelf life of freeze-dried foods is also an important factor, as these products can be stored for several years without spoiling, making them ideal ...

2.2 Demand is driven upwards by people requiring food autonomy

Freeze-dried foods are used by all those who need to be self-sufficient in food (***).

In France, walking and hiking are the most popular activities, with **% of respondents, followed by road biking (***) are less popular. On average, the French take part in *.* different outdoor activities.

Outdoor activities most popular with the French France, ****, in Source: ****

In ****, **% of the population will take part in some form of physical activity or sport, with **% regular participants and **% occasional participants, while **% will remain non-practicing. This proportion is * points higher than in ****.

Physical activity and sport among regular and occasional participants France, ****, in Source: ****

2.3 Attention to food waste

According to an Opnion Way survey, the French are very careful about food waste and try to reduce it as much as possible: **% of those polled say they pay attention to food waste, including **% who say they are very careful.

Attention to food waste France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph below shows the frequency of wastage by type of product, which may indicate the potential for marketing these foods after freeze-drying, to avoid wastage.

Percentage of people wasting this type of food at least once a month France, ****, in % Source: ****

2.4 Freeze-dried products are also in great demand in the space industry

During space missions, astronaut nutrition is a key concern. In space, meals cannot be consumed in the same way as on the ground, due to the unique environmental conditions. Certain foods, for example, can contaminate the air, while preservation methods must adapt to a context where resources are limited and sustainability is crucial.

To meet these constraints, foods intended for space must be:

compact light nutritious tasty sticky or moist undergo specific treatments such as pasteurization or freeze-drying.

Freeze-drying is particularly popular, as it preserves a wide variety of foods while reducing their weight and volume. on board the International Space Station (***), cooking is essentially limited to reheating or rehydrating freeze-dried dishes, which make up the bulk of astronauts' nutritional intake.

To simplify food management, a permanent eight-day menu has been set up on the station. This menu, designed to ensure a balanced diet, includes three meals and a daily snack. Nutritionists ensure that these meals provide between *,*** and *,*** calories per day, depending on the astronauts' individual characteristics, including weight, gender and specific needs.

Thanks to this meticulous planning and advanced preservation techniques, astronauts have a diet adapted to their physical requirements and environment, enabling them to successfully complete their missions ...

2.5 Survivalists and freeze-dried foods

Survivalism is a philosophy of life that involves being prepared for all kinds of unforeseen and potentially dangerous situations. Survivalists believe that individual preparedness is the key to survival in the event of disaster, whether natural, economic, social or political. they seek to be self-sufficient in food, water and energy, as well as acquiring practical skills such as hunting, fishing, building shelter structures and wilderness survival techniques. Survivalists also stock up on survival supplies such as medicines, tools, weapons and communications equipment.

Wars, climate catastrophes and the Covid-** pandemic have all contributed to the rise of survivalist thinking. Indeed, these events have given rise to a growing fear among people about their ability to cope with unforeseen and potentially dangerous situations.

Their main objective is thus to rid themselves of dependence on the outside world and ensure complete autonomy. As far as food is concerned, freeze-dried foods are therefore an option of choice for these individuals, due to their long shelf life and the nutritive and nutritional qualities they possess thanks to this preservation technique[***].

This movement, which emerged in ****, has gained in importance in recent years. Indeed, it is estimated that between ***,*** and ***,*** French people currently call themselves survivalists[***].

According ...

2.6 Freeze-dried food, a mainstay for Vendée Globe skippers

The diet of skippers taking part in the Vendée Globe, a demanding single-handed round-the-world race, plays a crucial role in their performance and endurance. Among the nutritional solutions used, freeze-dried foods occupy a central place, meeting specific needs at sea while presenting unique challenges.

A practical and essential solution

During this ** to ***-day race, the skippers take on board around *** kilos of food, mainly composed of freeze-dried and appertized foods. Freeze-drying, which involves dehydrating food to reduce its weight and extend its shelf life, is particularly well-suited to this extreme environment. Easy to prepare, these meals require only hot water, offering a practical means of consuming a hot dish even in difficult conditions.

However, this type of food is not without its limitations. While it maximizes space and minimizes weight on board, prolonged consumption can lead to fatigue. Some skippers, such as Romain Attanasio and Sébastien Simon, report fatigue or even intolerance to these dishes after several years of use. Similarly, Manuel Cousin confided that he found it difficult to eat them towards the end of the race.

Nutrition, well-being and morale: a delicate balance

A skipper's diet is not just a question of calories. Taste, pleasure and the ...

3.1 Competitive market structure

Competition and partnerships

worldwide, there are a small number of very large players in the freeze-dried foods market, as well as a number of smaller ones. Indeed, the main producers of these products are as follows:

Chaucer Freeze Dried ; OFD Foods ; LYO food; European Freeze Dry ; Dohler ; Nestlé ; Unilever.

Some players are agri-food giants and only a small proportion of their production is linked to freeze-dried products (***).

Innovation in the freeze-drying sector

Although freeze-drying is a relatively recent technique, innovation in freeze-drying processes continues with the introduction of new methods, such as ultrasound-assisted freeze-drying developed by Lyophitech.

This French company, specialized in freeze-drying, has recently developed a new freeze-drying method called"ultrasound-assisted freeze-drying". This technique uses ultrasound to agitate products during the freeze-drying process, reducing drying time and improving product quality. Other companies are also working on innovations in freeze-drying processes, such as spray freeze-drying or continuous freeze-drying. [***]

3.2 Freeze-dried food production process

The time required for freeze-drying is crucial, but varies considerably between different products due to their different water contents. To speed up the process, for example, we recommend slicing fruit, as smaller pieces are easier to freeze-dry. Berries with thick skins, such as blueberries, are also good for storing water, while strawberries are easier to freeze-dry.

The higher the temperature, the faster the drying process, but this can affect product quality by reducing the amount of vitamins and structure. Therefore, temperatures and drying cycles should be adjusted according to the desired quality of the final product.

It should be noted that the average duration of a freeze-drying cycle is between ** and ** hours, and that the residual humidity of the product will be between * and *% of the initial humidity.

The freeze-drying process comprises three main stages: freezing, vacuum and drying.

Freezing

Foodstuffs are placed in carts with trays and rapidly frozen at -**ºC in a freezing tunnel to prevent the formation of ice crystals that can alter their taste, texture and appearance. This stage enables water to change from a liquid to a solid state. Once the food is frozen, it is stored in a freezing chamber until it is transferred ...

3.3 Distribution

There are various marketing channels for freeze-dried foods:

Supermarkets; Outdoor sports stores; Own online sales; Online sales via a reseller.

Depending on the type of producer, the preferred distribution channels are not the same:

Food industry giants such as Nestlé or Unilever use their traditional distribution channels through supermarkets and online sales, sometimes in-house and sometimes via resellers; Larger freeze-dried specialists such as European Freeze Dry or Chaucer Freeze Dried use both mass distribution and online sales through partners; Smaller freeze-dried food specialists, such as Lyophilise & Co, use their websites almost exclusively for online sales; Nomadic food specialists sometimes use online sales, but more often physical sales in specialized stores such as mountain and sports stores (***).

4.1 Product segmentation

The freeze-dried foods market is segmented according to product type, which includes:

freeze-dried fruit ; vegetables beverages ; meat seafood ; dairy products; prepared dishes.

Freeze-dried fruit is the largest segment, by type, accounting for nearly **% of the overall freeze-dried foods market . Most of the processing of freeze-dried foods is concentrated in the freeze-dried fruit segment, due to the ability of these fruits to retain most of the original taste, texture and appearance. [***].

Next come vegetables, with a **% market share, and beverages (***), followed by prepared foods, which are developing rapidly.

Market share of freeze-dried foods by product type World, ****, in ¨% Source: ****

4.2 Price examples

We are unable to give prices for wholesale orders of freeze-dried ingredients placed by processed food giants such as Nestlé or Unilever, as these figures are the result of negotiations between these companies and major producers of freeze-dried ingredients such as Chaucer Foods. However, here is a table summarizing the prices charged for the retail sale of freeze-dried products in the various chains sold in France.

The tables below summarize prices in France for various freeze-dried foods , according to type and vendor. There is a certain homogeneity, and prices are logically higher than those of non-freeze-dried products. The price per kg of freeze-dried foods should be carefully compared with the price per kg of conventional foods, since freeze-dried foods do not include the weight of water.

Example of Voyager Nutrition prices for freeze-dried foods

Source: ****

Example of Decathlon freeze-dried food prices

Source: ****

Example of freeze-dried food prices at MX* Nutrition

Source: ****

4.3 Substitutes and limitations of freeze-dried products

The major constraint for this market is the high energy requirement of such processes, which increases product costs. The availability of other drying techniques, such as spray-drying, has an impact on the market, as their costs are relatively lower than those of freeze-drying.

Indeed, taking dehydration as an example, the process is less complex than freeze-drying:

Dehydration is drying by heat. With this process, food can lose up to **% of its water content. this process has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, making it possible to obtain inexpensive dishes available in any corner store. However, dehydration leads to the loss of heat-sensitive vitamins (***), as well as the effects on certain proteins that make them less assimilable. Lastly, dehydration leads to an undeniable loss of taste and flavor in dishes, as well as to a "collapse" of the cells.it is this last point which means that the consistency of a dehydrated dish has little to do with the original food;

Freeze-drying is a much longer and more technical process, and therefore more expensive. The process involves freezing a food, placing it in a vacuum, evaporating the "free" ice without melting it (***).

5.1 Current regulations

Regulation (***) No ***/**** on the hygiene of foodstuffs aims to establish general hygiene rules applicable to all foodstuffs, by all food businesses and at all stages of the human food chain. hygiene rules applicable to all foodstuffs, by all food businesses and at all stages of the human food chain.

Decree no. ****-**** of September **, ****, implementing article L. ***-* of the Consumer Code with regard to the hygiene of products and foodstuffs other than products of animal origin and foodstuffs containing them.

Arrêté du * octobre **** relatif aux règles sanitaires applicables aux activités de commerce de détail, d'entreposage et de transport de produits et denrées alimentaires autres que les produits d'origine animale et les denrées alimentaires en contenant.

Considered as not very perishable products, these foods are subject to a Minimum Durability Date (***). Exceeding the MDD is not dangerous, but it may result in a loss of nutritional and taste qualities. In addition, it is essential to specify the conditions of conservation of products subject to best-before dates once they have been opened[***].

DDMs for freeze-dried foods take the following form: "best before..." followed by the year only, since these are products with a shelf life of ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Dohler
• OFD Foods
• Chaucer Freeze Dried
• European Freeze-Dry
• Créaline
• Aptonia (Decathlon)
• Simpert Reiter-Travellunch
• Adventure Food
• Lyophilise & Co (Saveurs & Logistique)
• Katadyn Group
• Falières Nutrition
• Nestlé Groupe