A new report by Persistence Market Research offers insights on the global IQF (individually quick frozen) fruits market in its upcoming outlook, titled, ‘IQF Fruits Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2028’. In terms of value, the global IQF fruits market is projected to register a healthy CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period as per the report analysis.
On the basis of fruit type, the red fruits and berries segment is expected to maintain its dominance in the IQF fruits market, with a significant CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. The increasing tendency for developing countries to adapt to food trends has resulted in the worldwide growth of faster-to-prepare food products resulting in the increased consumption of IQF fruits. IQF fruits are prominent due to the fact that, each single piece of fruit or a fruit is frozen individually from the others, which is the USP of this freezing technology. This is fueling the increasing demand for IQF fruits in the market.
The global IQF fruits industry has grown up to US$ 7,821.5 Mn in 2017. The IQF method for IQF Fruit sends each food item on a type of conveyor belt into a blast-freezer, which freezes the product very rapidly. IQF fruits, because of their high nutritional value and increased shell-life, are consumed more than fruits frozen by any other conventional freezing technique. The steady growth of the fruits industry is expected to account for a steady growth in the demand for IQF fruits over the forecast period.
Global fruit production in 2017 stood at 675 Mn metric tons. With an increase in GDP, and increasing health awareness among consumers, the consumption of IQF fruits and products using IQF fruits as an ingredient, such as cheesecakes and other bakery products is on the rise in developing countries. IQF fruits are extensively used in jams and jellies, smoothies, and a lot of food products, owing to their longer shelf-life and high nutritional value. As the demand for clean label and health food is increasing, globally, it aids the growth of the IQF fruits market.
Freight and power costs in the frozen fruit sector are much higher than those of other sectors of fruit preservation. Freight cost is high because of the special conditions required for transportation, like refrigerated/cold containers. High freight cost can diminish the growth of the IQF fruits market.
Developing countries such as India, South Africa, and Brazil offer great opportunities for the global IQF fruits industry to expand; however, infrastructural challenges such as shortage of power and poor roads in these countries are restraining the growth of the IQF fruits industry.
Increasing Role of Food Service Providers
Europe has many importers, but the IQF fruits market is consolidating. Supermarkets are increasingly organizing incorporated supply chains with a limited number of favored dealers or service providers. Larger importing dealers will also often act as food service providers to superstores, capitalizing on added-value services like ripening, packaging, and mixing.
Frozen Berries are Gaining Popularity
In the last five years, the maximum growth in the import value of IQF fruits was observed in frozen berries (7%). Though, traditionally, the highest quantities of IQF fruit berries are supplied from Southeast European nations and Poland, there is constant development of manufacturing in other emerging regions such as Latin American countries, Mexico, and China.
