With Great British Pea Week running from July 3-9, a look at data from the British Growers Association’s (BGA) “Yes Peas!” campaign promoters shows that demand for frozen peas has increased 20% year on year, as consumers in the United Kingdom look for more cost-friendly ingredients while shopping in supermarket and other food retail outlets.
Google Trends data shows that online searches for “frozen peas” in the UK have increased 20% in the last 12 months, with over 2,000 searches in the last month alone.
Alongside this, recent data sheds further light on changing shopping behaviors, showing that Brits are increasingly patronizing Aldi and Lidl discount stores, rather than Morrisons, as they look to reduce the cost of their shopping basket. The number of consumers in the United Kingdom who shop at least monthly at Aldi and Lidl has risen by 4.6% and 4.5% respectively, compared with the start of 2022. Meanwhile, the foot traffic at Morrisons has reportedly decreased by 0.7%.
Marking the busiest season for the UK pea industry, Great British Pea Week is an annual celebration that champions all elements of pea industry – from the agriculture sector and manufacturers who supply high-tech machinery to the value added processing specialists. Farmers work around the clock each summer to deliver 2 billion portions of frozen peas to the nation each year, with most making it to the factory and frozen in under two and a half hours.
“Great British Pea Week is the perfect time to celebrate the versatile vegetable that we all love here in the UK,” said Holly Jones, crop association executive at the BGA. “And this year is more relevant than ever, as Brits look for ways to reduce the cost of their weekly shopping basket at a time when inflation continues to rise for us all.”
She continued: “Not only are peas incredibly cost effective, they’re also a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals – making them a staple for any dinner plate. On top of this, in the UK we are almost 90% self-sufficient in pea production, meaning that nearly all peas in supermarket freezers going into trollies or ordered online are most likely grown by British farmers – so Brits the country’s local farmers when buying them!”
Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation, added: “With more shoppers choosing frozen food during the cost of living crisis due to its value for money, convenience and high quality, this year’s Great British Pea Week is a great opportunity to raise the profile of the hard work that goes into getting peas from farms to freezers and onto our plates.”
In the 12-weeks to March 19 of this year, volume sales of frozen vegetables including peas grew by +1.3% (+978,000 tons). Frozen vegetables are a premium option as freezing locks in all the vitamins and nutrients ensuring that the products are as fresh from the freezer as they were on the day they were picked.
“Frozen food also helps to reduce food waste, which accounts for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” according to Ashby. “Lots of food waste is caused before food even reaches supermarket shelves as vegetables can go off or get damaged in transport, but freezing peas so soon after they are harvested means that spoilage is prevented and a huge number of ‘escapeas’ are saved from going to waste.”
