They say home is where the heart is—and that goes for the heart of the consumer’s mealtime spending. Last August, Circana’s 39th annual “Eating Patterns in America” report highlighted the growing year-over-year trend toward at-home dining, with 86% of eating occasions sourced from home.

“Despite easing inflation, consumers continue to face the cumulative impact of several years of rising prices and ongoing economic challenges,” said David Portalatin, senior vice president and industry advisor, Food and Foodservice, Circana. “With dining out costing four times more than eating at home, many are cutting back on restaurant visits. Meal patterns have shifted as consumers spend more time at home and adapt to new daily rhythms. However, convenience and health remain top priorities, with consumers willing to spend on products offering added benefits...”

Circana noted that—regardless of where meals were sourced—consumers ate 116 more meals at home during the past year than they did pre-pandemic.

“As consumers seek the optimal balance between value and convenience, low price is not the sole driver of a compelling value proposition,” it noted. “New mobility patterns, inflationary pressures, and evolving attitudes around well-being offer opportunities to craft retail solutions that help consumers source meals, snacks, and beverages for both in-home and on-the-go occasions.”

Circana also evaluates CPG’s top 100 food and beverage and top 100 nonfood product launches and ranks the top 10 in each category as “New Product Pacesetters” by first-year sales. In a press release last June (covering 2023), Kevin’s Natural Foods (from Mars Inc.) ranked 10^th and its success underscored consumer interest in convenient, better-for-you meal options. Interestingly enough, the brand has been known for refrigerated multi-serve entrées and it expanded last spring into the freezercase with eight bowl entrées.

As last year closed, Conagra Brands Inc., Chicago, issued its own Future of Frozen Food 2025 Report and identified five trends driving the $91.3 billion US frozen food market (according to Circana data). Those trends include modern health, elevated in-home experiences, global cuisine, bites & minis, and spice and heat.

GLP-1: Where Trend Meets Taste

Speaking of modern health, Conagra and Nestlé USA launched new items with dietary support for GLP-1 users and consumers focused on weight management.

Nestlé introduced a separate 14-item Vital Pursuit brand (SRP $4.99) to retailers nationwide. It includes bowls (9.5oz), sandwiches (6.5-7oz) and pizzas (6-6.2oz) and officials said all offerings deliver at least 20g of protein, essential nutrients (including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, calcium or iron) and vegetables and whole grains. Bowl varieties include Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken, Grilled Chicken Chipotle, Southwest Style Beef Taco and Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Broccoli with Cavatappi Protein Pasta. There are two “Air Fryer Meals” in Teriyaki Chicken and Maple Balsamic Chicken flavors. Sandwiches include a Southwest Style Chicken Fajita, Chicken Spinach & Artichoke, a Cauliflower Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch Piada, and Chicken Mozzarella Flatbread.

For its part, Conagra Brands came out in January and with an “On Track” badge to 26 select Healthy Choice items—designating them as “GLP-1 friendly.” The badge initially appeared on Healthy Choice Café Steamers and Simply Steamers due to their smaller portion sizes and MSRP of $3.49 and $3.99, respectively.

“It's important to note that no changes have been made to the meals themselves; the badge simply highlights existing products that are well-suited to GLP-1 users,” said Conagra. “Additionally, the USDA has reviewed and approved all products carrying the badge, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.”

Keep ‘Em Coming

With consumers seemingly pleased to stay home, entrée processors kept new products coming across all areas of the store.

Leading the charge was Conagra, which introduced more than 50 new offerings last summer including single- and multi-serve meals. Among the new introductions are three new frozen skillet meals from the longtime shelf-stable brand: Chef Boyardee. The three new 40oz offerings include Cheese Ravioli, Chicken Alfredo, and Spaghetti & Meatballs. Conagra brought another new name into the freezercase with Dolly Parton's Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese, a 76oz. dish for parties and larger gatherings.

Speaking of multi-serve meals, Conagra bolstered Birds Eye Voila with a new 42oz variety, Sesame Chicken; and it added more sizes (21oz, 60oz) of its popular Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese (21oz, 60oz) and Beef Lo Mein (54oz). Conagra supported another big brand, Healthy Choice, with four new meals and additions to each of its Healthy Choice bowl lines: Grain-Free Power Bowls, Simply Steamers and Café Steamers. In other moves it (1) added new entrées to its better-for-you Blake’s and Evol lines; (2) added more new items to Marie Callender’s, Banquet and Hungry-Man brands and (3) refreshed its ethnic lines—including Bertolli, Frontera and P.F. Chang’s—with new offerings as well.

Nestlé made more news both inside and outside the freezercase. The company’s Hot Pockets brand partnered with First We Feast's YouTube interview show, “Hot Ones,” and created “the hottest Hot Pocket ever!” Four new offerings include Spicy Garlic Chicken & Bacon featuring Hot Ones The Classic Garlic Fresno, a Smoky Green Chile Cheesesteak with Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde, a Hot Habanero Pepperoni and Sausage with Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo, and Fiery Hot Pepperoni with Hot Ones The Last Dab Apollo. In other news, Nestlé took Stouffer’s to the shelf-stable aisle—a first for the brand—with two new 12oz Supreme Shells & Cheese products: Cheddar and Three Cheese. Suggested retail is $3.99.

Refreshing other popular names where Bellisio Foods Inc., Minneapolis, and organic and natural foods specialist Amy’s Kitchen Inc., Petaluma, Calif. Bellisio extended its Boston Market At Home frozen line with two entrées: Chicken Fajita Rice and Chicken Cordon Bleu. Amy’s introduced Mole Enchiladas and Penne with Mushrooms & Spinach Bowl.

Bowl formats certainly remain popular. Plant-based foods specialists Daily Harvest, New York, N.Y., introduced eight varieties of Harvest Bowls frozen entrées at Target stores nationwide. Items include Black Bean + Cheeze; Brussels Sprouts + Tahini; Spinach + Shiitake Grits; Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash; Lentil + Tomato Bolognese; Broccoli + Cheeze; Cauliflower Rice + Pesto; and Herbed Squash + Asparagus Risotto. Elsewhere, RollinGreens, Boulder, Colo., targeted the shelf-stable aisle with four 2.5oz microwaveable Plant-Powered Meal Bowls. Each features RollinGreens’ M'EAT or CHIC'KEN and offer up to 23g of protein in a single serving. Consumers just add water and microwave for three minutes.

World on a Plate

Want foreign flavor without leaving home? Processors gave consumers many more options last year. Among those with new Asian items were Bellisio Foods; Saffron Road (American Halal), Stamford, Conn.; and tofu specialist Hodo Inc., Oakland, Calif.

A subsidiary of Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods, Bellisio introduced an Authentic Asia meals frozen line with seven varieties. It features a takeout-style design and a two-tray single-serve package lets rice and noodles cook separately from the protein, sauce and vegetables, officials noted. Inspired from Thai, Chinese and Korean cuisines, the varieties included Thai Style Coconut Curry Chicken, Thai Basil Stir Fried Beef, Drunken Noodles, Sichuan-Inspired Chicken, Orange Chicken, Korean Inspired Beef Noodles, and Kimchi Fried Rice.

Saffron Road also covered lots of culinary ground with four new entrées inspired by Korean, Thai and Mexican cuisines. Last summer, it launched Korean Fire-Roasted Chicken, Vegetable Bibimbap, Drunken Noodles and a Fire-Roasted Adobo Chicken. Elsewhere, Hodo extended its line with three refrigerated 16oz Saucy Tofu Kits: Thai Red Curry, Japanese Teriyaki and Korean BBQ. Consumer simply add their favorite grains, veggies or noodles to complement the plant-based protein option.

Staying true to its Indian cuisine was Deep Foods Inc., Union, N.J., which extended its Deep Indian Kitchen line with a 9oz Matar Paneer entrée (appealing to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike). Officials said it represents a first for the frozen food aisle and pairs paneer cheese with a creamy, tomato-based sauce with peas and spiced with mild, slightly sweet flavors like cashew and turmeric.

Elsewhere, McCormick & Company Inc., Hunt Valley, Md., took its Cholula hot sauce into the freezercase with four 8.5oz Cholula Burrito Bowl offerings (SRP $4.49-$5.99). Varieties include Smoky Chipotle Chicken, Salsa Verde Chicken, Chili Lime Pork Carnitas, and Smoky Chipotle Veggie.

Rise & Dine

Of course not all entrée options involve lunch and dinner. The start of the day also finds consumers craving quick convenience, comfort and healthy options.

On-the-go eaters found a wide variety of offerings. For example, MingsBings, Boston, extended its namesake like with three additional breakfast flavors: Denver Omelette, Veggie, Egg & Cheese, and Sausage, Egg & Cheese. Breakfast Bings are air fryer-ready in just 10-12 minutes and are gluten-free made with a crunchy brown rice paper coating. Officials note Sausage, Egg, & Cheese contains 40% fewer calories and less sodium than leading handheld frozen breakfast sandwiches and Denver Omelette Bings are less than 50% of the calories and sodium than leading handheld breakfast sandwiches. Offering another hand-held option was natural and organic products maker Applegate Farms, LLC, Bedminster, N.J. Last fall saw it extend its line with an Applegate Naturals Pancake & Sausage Stick, made with Applegate humanely raised chicken with 7g of protein per serving. It carried a MSRP of $7.99 exclusively at Whole Foods Markets.

Those consumers with a little more time to sit and dine also found more new items from Amy’s Kitchen; Blue Zones LLC, Austin, Tex.; and Belgian Boys (B Boys Inc.), Brooklyn, N.Y. Last fall saw Amy’s, another natural and organic brand, announce its breakfast category expansion with six new offerings: California Scramble, Mexican Scramble, Tofu Scramble, Gluten Free Tofu Scramble Wrap, Ranchero Burrito, and a Scramble Wrap. All items are organic, feature non-GMO ingredients and are free from eggs, meat, seafood, and peanuts. Another “kitchen” competitor, Blue Zones Kitchen, announced its frozen breakfast category debut with two ready-to-heat, 9oz Steel Cut Oatmeal offerings in Blueberry and Peach Pecan varieties. They debuted at Whole Food Market and both are gluten free and Non-GMO.

For its part, Belgian Boys went to Target stores with two new refrigerated products in its portfolio: Griddle Pancakes and Bite-sized Belgian Chocolate Chip Pancakes.