Gen Z is turning to frozen food for financial relief more than any other generation. In the past six months, 57% say they’ve bought more frozen food to cut costs, compared with just 30% of Boomers. Nearly eight in ten Gen Zers (77%) say their economic situation has worsened — making them the hardest hit generation — and 66% plan to buy even more frozen food moving forward if grocery prices continue to rise.
This is not to say frozen food brands face no safety issues. Recent headlines prove that, like any food, frozen items can be dangerous when mishandled at the farm, in the factory, on the road, at the warehouse, at the store or by the consumer. But Gen Z is clear about what they need to feel safe and stay loyal. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of respondents in this age group say they’d trust frozen food more if brands showed how they track temperatures, 54% want transparency into storage and shipping, and nearly half (46%) want clearer origin and ingredient labeling.
At the same time, unclear preparation guidance leaves risk at the last mile; confusing or incomplete cooking instructions can cause consumers to underheat products, assuming freezing alone makes food safe. Closing these gaps — by proving cold chain integrity and making preparation steps unmistakable — is key to preventing devastating safety breakdowns and the category-wide PR fallout that can follow a single recall.
Today, the FDA is focused further up the chain with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and its new traceability rule, aimed at improving visibility from harvest to retail for high-risk foods. Yet, the rule won’t take effect until July 2028 and leaves big holes. Many frozen items aren’t included on the FDA’s Food Traceability List, oversight ends once products reach the store, and there’s no requirement to show shoppers what safety measures were taken.
For frozen food brands, that means trust can’t hinge on regulation alone. Proving cold-chain integrity, making preparation steps unmistakable, and communicating safety practices directly to consumers are critical to avoiding the next category-wide hit when an isolated recall goes viral. Taking these steps would let Gen Z — and every generation to follow — see the frozen aisle not as a gamble, but as a reliable lifeline in lean times and times of plenty.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
