Americans are eating more vegetables and protein, and their reservations about eating frozen foods - long dubbed an unsatisfying diet option or loaded with artificial ingredients - are starting to thaw.
Meanwhile, frozen food companies in the USA are revamping their products to include more healthful, flavorful options.
And while dishes like Mango Edamame Power Bowls or Sweet and Spicy Harissa Meatballs add an inventiveness to the freezer aisle, one of frozen foods' chief attractions has stayed rock solid: convenience.
The similar trend started in South Africa last year when retailers introduced their own line of convenience foods, in particular healthy and easy to prepare meals for kids
More Americans are choosing frozen food - Pixabay
"Frozen food manufacturers (in the USA) have figured out that, 'hey, we can give consumers a path to having authentic and wholesome ingredient meals at home with a high level of convenience,'" said David Portalatin, food industry adviser for The NPD Group. "Let's give them the clean label, organic or non-GMO. Let's put the quality back in."
Frozen foods can also claim some nutritional and environmental advantages over fresher fare.
Frozen foods are often flash frozen after harvest or preparation, locking in nutrients that fresh foods gradually lose in the time it takes to reach a grocery store or kitchen.
With an estimated 40 percent of food wasted in the United States each year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, freezing extends the lifespans of ingredients that people may be too quick to toss.