Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market Size By Equipment Type (Spiral Freezer, Tunnel Freezer, Box Freezer), By Technology (Mechanical IQF, Cryogenic IQF), By Product (Fruits and Vegetables, Seafood, Meat & Poultry, Dairy products, Convenience food), By Geographic Scope And Forecast.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market Size And Forecast

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market size was valued at USD 21.19 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 31.07 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.90% from 2024 to 2031.

The main factors driving the market’s growth include rising demand for frozen food items, as well as the creation and expansion of food retail chains. Growth in consumer demand for perishable food storage and a rise in demand for non-seasonal food products are expected to boost the total market demand of the individual quick-freezing market throughout the projection period. The Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market report provides a holistic evaluation of the market. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of key segments, trends, drivers, restraints, competitive landscape, and factors that are playing a substantial role in the market.

Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market Definition

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) allows for the rapid freezing of food items without crystal formation, which aids in keeping food items dry when defrosted. IQF is advantageous for the long-term preservation of food goods, particularly perishable products such as meat, fruits, and vegetables since it extends the shelf life of the products while preserving their freshness. In fact, frozen food items retain more nutrients than fresh food products. Global food waste has increased dramatically in recent years. According to a BCG analysis, 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost each year, accounting for almost one-third of total food production globally.

The majority of food items are harmed along the whole food value chain, from manufacture to consumption. The damage might occur during shipping or as a result of food product expiration due to non-consumption. All of these variables have influenced the food industry’s demand pattern, which has shifted from fresh food goods to frozen food products. Producers are also turning away from direct sales of farm fresh produce and towards fast freezing of food goods. Furthermore, fast advances in supply chain infrastructure, notably cold chain infrastructure in both developed and emerging nations, as well as digital supply chain tools, have significantly helped the growth of the worldwide IQF industry.

Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market Overview

Rising demand for processed and frozen foods drives the market growth. The IQF market is expected to gain from rising demand for processed and frozen foods, particularly in developed nations. This is because IQF technology helps to protect food quality by preserving flavor, nutritional content, and freshness. Moreover, the technical developments further boost the market growth. The IQF market is expected to gain from the processing equipment industry’s continuous technological advancements. This is because new technology is assisting processors in increasing operational efficiency while decreasing waste.

Rising consumer knowledge of the health advantages of frozen foods fosters market growth. Consumers throughout the world are becoming more aware of the health benefits of eating frozen foods. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a healthier alternative since they keep the majority of their nutrients even after being stored at low temperatures for an extended length of time.

However, the high energy consumption of Individual Quick Freezers, which translates into high energy costs for manufacturers, stringent government regulations pertaining to the entire process of quick freezing, and large capital investments required for IQF infrastructure are critical growth impediments of the market. Furthermore, concerns about greenhouse gas emissions are expected to impede growth in the industry.

Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) MarketSegmentation Analysis

The Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market is Segmented on the basis of Equipment Type, Technology, Product, and Geography.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market, By Equipment Type

• Spiral Freezer
• Tunnel Freezer
• Box Freezer
• Others

Based Equipment Type, The Market is Segmented into Spiral Freezer, Tunnel Freezer, Box Freezer, and Others. In 2022, the Tunnel Freezers segment held the largest market share. The spiral freezers segment is predicted to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period. Tunnel freezers have long been utilized in large-scale industrial plants. The tunnel freezers’ basic architecture has remained virtually unaltered throughout the years. The product is inserted from one end and the frozen product is ejected from the other.

Tunnel freezers enable industrial operations to continue using IQF tunnel freezers for an extended length of time. However, due to their large size, these freezers demand a lot of room. Purchasing these devices benefits industrial operations with close proximity to producing places. Furthermore, these tunnel freezers are specialized to solely freeze one type of foodstuff. It is perfect for businesses that manufacture a single frozen product in large quantities.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market, By Technology

• Mechanical IQF
• Cryogenic IQF

Based on Technology, The Market is Segmented into Mechanical IQF and Cryogenic IQF. Mechanical IQF technology is predicted to account for the greatest market share, while Cryogenic IQF technology is expected to increase at the quickest rate over the forecast period. Mechanical Individual Quick Freezing technology is equipped with a sophisticated system that guarantees minimal maintenance, supply safety, and energy economy. Mechanical cooling is stated to be slower because to the difference in refrigerant temperature, and the large footprint of the freezers is considered a disadvantage. Cryogenic IQF technology often requires less capital than mechanical cooling equipment of the same capacity. However, cryogenic technology necessitates large amounts of refrigerant, resulting in high energy expenses for the organization. Because cryogenic vapors are colorless and odorless, sufficient ventilation in production facilities is critical for protecting employees from oxygen displacement. Cryogenic freezing is most commonly employed in individual fast-frozen (IQF) goods, such as individual chicken wings, frozen peas, or other bulk-packed food items where individual parts must be preserved.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market, By Product

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Seafood
• Meat & Poultry
• Dairy products
• Convenience food

Based on Product, The Market is Segmented into Fruits and Vegetables, Seafood, Meat & Poultry, Dairy products, and Convenience food. Fruits and vegetables held the highest market share in 2022, owing to many factors such as improvements in supply chains and distribution of vegetables and fruits, as well as governments’ ongoing efforts to optimize the fresh supply of fruits and vegetables. The frozen veggies market accounts for over 90% of the global frozen vegetables and fruits industry. Frozen veggies have an advantage over frozen fruits in that they do not need to be thawed. Europe is both the greatest exporter and consumer of frozen veggies. To enhance sales of frozen veggies and fruits, major manufacturers are focused on marketing techniques and advertising efforts. The frozen fruits and vegetables segment in Italy has been the fastest growing of all frozen food categories.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market, By Geography

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa

Based on Regional Analysis, The Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market is Classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. By 2030, the North American region is expected to dominate the IQF market. It is also expected to expand the quickest in comparison to other regional markets. North American countries are expected to be the fastest-growing markets for individual quick freezing, owing to increasing investments in various food processing technologies by various individual quick cooling equipment manufacturers, as well as consumer preference for the brand’s unique taste and zest, which are expected to drive this particular quick freezing (IQF) market over the next few years in North America.

The European region closely follows the North American region. The significant consumption of frozen consumable items by the people of Europe is generally ascribed to the region’s regional market expansion. The Middleby Corporation bought Scanico A/S (Denmark), a significant producer of industrial cooling equipment for the processing sector, after observing such great demand in the individual quick-freezing market. The incorporation of Scanico broadens the processing association’s capabilities by adding highly complementary technologies to the processing product line. Middleby continues to expand its offering of complete solutions for customers in the food processing industry with this acquisition.

Key Players

The “Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market” study report will provide valuable insight with an emphasis on the global market including some of the major players such as Air Liquide, JBT, The Linde Group, Products and Chemicals, Cryogenic Systems Equipment, GEA, Air and Messer Group, MAREL, PATKOL, OctoFrost Group, Starfrost, and Scanico.

Our market analysis also entails a section solely dedicated to such major players wherein our analysts provide an insight into the financial statements of all the major players, along with product benchmarking and SWOT analysis. The competitive landscape section also includes key development strategies, market share, and market ranking analysis of the above-mentioned players globally.

Key Developments

•  In October 2019, MAREL announced the signing of an agreement to purchase a 50% share in Curio. MAREL completed the first part of the acquisition in November 2019 by purchasing 40% of Curio.
• In June 2019, JBT has completed the purchases of Prime Equipment Group, Inc. and Proseal uk Limited. The purchases were projected to generate between USD 80 and USD 85 million in revenue in 2019.

Ace Matrix Analysis

The Ace Matrix provided in the report would help to understand how the major key players involved in this industry are performing as we provide a ranking for these companies based on various factors such as service features & innovations, scalability, innovation of services, industry coverage, industry reach, and growth roadmap. Based on these factors, we rank the companies into four categories as Active, Cutting Edge, Emerging, and Innovators.

Market Attractiveness

The image of market attractiveness provided would further help to get information about the region that is majorly leading in the Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) market. We cover the major impacting factors that are responsible for driving the industry growth in the given region.

Porter’s Five Forces

The image provided would further help to get information about Porter’s five forces framework providing a blueprint for understanding the behavior of competitors and a player’s strategic positioning in the respective industry. Porter’s five forces model can be used to assess the competitive landscape in the Global Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Market gauge the attractiveness of a certain sector, and assess investment possibilities.

Report Scope

Research Methodology of Market Research