Gap between frozen dessert demand and delivery represents ‘operator opportunity’

Frozen dessert offerings for UK hospitality are being held back by challenges around delivery, consistency and operational performance, according to new research.

Ninety per cent of operators who serve iced desserts have reported melting and temperature fluctuations, and 50% of consumers avoid ordering them for delivery, reported the Flora Professional study, which surveyed 50 UK operators and 2,000 UK consumers in association with Censuswide.

The gap between demand and delivery could create an opportunity for operators who can offer a more consistent, reliable experience, the research identified.

Delivery and takeaway also remain a major challenge for frozen desserts, with more than half of operation managers saying delivery is affected by quality and temperature issues, affecting both operator confidence and consumer demand.

Consumers are noticing the issue too, with almost half of those surveyed avoiding ordering frozen desserts for delivery, while 39% cite products “melting too much” as the top issue.

Poor delivery performance can lead to complaints, refunds, replacements and lost repeat orders. However, if quality and temperature risks were reduced, 54% of operators believe sales would rise.

Aenika Shah, head of foodservice for UK and Ireland at Flora Food Group, said: “Frozen desserts, from soft-serve through to shakes, represent a significant growth category within foodservice.

“What we have seen is currently operators do not have a soft-serve solution for the ever-growing delivery market. Using our products, operators have the potential to unlock new occasions, serve more consumers whilst reducing allergens back-of-house, drive stronger returns and help reduce their CO2 footprint.

“At Flora Professional, we work closely with operators as partners, combining insight, product and expertise to help them unlock the full potential of the frozen desserts category. Together, we can build menus that deliver on taste, performance, sustainability and profitability across delivery, takeaway and in-store.”

Flora Professional’s soft serve is designed as a 1:1 swap for its dairy equivalent, allowing operators to serve more customers with one product rather than managing multiple product lines.

Depending on machine settings, the company’s frozen dessert can deliver up to 9% higher yield versus dairy soft-serve, helping operators serve more portions per litre, 35 versus 33.

Flora Professional also offers up to 45% lower CO2 compared with dairy soft serve, helping operators support sustainability goals alongside commercial performance.