JCCU's Co-op frozen foods sale in FY2021 was a record high of 58.42 billion yen exceeding the previous year's level by 0.2%. The demand for frozen foods continues to remain high. The sales of "Kirakira Step" and "Kirakira Kids" frozen foods for households with children increased fourfold from the initial launch in 2017.

FY2021 Best-selling frozen products

By product category, ①Frozen ready meal, which includes noodles, rice dishes, snacks, etc., increased by +3.6% compared to the previous year, mainly due to the impact of increased time spent at home caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. ②Livestock (frozen), including deep-fried and grilled chicken, hamburgers, and other meat products, performed well through the first half of the year but fell below the previous year's level in the second half due to the suspension of production of mainstay products in Southeast Asia. ③Frozen vegetables remained at a high level compared to FY2019, although it decreased significantly from the previous year. ④ Frozen dessert sales were negative due to the impact of the cold summer.

By business category, both home delivery and store sales were driven by frozen ready meals.

The sales of frozen food business had been on a flat trend until around FY2010, but since then it has been expanding every year due to the rising demand for frozen food, expansion of frozen food sales area at member co-ops' stores, and the strengthening of sales promotion.

In FY2020, the government's announcement of the closure of all schools at once due to the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency triggered a surge in demand, which has been maintained to this day.

Compared to the sales in FY2005, before the frozen food market began to expand, the sales increased significantly by +54% in FY2021.

By product category, frozen ready meal, which continues to grow year after year, drove the overall sales by +80% compared to 2005. In addition, frozen vegetables, which grew rapidly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased by +55% compared to 2005.