Birds Eye is adding to its Steamfresh range in the United Kingdom with four new globally inspired products: Korean Style Noodles and Malaysian Laksa Style Noodles in 350g packs, and Asian Rice and Mexican Rice in 380g packs. The launch brings bolder flavors and nutritious options to frozen food aisles at a time when consumers are actively seeking convenient meals that don’t sacrifice health or taste.
Data shows just how strongly this demand is shaping behavior. UK households today are preparing 612 million fewer meals from scratch than before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, highlighting a shift towards convenient shortcuts that still meet rising health expectations. At the same time, while 66% of shoppers are actively making choices to improve their health, as a nation, the consumption of fruit and vegetables has reportedly decreased by 1.3 billion servings compared to 2024.
This tension between nutrition and convenience is where frozen food is winning. According to Savvy Shopper Panel data, over two-thirds of consumers say that frozen food makes trying new cuisines easy, with world cuisine occasions, particularly Pan-Asian (+23%), growing rapidly in the in-home occasion space.
Birds Eye’s new Steamfresh products sit directly at the intersection of flavor, heath and ease. Each offering delivers at least one of the recommended consumption of “5 A Day” portions of fruit and vegetables, all are non-HFSS, and use Birds Eye’s microwave steaming technology to help retain nutrients. Designed to flex around real mealtimes, the range includes sides as well as standalone main meal options, which themselves can be served as a quick side dish.
Birds Eye’s wider Steamfresh portfolio continues to show strong performance, with the range up +10.7% in value year on year, and driving a 15.5% increase in penetration year on year, according to Nielsen data for the 52-week period ending on January 29, 2026.
“Frozen is undergoing a real step change with shoppers wanting food that is healthy, great tasting and genuinely convenient,” said Claire Sutton, marketing director at Birds Eye. “We’re seeing this reflected in the strong growth in steaming occasions and continued momentum in our Steamfresh Meals range.”
She added: “These new products strengthen our offer by pairing global flavors with steamed vegetables and perfectly cooked rice or noodles to help deliver meals that are nutritious, delicious and ready in minutes. They help make the frozen aisle more relevant for midweek meal choices and, by strengthening a portfolio that is already outperforming the category, they give retailers a clear opportunity to drive further growth.”
Steamfresh Korean Style Noodles and Asian Rice will launch at Tesco supermarkets on March 9. Malaysian Laksa Style Noodles and Mexican Rice listings will follow at ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Iceland stores.
