TikTok Shop isn’t just shifting gadgets and beauty kits. In Britain this summer, food is climbing the ranks of its fastest-moving categories — and supermarkets are starting to pay closer attention.
Freezer hacks and a sales bump
One of the clearest signs came in June, when a video showing how to stack frozen multipacks upright in small freezers went viral. The clip wasn’t polished marketing, just a home cook squeezing space out of a flat. Within days, Iceland Foods noticed a spike: frozen pizza sales jumped 12% week-on-week. Staff in a few branches even mentioned shoppers asking directly for “the TikTok pizza hack.” By the end of the month, Iceland reposted the video on its own channels.
It’s a small example, but it shows how quickly TikTok food trends can translate into real sales data.
Protein recipes, Scandinavian kitchens
Scroll TikTok Shop’s UK food category in August and the top-sellers aren’t celebrity cookbooks. They’re protein pancake mixes, shaker bottles, and ready-to-drink smoothies. Underneath that, an unexpected surge: Scandinavian kitchenware. Hashtags like #nordiccooking and #ikeahacks are pushing everything from glass storage jars to cast-iron pans.
The combination of functional health (protein) and aesthetic lifestyle (Scandi minimalism) mirrors what grocers have already seen in their aisles. Protein yoghurts and bars have expanded facings in Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Meanwhile, the homeware crossover is harder for supermarkets to catch, but it points to a consumer mood they can’t ignore.
The TikTok Shop numbers
TikTok hasn’t broken out full UK data for 2025 yet, but filings show that gross merchandise value for TikTok Shop in Europe more than doubled in 2024. Seller registrations in the UK jumped past 60,000. Food remains a niche compared to beauty, but the curve is steep.
Mintel’s latest food trends report adds context: 47% of Gen Z in Britain discover new food and drink via social video. That’s a bigger share than TV advertising or recipe books. For grocers, it means TikTok isn’t just a side-show — it’s one of the main discovery engines for younger shoppers.
What it means for supermarkets
So far, supermarkets haven’t piled into TikTok Shop the way beauty brands have. Tesco and Asda still lean on Instagram and loyalty apps. But the Iceland freezer case shows there’s a gap between ignoring the platform and watching from a distance.
Retail consultants argue the opportunity isn’t to upload every SKU onto TikTok Shop, but to monitor which trends could spill into physical baskets. If protein pancake mixes are breaking into the top-10 on TikTok Shop, retailers may need to rethink breakfast aisles. If #nordiccooking keeps climbing, expect more Scandi-inspired private-label launches in cookware and ready meals.
The road ahead
The challenge is speed. TikTok trends can flare and fade in weeks. Supermarkets, built on quarterly resets and cautious range reviews, aren’t designed to move that fast. Some are experimenting with shorter supply trials or fast-track listings for TikTok-driven categories, but the system still lags the scroll.
For now, grocers are learning that TikTok Shop isn’t just a competitor or marketplace. It’s a real-time focus group, showing what shoppers might look for next Saturday — or abandon just as quickly.
