Does frozen food have any nutritional benefits?
All the freezing process does is to turn water inside food into ice-crystals, which are retained within its cell structure. It’s the most natural form of preservation possible.
Research commissioned showed that frozen peas contained 34% more vitamin C than their fresh counterparts and green beans were said to have 67% more vitamin C than fresh.
This combined with research showing that 43% of households throw away an average of £114 worth of fresh vegetables a year, led Birds Eye to claim that not only is Britain annually throwing £931 of vital vitamins in the bin but that we are a ‘cash-rich, vitamin-poor generation’.
The key thing to remember is that good ingredients, well cooked, is what makes good food- frozen or not.
When sourced in Britain, these products extend our season, benefit our economy and save food miles.
Once we have finished cooking a meal, we immediately chill it, then blast freeze it at ‘x’ degrees Celsius. Freezing is nature’s way of preserving and has health benefits because it doesn’t rely on anything being ‘added’ to preserve the food (e.g. artificial preservatives or artificial stabilisers).
All the freezing process does is to turn water inside food into ice-crystals, which are retained within its cell structure. It’s the most natural form of preservation possible.
Research commissioned showed that frozen peas contained 34% more vitamin C than their fresh counterparts and green beans were said to have 67% more vitamin C than fresh.
This combined with research showing that 43% of households throw away an average of £114 worth of fresh vegetables a year, led Birds Eye to claim that not only is Britain annually throwing £931 of vital vitamins in the bin but that we are a ‘cash-rich, vitamin-poor generation’.
The key thing to remember is that good ingredients, well cooked, is what makes good food- frozen or not.
When sourced in Britain, these products extend our season, benefit our economy and save food miles.
Once we have finished cooking a meal, we immediately chill it, then blast freeze it at ‘x’ degrees Celsius. Freezing is nature’s way of preserving and has health benefits because it doesn’t rely on anything being ‘added’ to preserve the food (e.g. artificial preservatives or artificial stabilisers).
Many preservation methods significantly alter the nutrient content of food- just like certain cooking processes can tamper with the nutrient content of food- but freezing has little effect on it. This is particularly true when food is blast frozenAn extremely high proportion of the nutrient value of the food is sealed in.
Blast freezing is key because on a molecular level, if a food is frozen rapidly only ‘small ice crystals’ are formed. However, if food is frozen slowly, larger ice crystals have the opportunity to form.
When the meal is reheated, smaller ice crystals have little effect on the taste and quality of the food and its nutrients, large crystals are much more damaging.
Some quick nutrition facts:
- The best way to retain Vitamin A in vegetables is to store them at low temperatures and protect them from light. Our flash freezing and packaging processes take advantage of this fact.
- Vitamin C in vegetables and fruits is rapidly destroyed by air and exposure to typical transportation temperatures.
Superior quality attributes — color, aroma, texture, flavor as well as nutritional value are retained and protected by our freezing processes.