Frozen food manufacturers have launched a campaign aimed at changing people’s perceptions of frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables are traditionally considered to be less healthy than fresh produce, and are thought of as a convenience food to be used only when the fresher produce is unavailable.
Kate Gallager, manager of research and development for manufacturer Green Giant says that “there is a perception that if you are using a frozen vegetable you have taken a shortcut and you are not trying to help your family”. This type of judgement has sparked the campaign, with companies trying to make their products look more appealing, taste more like their fresh counterparts, and, perhaps most importantly, offer a more convenient way to encourage healthy eating.
There are many practical benefits to cooking with frozen vegetables, not least that there is a greater variety of vegetables available all year round, and they are relatively inexpensive. Further to this, frozen food manufacturers are focussed on producing products that save time for busy parents, offering pre-cut mixes for dishes such as fajitas and chilli.
The biggest question surrounding frozen vegetables is whether they are as nutritious as fresh produce. After the frozen vegetables are picked they get blanched, which prevents browning and loss of nutrients after freezing, however this does get rid of some water soluble vitamins, such as C and B. In contrast, fresh produce keeps these nutrients, yet after travelling for days or weeks before reaching a shop, and then being displayed or kept in the fridge at home, nutrients are lost at a much faster rate.
A review published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture has found that because of these issues with storage temperature, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables can be nutritionally equal. To ensure maximum nutritional value and the best possible flavour, as well as avoiding the build of bacteria that may lead to food poisoning, it is important to maintain a constant temperature for chilled and frozen foods.
Abacus Guardian allows you to remotely monitor the temperature of any room, cabinet or storage area. If the temperature drops or rises beyond the parameters that you have set you will automatically be alerted.
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