Price-conscious consumers feeling the strain of the looming ‘triple-dip’ recession are increasingly switching from fresh to frozen produce during their weekly shop. Growth sectors include frozen potatoes, up by 6.3 per cent between 2010 and 2011, research from Mintel shows.

Frozen fruit remains a niche within the overall fruit and vegetable category, worth less than one per cent of the market share, despite the fact that one in seven fruit users buy frozen fruit on a weekly basis. “Frozen fruit and vegetables are always popular with our customers as convenient and tasty options when cooking,” says Michael Simpson-Jones, frozen food buying manager at Waitrose. “Recently, our frozen herbs and spinach have been selling particularly well, perfect solutions for people creating dishes from scratch. Frozen fruit has also become increasingly popular, being used to make delicious healthy snacks such as smoothies.”

It would seem consumers have finally embraced frozen as a real alternative to fresh, taking into account that it can sometimes have even higher levels of nutrients as they are locked in during the freezing process. “In a more value-driven economy, and with ever-more efficient production methods, the image of frozen food as a poor relation to fresh, both in terms of nutrition and quality, has undergone a transformation,” says Mohammed Essa, Aviko’s general manager for the UK and Ireland. “Fresh foods begin to lose nutrients from the moment they are picked, while quick-freezing locks in both the freshness and the nutrients right up to the point of service.” Essa’s comments are far from wishful thinking. Recently published research conducted by scientists at Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Food Innovation has debunked negative views of the quality of frozen foods by concluding they are just as effective as fresh in providing 37 different types of nutrients.

Alongside this, a recent study by the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) found that 70 per cent of caterers believe that frozen foods are frozen at the peak of their quality, while six in 10 understand that freshness is locked into products when frozen.

Moreover, frozen food was stocked by 100 per cent of chefs working in education, with the majority of products purchased being single-dish components such as chips and vegetables.

In the case of schools and large kitchens, the advantage of using frozen food is obvious; it’s significantly less labour intensive and therefore cheaper. Research from the BFFF suggests that making a dish from scratch can cost an average 30 per cent more than buying in a frozen equivalent, while hiring extra staff to assist in preparation could prove costly. The same applies to caterers. “Frozen chips and potatoes can be prepared in a number of ways, including combi-steamed, deep fried, microwaved or oven-baked, and offer a way for caterers to control portion sizes and reduce waste levels at a stroke,” comments Essa. “Using quality frozen sides that can be on the plate in minutes also enables caterers to easily update menus with little fuss, and keep their offerings exciting and fresh.”

While preparing food from frozen is relatively fuss free, the process of freezing the produce has to run like clockwork. Take Birds Eye’s peas, for example. “If that pea isn’t peeled and frozen 150 minutes after it’s picked it’s not going in a Birds Eye pack,” explains Dan Myers, head of Norbert Dentressangle’s food business unit.

The company’s production plant in Hull is the biggest of its kind in the world and is also used to process McCain’s frozen potato products, the most recent launch being the frozen baked potato. “The feedback I’ve had is that it was one of the most successful NPD launches they’ve had,” says Myers. “The reason for that is that it tapped into a market outside the home. It was convenient, and that’s one of the main advantages of frozen.”

The other advantages he lists are reduced wastage, that it facilitates portion control, and the higher vitamin and mineral content.

“We should all eat more frozen, it’s much better for us, and it’s better value for money,” he says, pointing out that better value does not necessarily equal cheap products. “From a price point of view, the frozen category covers the whole spectrum; from a very basic chip to a premium asparagus variety with Normandy butter.” —