Chill Out: Frozen Foods Are Just Fine

Why canned and frozen foods deserve a little respect

Canned? Frozen? Wait, aren't the vegetables supposed to be picked that very morning and lovingly escorted to the restaurant by the local farmer who grew them? You storm out. Yelp will be hearing about this.

Okay, I made that up. I've never been to any restaurant that brags about sourcing from the canned-goods aisle and the freezer case. My friends who cook avoid those sections of the supermarket like the plague. But in the great backlash against conventional processing, preserved fruits and veggies might have gotten a bad rap. Blasphemous as it may seem, there are a few good reasons to stray from the produce aisle on occasion:

Illustration: Mark Matcho

1. Preserved produce is often cheaper and more readily available. Sure, it's great to stick with what's in season. But I dare you to make it through winter without a single recipe that calls for tomatoes. (Stews and pasta sauce, anyone?) The canned stuff only costs a buck or two, and it's guaranteed tastier than the wan and mealy fresh version.

2. It can be nutritionally equivalent, or even superior, to fresh. Some of the vitamins and minerals in produce start to degrade soon after harvesting, explains Diane Barrett, a food scientist at the University of California-Davis who has studied the nutritional differences between processed and fresh. By the time a stalk of broccoli makes it from the farm to the supermarket to your refrigerator, it has already lost some of its nutritional value. "Fruits and vegetables are frozen within hours of harvest, so that actually allows you to retain those nutrients," says Barrett, who receives industry funding.

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Cooking also degrades certain nutrients, vitamin C in particular. Since vegetables such as broccoli and spinach are blanched (boiled briefly) before freezing, you might think they'd end up with less vitamin C than their fresh counterparts. Barrett's analyses, however, have found little difference—likely because the fresh produce already has lost some vitamin C sitting on the shelf. Plus, blanching may make vitamins A and E more digestible, Barrett says. Freezing and canning don't seem to affect other nutrients much: Fiber remains intact, as do minerals such as potassium and zinc. If you're cooking veggies, fresh or frozen, she recommends steaming them, since B and C vitamins can leach out when you boil—to say nothing of the flavor.

3. It may contain less pesticide. Before fruits and vegetables are processed, some of them are washed and put through a machine that jostles them around to remove remaining dirt and debris. Some are also blanched and peeled. Thanks to this prep work, says Carl Winter, a food scientist at UC-Davis' Cooperative Extension, processed fruits and vegetables generally have less pesticide residue than fresh conventional produce. (On the downside, most cans still contain the hormone-disrupting compound bisphenol A, although a few manufacturers—such as Eden Foods—are transitioning to BPA-free cans.)

4. It can be better for the environment. "Fresh fruits and vegetables require cold storage, too," notes Sean Cash, an associate professor of agriculture at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy who has studied the environmental footprint of produce. "The difference between 28 degrees and 48 degrees is actually not that great." Canned foods require even less energy, since they are shipped and stored at room temperature. What's more, Cash says, while fresh specialty crops like berries are flown from South America, their frozen and canned counterparts generally travel by ship, on a fraction of the fuel. Even locavores, he adds, still have to get themselves to the farm or farmers market to pick up their veggies.

5. It may result in less food waste. Home cooks often trash tough broccoli stems, fruit rinds, and vegetable peelings. But large-scale processors don't always send that stuff to the landfill. Green Giant's trimmings, for instance, are used as compost for its research farm, or given to local farmers as animal feed. Earthbound Farm, a large organic producer, sells some of its scraps to juice makers; its frozen spinach and broccoli waste goes to a manufacturer of organic dog food.

Read more at : http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/09/benefit-of-frozen-foods

Frozen Food to Gain Traction Among Business Customers & Retail End-Consumers

Retail Chains and Global Food Manufacturers adding to their existing capabilities in developed and developing markets

The frozen foods industry seems to have changed customers’ negative perception about the market and to a great extent. A major part of world population in various regions such as North America and Europe show affinity towards the consumption of frozen foods of some kind: the major of them consist of frozen ready-to-eat meals, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, sea food and soups. A majority of them-retail end-users and business customers–consume them more than once a week, followed by the segment that consume them eat every day or at least once a week.

The market seems to be booming. World over, cold food manufacturers have actively involved by building and expanding the storage capacity, developing new products and extensively promoting them; this has offered increased impetus to the growth of the market. As per a recent report by Allied Market Research titled “World Frozen Food Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2020”, the global market would garner a revenue of $306 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 4.1% during the 2015–2020 forecast period.

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Market Growth Strategies

The market demand is primarily driven by consumption of frozen foods in the developing economies such as India, China among other Asian countries along with changing food habits across these regions. Opening of massive retail chains such as hypermarkets and supermarkets across developing economies that promote frozen foods have fostered the market demand in these regions. Lack of efficient refrigeration facility in these retail stores and inadequate distribution supply chains in rural areas as well as semi-urban areas are the key challenges faced by market players in developing markets. The market in developed economies would witness moderate growth, with a large percentage of population preferring adopting healthy foods. Meanwhile cold food manufacturers are expanding their presence by adding to their already existing processing and packaging facilities or collaborating with chefs or finding other innovative ways to consolidate their market positions.

Futures Trends

The Asia – Pacific region is now the most promising geography, when it comes to frozen food market. There has been a dramatic shift from low value food processing in a highly scattered segment to provide technology- driven and branded packaged items. Owing to this change, the prominent players are busy launching new foods in different categories and exploring both international and local markets.

Read More at : https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com/frozen-food-to-gain-traction-among-business-customers-215

The Frozen Food Market would garner revenue of $306 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 4.1% forecast period of - 2020

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research titled, "World Frozen Food Market," the global frozen food market would garner revenue of $306 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period of 2015 - 2020. Ready meal market encompassing ready to eat foods would account for the highest sales value of $112.7 billion by 2020. North America and Europe together account for nearly 72% of the total market revenue. However, developing markets would witness a significantly higher growth over the forecast period.

Frozen ready meals account for the largest share of the overall market sales value and would continue to be the leading contributor over the forecast period (2015 - 2020). The segment is forecast to witness a CAGR of 3.8% during 2015 - 2020. Protein bars, healthy snacks and other such frozen food products would continue to gain popularity among consumers. Frozen bakery and snacks market would witness a rapid growth in Asia Pacific region. Frozen potatoes and frozen vegetables & fruits together constitute around 14% of the overall frozen food market revenue. Increasing sales of organic fries and snacks has created a huge demand of organic and sweet frozen potatoes in the developed markets.

End users of frozen food comprise of retail as well as business/food service industry customers. Rapidly increasing popularity of fast foods including fries, pizza and burgers, specifically in the developing markets, has largely supplemented the growth of frozen potatoes, vegetables & fruits, seafood and other such frozen food products in food service industry. However, retail user segment would witness a higher CAGR of 4.2%, owing to the changing food habits and innovative product offerings by frozen food players.

The growth in developed markets such as North America and Europe would largely be supplemented by food service industry. However, retail market would be driven by healthy frozen food products manufactured from high quality ingredients. Asia Pacific and LAMEA, together, would account for around 35% of the global frozen food sales by the year 2020. Retail market in these regions would grow on account of increasing adoption of cooked and semi-cooked foods, bakery and desserts.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

• Europe is the largest market of frozen bakery and desserts and would continue to account for the largest share of global sales value
• Demand of healthy frozen food products such as organic fries, organic soups, protein bars, high fibre breakfast cereals, snacks, processed fruits and vegetables would witness a steep increase in developed markets including North America
• The segment of Retail customers would grow at a comparatively higher CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period, vis-vis the food service industry

Read more details of the report at: www.alliedmarketresearch.com/frozen-food-market

This Is How to Make Frozen Food More Glamorous

Frozen meals may sound less than appealing, but the grab-and-go option can actually provide you with a slew of health benefits. This is especially more prevalent than ever with organic lines like Amy’s and natural ingredient-driven dishes from Kashi, for example. What’s more, you can eat 95 percent of your weekly food just from frozen items — and average spending less than nine dollars per day on your diet according to new research. (Pretty sweet, right?)

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“When shopping, make sure to choose meals that have certain components,” says Lauren Popeck, RD, dietician at Orlando Health. “They should be 500 calories or less per serving, have three to four grams of saturated fat or less, have no more than 600 milligrams of sodium and ideally include lean protein, vegetables and whole grains like brown rice or whole-wheat pasta,” she adds. But if your frozen dinner is a bit lackluster, we’ve got great news: You can up the nutrition, taste and look of frozen food by just having a few tips and tricks up your sleeve.

5 Ways to Upgrade Frozen Food Tonight

1. Get a healthy flavor pop from herbs.

Lots of frozen meals get a bad rap for being bland — but adding healthy-but-flavorful veggies and herbs, such as onion and garlic, can help. “Onions and garlic both have sulfur compounds that boost our immune systems,” says Liz Weinandy, RD and outpatient dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Chop up some and add to the frozen meal about halfway through cooking, or sauté in a bit of olive oil and add to the meal once cooked through,” she adds. Pro tip: Crush or mince garlic finely, allowing it to sit exposed to the air 10 minutes before cooking or adding to the meal. The air exposure sets off a chain reaction to activate the sulfur compound allicin, says Weinandy. Other herbs that provide flavor with little to no calories? Popeck likes cilantro, basil and parsley, “which are all excellent sources of the antioxidant vitamin A.” All the better for seeing you, my dear: Vitamin A promotes better eye health in addition to boosting immune function.

2. Try stirring in some Greek yogurt.

To up the savory factor on an Indian or Mexican meal, Weinandy goes for an easy hack: adding a quick stir of Greek yogurt into beans, rice or sauces. Think of it like a healthier sour cream, just lower in fat and packing good-for-you probiotics (win, win!). Plus, “adding plain Greek yogurt to a meal will up the protein and calcium of your dish, so it’s more satisfying.” To ensure ideal texture, “make sure to add it at the end of heating a meal,” she says.

3. Add in valuable greens.

A strategic side medley of steamed veggies will add color (read: nutrients), plus a whole lot of fiber to satiate you. “Only four percent of all Americans get the recommended amount of vegetables in daily,” says Weinandy. “Think about throwing in a handful of pre-washed baby spinach to any cooked meal, or stir in frozen vegetables like green beans, peas or broccoli halfway through cooking,” she suggests. Popeck recommends serving up a side of broccoli, Brussels sprouts or asparagus for extra B vitamins and beta carotene. Or, tack on a side salad, which will “balance high sodium content [typically high in frozen foods for preservation purposes), since fresh veggies are naturally low in sodium and high in water,” Popeck says. “Potassium-rich produce can counter the effects of the sodium, as well,” she adds, “so think of throwing in some spinach, tomatoes or avocados.”

4. Dip into any of your leftovers.

It’s not a bad idea to add leftover protein from a dinner earlier in the week — or make extra one day, so you can add it to a frozen meal the next night. “Many frozen meals are low in protein, since meat is usually the most expensive [component],” says Weinandy. But just because manufacturers don’t want to shell out, doesn’t mean it’s OK to skip. “Instead, think about adding some leftover chicken, lean pork, beef or beans to a meal to get some protein in, and make the meal a bit more balanced,” she adds. You want about 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal, so check the back of your package and add accordingly; a chicken tenderloin or quarter-cup of black beans is around 10 grams of protein. (Consult this infographic to see how much protein your favorite foods are packin’.)

5. And don’t forget the (all-natural) sweet stuff.

Frozen meals almost always come without a major dietary component: fruit! Not only does a dose of fruit up your fiber and antioxidant game, the high concentration of water can also help balance a meal with excess sodium. “About 90 percent of us are not getting in enough fruit, so peel a mandarin orange, enjoy seasonal pears or apples, add grapes or berries — whatever is easiest,” Weinandy says. Besides, a sweet dessert after a frozen meal is always a good choice.

Source : http://dailyburn.com/life/health/frozen-food-taste-better-tips/

Mother’s Recipe to Enter the Frozen Food Category

Mother’s Recipe, the iconic packaged food brand from Desai Brothers clocked revenue of over Rs 200 crore in 2014-15. The firm is now planning to enter the frozen food category. While the estimated turnover for 2015-16 is Rs 250 crore, the Pune-based company is eyeing a turnover of Rs 500 crore by 2018-19.

“For financial year 2016-17 also we are expecting a 25 per cent growth. In the next 3 years we are looking at Rs 500 crore turnover,” Desai Brothers – Food Division (Mother’s Recipe) Vice President – Marketing and Sales, P Rajan Mathews, told media.

According to the reports, the brand will set up a dedicated unit for its frozen food category in Gujarat. Mother’s Recipe is known for a wide array of products such as pickles, ready-to-cook mix and cooking pastes. It sells 47 varieties of pickles in the domestic market and has 25 per cent market share in the Rs 450 crore organised pickle industry in India.

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“Frozen food is something we will see tremendous growth in. Two years down the line, we have plans of setting up a frozen unit for exports and domestic market.

“We are looking at frozen vegetables and frozen vegetarian snacks. Frozen vegetarian snacks is growing at 21-22 per cent CAGR and that is one of the segments which will grow. The only lacuna is cold chain, which has to be developed,” he said, without divulging the financial details.

The global frozen food market is estimated to reach USD 306 billion by 2020, according to Allied Market Research.

Mother’s Recipe has two exclusive stores in Pune and plans to introduce the ‘experience zones’ to other major cities in the future. “We have started in Pune with 2 stores. We are looking at it as an experience zone. This year we should have 3 in Pune. We will wait for a year and then roll out in major cities. At least 2-3 store in each major city,” Mathews said.

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