It’s Frozen Food Day!
At Bannisters’ Farm, we’ve been baking then freezing potatoes for over 30 years, so on Frozen Food Day (at least it is in the US!), we thought we’d investigate some of the facts, figures, myths and benefits of this ancient form of food preservation…
- Freezing really is one of the oldest forms of food preservation. Ice cellars were used by the Chinese as early as 3000BC!
- Scottish/Australian newspaper printer, journalist and politician James Harrison became a pioneer in mechanical refrigeration when he noticed that when cleaning moveable type with ether, as part of the printing process, the evaporating liquid would leave the metal cold. His first mechanical ice-making machine began operating in South-Eastern Australia in 1851.
- Clarence Birdseye, was an American entrepreneur and inventor. Whilst watching the Inuit fishing whilst on a field trip to Canada, he noticed that the fish froze almost immediately upon being caught. When thawed, the fish had no degradation of flavour. He set about inventing the “flash freezing” method.
- Before the “flash freezing” method was invented, foods were frozen at a fairly low rate. This caused large ice crystals to form, rupturing the cell membranes of the food. When the food was defrosted, the ice crystals melted and the water would leak out, taking with it the food’s flavour and texture.
- Frozen Food Day was established in 1984 by none other than President Ronald Reagan! He stated in his Proclamation: “Throughout history, one of the primary goals of human effort has been the production of food. The farm-to-city migration created a great demand for food supplies in dense population centers in which such supplies could not be grown. The frozen food industry has made great strides in recent decades to respond to consumer needs.”
- Despite popular opinion, frozen food is often fresher than “fresh” food. If it is frozen in its optimum condition, delicate nutrients are retained, which would otherwise degrade in transit. The freezing process also halts the growth of some microorganisms that can cause food poisoning.
- The first frozen ready meal appeared on plates in the UK in 1953.
- Frozen food became a part of the space age when Apollo 12 astronauts took frozen meals on board. 72 frozen food items were stored on the Skylab for a 500-day supply of meals for the crew.
- As well as being nutritionally beneficial, frozen food is also good for preventing waste – with portion control being much easier. It also allows us to access seasonal produce all year round!
- According to a report by the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), in 2015 the UK frozen food sector was worth over £8billion!
- Bannisters’ Farm was the first to bring frozen pre-baked potatoes to the retail market. They were first sold from the freezer cabinet of fellow Yorkshire family business Morrisons back in September 2007!
https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/frozenfood.html
http://bfff.co.uk/frozen-facts/
http://coolcookery.co.uk/about-frozen-food/history-of-frozen-food/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Birdseye
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(engineer)
https://www.reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/speeches/1984/30684b.htm
