Consumers are more willing than ever to pay premium prices for organic, healthy food products, without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and most of the time their eyes are turning towards fresh products for this choice. The consumers are getting more sophisticated and knowledgeable and they understand that frozen products are as good as fresh but still there is a long way to go.
The frozen food industry is growing and it is anticipated to reach 363.90 billion in market share by 2024, but consumers still usually prefer fresh produce even though the frozen ones come with a number of advantages such as: more extended shelf life, more nutrients – frozen products are frozen at their pick when they have the most minerals and vitamins which are locked in by the freezing process and preserved for a longer period of time, easier to divide into portions and stock for future use.
Understanding food waste
"It seems like a paradox where the frozen industry is expanding but the fresh produce are still the favorites. The problem seem to be first and foremost the true lack of awareness towards food waste and bad eating habits," said Salina Liang from Octofrost.
"A quarter of all the food intended for consumption is lost in the distribution chain and European countries account for almost half of it. A lot of this waste can be avoided if we would only improve our buying, storing and cooking habits."
Studies show that consumers create the least waste from using frozen fruits, berries and vegetables with the alternative of cans or jars.
Organic and frozen
The main way to ensure long lasting, convenient organic products is by freezing, because the freezing process doesn’t require any additives in order to preserve the food. Frozen food products are just that, naturally preserved products with no synthetic modifiers because frozen food maintains its nutrients and natural flavor.
The change in consumer’s preferences, the growing population and the rapid urbanization are all factors which require more food resources and thus a bigger challenge in the fight against food waste and food scarcity, but the growth of the frozen food industry might be just what we need to turn the balance towards a positive scale.
Understanding the growing trend for convenient fast meals, manufacturers have refined the storage, preparation and reheating techniques to create healthy, flavorful, quality meals and now traditional or ethnic food varieties that require a long preparation time are driving the frozen foods market. This is why the frozen ready-meals category is also projected to grow tremendously by 2024.
Intelligent freezing and technologies
How to convince people to consume more frozen food though? It is unfortunately not enough to list all the benefits of frozen produce nor to insist on the subject of food waste and environmental issues. The one way to go is by simply offering premium quality frozen food that has natural appearance and better convenience that the fresh ones.
Ensuring the natural appearance of food produce isn’t always that easy, as there are different technologies used by food processors, technologies that most of the time aren’t or can’t be adjusted to the particularities of a specific food product. Fruits, vegetables, meat, pasta and dairy, are all produce with different characteristics and thus require different freezing methods.
"The OctoFrost™ IQF freezer is at the moment the only freezing equipment that can preserve the natural appearance of all food produce, shape, color, taste and texture, without compromising food safety, quality, nutrient levels and the yield of the production. This is because the innovative features of the freezer, a true improvement and upgrade of IQF technology such as optimal aerodynamics, adjustable fan speed, removable bedplates made of food grade plastic material and design," shared Salina.
"What makes the OctoFrost™ truly innovative is that there isn’t just one freezer that is the same as another one. All OctoFrost freezers are built and optimized for each and every one of our customers, depending on their production line. This ensures the best freezing result and premium quality frozen produce."
