Frozen foods are sure convenient and supremely easy to store. All you need is a good working freezer! Their user-friendliness has taken the grocery shop goers by storm and that’s why nowadays there’s a frozen items aisle in every supermarket. While the convenience of cooking with frozen foods is much discussed and talked about, have you ever wondered if these freezer-loving food products carry any nutritional value? Well, if your answer to that is no, then stay on, as we are going to dig into this and find an answer today.  

Let’s begin with discussing the veggies and fruits that are purchased straight from the market. These are touted to be fresh and healthy. But how exactly can they be deemed fresh? Because these food products go through many hands before landing the market, they aren’t picked from the farms and put for sale straight. An article on Reader’s Digest quotes, “Non-organic citrus, especially oranges, are often sprayed with pesticides not only during the growing process but also after picking to maintain freshness. If you look closely at your bag of oranges, you might see a message like the following, “Treated to maintain freshness in transit with Imazalil, Sodium o-phenylphenate and/or Thiabendazole” or “Coated with food-grade vegetable-based, beeswax-based, and/or lac-resin-based wax or resin” (source: rd.com). While this excerpt only points at oranges, in reality this is applicable to all the other fruits and vegetables sold in the market.  

Now, lets move to understanding the formula of frozen foods. Frozen foods are basically washed, dried, sometimes pre-cooked and packed items of food that are stored in lower temperatures and can be maintained for longer periods of time. These food items may include chopped veggies or partially cooked meals. Whatever be the content, these packs of frozen foods are quality-checked before being put into packaging and their nutritional value is noted, so you will always know the nutritious quotient of your purchase.  “Freezing also won’t change the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates, or sugar in a particular food. The fluid content can change, however, which is often apparent when you thaw your food (you might see a puddle of liquid as the water drains away)” (source: verywellfit.com). Adding to this, many other studies have found that frozen foods are in fact more healthy for consumption as their nutrient content is immediately conserved once they are put into the cold storage. However, the market sold food items lose their nutritional value due to various factors like temperature, weather conditions and storage facilities.  

So, it’s safe to say that frozen foods are indeed nutritious and thanks to food innovators, now almost every meal is available as a frozen food item. Be it pizza or a curry, cooking and eating is now possible for everybody!  

Sources: 

https://www.rd.com/list/things-you-never-knew-about-grocery-store-produce/ 

https://www.verywellfit.com/are-frozen-foods-healthy-4116094