The Frozen Food Foundation will commission a global literature search of existing research on nutritional comparisons of frozen and non-frozen fruits and vegetables as Phase 1 of its new initiative.  The literature searches will identify existing research on nutritional comparisons of frozen fruits and vegetables and their raw counterparts.  The results of the literature searches will be summarized in white papers and will provide a framework for additional research which will focus on nutrient content contained in fruits and vegetables from the frozen aisle and produce departments of the same supermarkets.  

Frozen food companies produce quality, nutritious products that stack up well against their non-frozen counterparts.  In fact in many cases, the frozen food industry feels it produces foods that are nutritionally equivalent, if not superior, to the non-frozen version.  In today’s market, many foods are transported over great distances from production to reach your local grocery store.  The time taken from harvest to storage, transportation, sorting and stocking is an important factor to be considered in evaluating the nutritional content being purchased by consumers.  Conversely, frozen foods normally go through the freezing process within hours of harvesting, which locks in nutritional content and provides reliable, year-round availability.

The Foundation’s new initiative will span several years, engage nutritionists and dieticians, and include a consumer education component.