Benefits of Frozen Vegetables

Nutrition

  • Frozen vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which form an important part of a healthy balanced diet.
  • International studies consistently report equal or higher levels of key nutrients in fresh, frozen cooked vegetables as against fresh vegetables stored at ambient temperatures and then cooked.
  • Moisture, protein, fat and starch levels remain virtually constant throughout the freezing process.
  • Prior to cooking – nutrient content is more stable than in fresh product.
  • Freezing itself does not alter the nutritive value of vegetables.

Quality and Convenience

  • Frozen vegetables provide a consistent quality and freshness often lacking in fresh vegetables.
  • They are quick and easy to prepare and faster to cook.
  • They can be stored for up to 12 months with no detectable deterioration in nutritional value.
  • Ease of storage means that they are always to hand when required. For most vegetables, storage at -18°C provides good protection against nutrient loss for a year or longer.

Seasonality / Food Miles

  • Hartley’s Frozen vegetables are available all year long in or out of season.
  • Hartley’s own grown vegetables are frozen within hours of picking to preserve optimum freshness and stored locally. (link to fields)
  • The use of frozen vegetables avoiding the necessity of importing foreign or inferior product out of the UK season.

Economical

  • Prices less likely than fresh vegetables to fluctuate throughout the season.
  • Less wastage 100% of the frozen product is usable.
  • Less energy required for preparation as Hartley’s frozen vegetables are already cleaned, peeled, cut and sorted as appropriate. Cooking time is less.

Source: Food & Crop Research Ltd Report on Frozen and Fresh Vegetables sponsored by Heinz (Aust) independently reviewed by New Zealand Nutrition Foundation. Date? Details of full study available at www...?



Benefits of Hartley’s handing practices and freezing methods

  • Hartley’s peas and roots are harvested at their peak condition and processed within hours.
  • According to Campden Food and Drink Research Association, this may well ensure higher vitamin levels in frozen vegetables versus fresh stored produce.
  • Roots are steam peeled and peas and roots blanched.
  • Blanching ensures that enzymes responsible for undesirable changes in odour, flavour, colour, texture and nutritive value during frozen storage are deactivated.
  • Blanching significantly reduces degradation, oxidation and spoilage.
  • The IQF method of freezing is used by Hartley’s. This rapidly freezes produce and minimises contact between individual items thus minimising any possible damage to plant tissue and therefore eating quality. Freezing does not alter the nutritive value of vegetables.
  • Hartley’s can work with customers to provide:

    • Vegetables blanched to the specific requirements of a particular recipe.
    • Vegetables growing of a particular variety requested by the customer.
    • All cuts / slices of root vegetable
    • Mixes of root and other vegetables to customers own recipe.
Footnotes
  1. "In some instances, it was found that frozen vegetables may actually be more nutritious than fresh. One study presented as evidence by The American Food Institute found that fresh green beans left for three days in store and three days in a house refrigerator lost nearly two thirds of their Vitamin C, while frozen green beans had twice the amount of vitamin C compared with the fresh samples."
    Source: "Processed fruits and Vegetables "as good as fresh"
    International News. Food Industry Week 1998
  2. The US Food and Drug Administrator (US FDA) recognise that frozen vegetables are as good as fresh "on the basis of evidence that such products are nutritionally equivalent to raw produce"
    Source: FDA Talk Paper "Healthy may be used to describe certain processed foods and grain products."
    US Food and Drug Administration. March 25th 1998
  3. Hall. MN+Edwards MC comparison of processed and fresh vegetables as consumed. Acta Horticuturae 244 1989
  4. Hall, MN et al "A comparison of the composition of canned frozen and fresh garden peas as consumed." Technical Memorandum No 553. Campden Food and Drink Research Assoc Nov 1989
  5. Noir B. The effect of freezing and caring on the vitamin content green peas. Food and Nutrition Roma 9/1/1983
  6. Fennema O . Effects of Freeze Preservation on Nutrients in Nutritional Evaluation of Food Processing. 3rd Edition. AVI Publishing Pp 269-317 1998
  7. Rutledge P. Preparation Procedures in Vegetable Processing ed VD Arthey and C Dennis, Blackie, Glasgow UK Pp 205-49 1991
  8. Poulseu K. P. Optimisation of Vegetable Blanching Food Tech Pp 122-129 June 1986