May/June 2021 - 4

THE PROCESS
ZEKE JENNINGS
Frozen produce
is thriving
Two years ago, Produce Processing published
an article, titled " Five tips to attract young
consumers to frozen vegetables. " In it, we wrote
about topics like marketing, packaging and
product development based on a presentation
by Fresh Insight's Elena Ozeritskaya.
Nowhere was it mentioned that a really good
Zeke Jennings
Managing Editor
way to turn people on to frozen produce is a
global pandemic. That's not to make light of
the seriousness of COVID-19, but the fact of the
matter is that buying and eating habits have
changed since March 2020.
While pre-pandemic eating and buying patterns will return
to a degree, perhaps in large part, these new experiences forced
by the pandemic will have long-term effects on how and what
people eat.
Less eating out has naturally been a boon for the retail food
sector. Produce sales overall had a big year in 2020, but shelfstable
and frozen saw an even higher increase than fresh. Frozen
produce saw a 21% increase in total sales last year. (See Page 6
for more on that trend.)
Because of COVID concerns and everything that came along
with government-imposed restrictions, consumers were buying
more in the retail sector, but they were not going to the store as
often. This, of course, meant they were keen on products with
longer shelf lives, frozen and shelf-stable produce included.
By and large, the pandemic hasn't been kind to the foodservice
sector. Unfortunately, stories of restaurants not being able to
withstand the decreased traffic and shuttering are getting to
be commonplace.
The decrease in numbers and uncertainty has some foodservice
operators and chefs re-examining their kitchen model. Operators
can get longer shelf lives out of their frozen produce options
than they can fresh. Dietician and chef Abbie Gellman tells
Produce Processing there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
" You're not losing anything, nutritionally by having frozen
versus fresh, " she said. " And in some cases, it might even be
more nutritious because fresh fruit and vegetables might be
traveling a long distance or sitting out for a long period of time. "
Acceptance and want for frozen produce is definitely on the rise.
Office 616-887-9008
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Human Resources dcarnes@greatamericanpublish.com
Editorial Advisory Board
Adrienne Seiling, American Frozen Food Institute
Rudi Groppe, Heinzen Manufacturing International
Lou Cooperhouse, Rutgers Food Innovation Center
Sherrie Rosenblatt, Can Manufacturers Institute
Leonard Batti, Taylor Farms, Salinas, California
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email Zeke:
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4 MAY/JUNE 2 0 21
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May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2021
