While not a new concept, frozen food is often misunderstood and perceived as nutritiously inferior to unfrozen food. But frozen food can be healthy, and your bistroMD meals are proof of that!
To help clear the confusion, we're taking a deep freezer dive into the cold hard facts on fresh vs. frozen food.
Misconception #1: Frozen food is not as "fresh" as fresh food.
The Cold Hard Facts:
If fresh food is, well, fresh, this means frozen food is unfresh… Right? Wrong!
Let's first recognize that fresh food—like fresh produce and seafood—can be susceptible to spoilage during the transportation process. But when frozen, the nutritional value, freshness, and safety are locked in and preserved as they make their way for purchase.
And we don't take this lightly at bistroMD! This is exactly why all of our meals are cooked using fresh ingredients and then flash frozen, which retains all of the juice, flavor, and texture of the meal when reheated.
Using our flash-frozen technique, all bistroMD meals can be kept frozen and fresh until they are ready to be heated and enjoyed. Every box is also packed with dry ice and insulated to keep your meals cold and protected from spoilage.
Misconception #2: All frozen foods contain unwanted ingredients and preservatives.
The Cold Hard Facts:
Frozen food loaded with added sugar, sodium, and other unnecessary additives is often how frozen foods get their bad rep. Yes, some frozen foods contain these unwanted ingredients but it's important to recognize that many unfrozen foods also do.
Fortunately, other frozen foods—including your bistroMD meals—are prepared and packaged in their most natural form. Thanks to our flash-frozen technology, the need for such preservatives and additives is eliminated.
Truly, we would not offer something for your plate that we would not eat at our own dinner table with our loved ones. This means we do not allow ingredients like trans fats, refined sugar, artificial colorings, MSG, chemical fillers, nitrates, and added sulfites in our entrees.
Misconception #3: Frozen food isn't nearly as nutrient-dense as fresh food.
The Cold Hard Facts:
While we've already hinted frozen food can be nutritious, let's present the data that helps debunk this misconception.
One study1 analyzed if nutrient retention of produce was impacted by fresh and frozen storage. While nutrient retention highly depended on the commodity, most showed no significant difference between fresh and frozen storage methods.
Another study2 compared the nutrient status of vitamin C, provitamin A, and folate in fresh, frozen, and fresh-stored produce. "Fresh-stored" produce mimicked typical consumer storage following purchase, or five days of refrigeration.
The results? Frozen produce outperformed "fresh-stored" more than "fresh-stored" outperformed frozen. These data points suggest frozen produce is more nutritious than its 5-day, fresh-stored counterpart in some situations.
AND yet another study3 found overall vitamin content of frozen commodities was comparable to, and occasionally higher, than that of their fresh counterparts.
Misconception #4: Frozen food isn’t environmentally friendly.
The Cold Hard Facts:
According to the American Frozen Food Institute, 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is thrown away! This equates to nearly $162 billion worth of food waste each year—just in America!
Frozen food may be a solution to combat food waste and enhance overall food security. Moreover, some data suggests food waste may be reduced by six-fold when comparing frozen with fresh foods!
Also combined with single-serve portions and an extended shelf-life, bistroMD meals provide the best value possible so you'll never waste a penny on food that spoils before you've had a chance to enjoy it. And less food waste is great for your wallet and the environment!
Most food manufacturers, including bistroMD, also use environmentally safe packages to transport meals. Needless to say, we take environmental and economic sustainability seriously!
The Cold Hard Facts Recap
By now, we hope you have a better understanding of the advantages of frozen food and just how bistroMD takes the extra steps to provide them to you. But here's a recap of the cold hard facts about frozen food:
• Frozen food can be enjoyed with peak freshness, and bistroMD's flash-frozen technology proves just that. All bistroMD meals are cooked using fresh ingredients then flash-frozen so they retain all of the juice, flavor, texture, and overall freshness when reheated and enjoyed.
• Not all frozen food contains unwanted ingredients, just as not all unfrozen foods are rich in refined sugar, sodium, trans fats, and other unnecessary additives. What bistroMD offers for your plate is what we would enjoy at our own dinner table with our loved ones.
• Frozen food can be equally, if not more, nutritious than fresh food. Freezing food, including flash-freezing, helps lock in and retain key nutrients.
• Frozen food can actually lessen the amount of spoiled food that is thrown away and wasted! At bistroMD, we strive to eliminate food (and cost) waste by providing single-serve portions with an extended shelf-life.
We aren't trying to "spoil" fresh food in the slightest, but do want to capture the great benefits of frozen food and meals. Finding a wholesome balance for your lifestyle matters most, and fresh and frozen foods can be favorable options.
References
1. Bouzari A, Holstege D, Barrett DM. Mineral, fiber, and total phenolic retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Jan 28;63(3):951-6. doi: 10.1021/jf504890k. Epub 2015 Jan 13. PMID: 25525668.
2. Li L, Pegg RB, Eitenmiller RR, Chun JY, Kerrihard AL. Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables. J Food Compos Anal. 2017;59:8-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
3. Bouzari A, Holstege D, Barrett DM. Vitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Jan 28;63(3):957-62. doi: 10.1021/jf5058793. Epub 2015 Jan 13. PMID: 25526594.