Historically, frozen food has had a bad rep. Over 30% of Brits believe that frozen food is inferior to fresh food, and over 40% say nothing would induce them to buy more of it.
While the quality of frozen ready meals has significantly improved, the image of mushy, beige coloured TV dinners from the ‘50s hasn’t been fully wiped from people’s memories. Frozen meals are often dismissed as being poor quality, less nutritious than fresh and not as good in comparison to meals prepared from scratch.
It’s time for this frosty attitude towards frozen food to defrost.
The many benefits of healthy frozen meals
There are many misconceptions around frozen food, including the quality being poor and it containing less nutrients compared to fresh food. When in fact this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here are some of the benefits frozen meals can present…
More nutrients
Frozen meals are now mostly blast frozen, including ours at Hey Fresto!, which means they’re quickly frozen at a lower temperature.
Not only does this process alleviate the risk of bacteria spreading, resulting in food that is both fresher and safer to eat, but it is also a natural preservation process that does not require the use of additional preservatives.
Vitamins and minerals are ‘locked in’ through freezing, while fats, proteins and carbohydrates remain unaffected. Therefore, frozen food is just as good nutritionally compared to frozen food and loses none of the good stuff.
Save money
Many people think that frozen meals are more expensive when compared to cooking from fresh, but stocking your freezer with ready meals can be a great way to save money.
One of the biggest expenses for any household is food. A weekly shop on top of picking up bits during the week can soon add up. When cooking from scratch, you will need to buy all of the ingredients plus any additional seasonings. In some cases this will far-outweigh the cost of frozen ready meals.
Plus, you will also need to factor in food wastage, time spent cooking as well as in the supermarket.
Save waste
The topic of food waste has gained a lot of momentum over the last decade as the larger conversation relating to climate change has become more prominent.
In the UK alone, 6.7 million tonnes of food is wasted per year – this equates to an annual cost of £250-£400 per household. While this figure has decreased over the past three years, there’s still much more to be done to reduce this further.
It can often be a struggle to eat foods before they perish, which is where frozen food can help. Research published in the British Food Journal shows that frozen foods generate 47% less food waste in the home compared to frozen food.
With Hey Fresto! there’s no need to purchase a range of ingredients you may not get round to using. Our main meals and sides are specifically portioned to ensure no waste.
Unnecessary or non recyclable packaging is also adding to the problem, with five million tonnes of household packaging waste in the UK every year. Which is why our packaging is completely recyclable. The sleeve, tray and film are all widely recycled. So after you’ve finished your meal, you can pop the container into the recycling bin.
Save time
When it comes to the preparation of meals, nothing beats the convenience of frozen foods.
After a hectic day, the last thing you want to do is cook yourself a homemade meal which could take hours. You could always order a takeaway, but that may take up to another hour of waiting while you’re ready to eat. This is where frozen meals come in.
After all, why spend hours in the supermarket doing your food shop and cooking in the kitchen when you can spend just a few minutes?
Fill your freezer with Hey Fresto!
Delivering a range of tasty frozen meals straight to your door, Hey Fresto! offers 50 dishes from across the globe – meaning there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Take a look through our range of meals for yourself.