The origins of the frozen food department go back further than we thought

Whether you’re stocking up for a grab-and-go breakfast or wanting to make an easy dinner that you want to be fresh and ready to eat even in a few weeks, frozen food is a reliable option that shouldn’t be ignored when shopping. In the freezer aisles of any grocery store, you’ll find frozen versions of fruits, vegetables, meats, and pre-cooked meals that have saved our dinner plans on more than one occasion. According to GroceryDive, a study by the Food Industry Association and the American Frozen Food Institute found that frozen food sales in the United States have steadily increased in 2023, with 38% of shoppers preferring to buy and eat frozen food every day. Most modern consumers consider frozen food a good investment, filling their freezers with ingredients and meals that can be stored for a long time without spoiling.

Having frozen foods on hand also allows busy consumers to plan meals in advance and with little preparation. But shoppers couldn’t always buy food that had been sitting in their freezer for weeks. In fact, it wasn’t until 1930 that food first started arriving in grocery stores frozen, with the intention of selling it to customers while still ice cold. The concept of frozen food dates back to ancient civilizations, long before extra-tall freezers kept all your goodies behind glass doors in the store—though you probably couldn’t find pizza rolls for the air fryer back then.

Before the invention of flash freezing and the production of frozen foods, freezing food was passed down as a method of preservation, originally discovered by ancient civilizations in China. Evidence of food freezing has been found as far back as 1000 BC, when raw meat was stored in ice cellars to extend its shelf life. The people of the Inca civilization also found a way to preserve potatoes by freezing them in the cold, mashing them to squeeze out the moisture, and then drying the root vegetable in the sun to create a dehydrated potato that lasted much longer without spoiling.

Food spoils when exposed to moisture and heat for long periods of time. Under these conditions, bacteria begin to grow in the food, affecting taste, smell, and texture, and if there are too many bacteria, it can even lead to illness (via USDA). Chilling fresh food to freezing temperatures is more shelf-stable because the extreme cold prevents the growth of these bacteria. Although we as a society have long understood this process, it wasn’t until the 20th century that manufacturers found a way to quickly freeze, package, and transport food that could be kept just as cool at home.

Canadian engineer Clarence Birdseye is considered the genius behind modern frozen food products. Before Birdseye’s inventions, attempts to preserve food through freezing resulted in mushy textures due to poor packaging or extremely dry foods if the contents took too long to freeze.

Birdseye was inspired by the ice fishing tradition of the Inuit people of Canada, who would place freshly caught fish on the icy bottom to prevent it from becoming mushy and soggy after thawing. He figured out that the key to frozen foods that still tasted good was to freeze them immediately, ushering in the invention of flash freezing. In 1930, his company, Birds Eye Frosted Food Company, brought the first line of frozen foods to grocery stores. According to NPR, the company’s newest machines could flash freeze and package 18 different types of meat and fish, as well as various fruits and vegetables, including frozen peas, which were touted as “more deliciously green than any produce you’ll see next summer.”

Although Clarence Birdseye’s frozen food line was revolutionary, it took a while for households to accept this innovative new type of food. To accommodate this development, large freezers were introduced to grocery stores in 1930, but it wasn’t until the 1940s that people began investing in home freezers that could keep food frozen at home. The need for a home freezer was especially great during World War II, when most canned goods were shipped overseas to feed the troops and people had to find a way to store fresh fruits and vegetables and meat at home.

As the world of work changed and money became tight, the famous frozen convenience meal came along, giving people a quick and cheap way to feed their families. The introduction of a meal that contained protein, starch, and vegetables was a hit as it was already a bargain, but the added benefit of being able to freeze it for months without fear of it spoiling was the aspect of the frozen meal that took it to new heights. By 1955, convenience meals had become enormously popular and became a staple in American homes, still found in the freezer aisles of grocery stores today. Thankfully, the variety of flavors and cuisines offered today has expanded.

In modern grocery stores, the ever-popular frozen meal is just one of many frozen foods that may catch your eye while browsing. From frozen pizzas to breakfast burritos to entire servings of Kung Pao Chicken just waiting to be thawed and reheated, the offerings have evolved and expanded over the years. However, some believe this expansion has not been for the better. Some shoppers believe the myth that frozen foods are salty and unhealthy, offering little to shoppers in terms of taste, variety or nutritional value. Fortunately, this opinion is not entirely true. While convenience snacks and meals are available in stores that are considered junk food, there are freezer aisles full of frozen vegetables, fruits and nutritious proteins. The freezer aisle is also a great place for people with dietary restrictions who still want to indulge in their favorite snacks. A quick glance and you’re likely to find vegan sausages, gluten-free pizza crusts and a selection of dairy-free ice creams in the frozen food section. In reality, frozen food is not a type of food that could be described as “healthy” or “unhealthy,” but rather a means of preserving and storing all kinds of food for later consumption. It’s up to the shopper to decide which meals and ingredients best suit their dietary needs.

Buying food from the frozen food section is a great way to extend the shelf life of perishable foods that would otherwise spoil within days of purchase. But is there ever a time when our frozen food is no longer edible? We’ve all lost food in the far corner of our freezer, only to discover it months later and make the tough decision to throw it away rather than gamble on whether it’s expired or not. According to the USDA, frozen foods can be kept “almost indefinitely” and are still edible after thawing and preparing. However, this doesn’t guarantee that your food will taste just as good after years of freezing.

When you see a best-before date on your frozen food, it usually means the last date the food will be fresh. Most frozen foods, both pre-frozen from the supermarket and fresh ingredients stored in the freezer, will stay fresh for three to four months before the taste and quality deteriorate. After that, most food safety experts recommend checking the appearance and smell of your food before eating frozen meat that is two years old or a ready meal that shows signs of freezer burn.