Frozen Food: A Partner in Food & Nutrition Solutions
Frozen foods support American jobs, family budgets, and healthy eating - from field to freezer to fork.
Freezing is a preservation method. It lowers temperature to maintain food in its existing state. Freezing is simply a change in temperature that helps keep fresh food intact and preserve its quality.
Frozen foods begin with real ingredients – fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and proteins – that are prepared into foods families rely on every day. Frozen prepared meals are real food. They are made with the same foundational ingredients Americans use in their own kitchens and prepared using familiar cooking methods at scale, then frozen to lock in quality and convenience.
Across the country, the frozen food industry supports American jobs and local economies. From peach production in South Carolina and California, to blueberries in Maine, to pizza made in Kansas, to potatoes in North Dakota, to burritos in Texas.
Freezing locks in the quality and nutrition of foods at peak freshness. It acts as nature’s pause button, keeping food at the ready for the modern meals people want to eat and feel good about serving.
For fruits and vegetables, freezing preserves produce after they are harvested at peak ripeness. For prepared meals, freezing preserves
meals after they are assembled and cooked. In both cases, freezing does not define the food; it preserves it.
Frozen fruits and vegetables expand access to nutrient-dense foods by providing year-round availability, stable pricing, and reduced
spoilage. At the same time, prepared frozen meals play a critical role in enabling consistent, balanced eating, offering portion-controlled,
nutritionally comparable options that reduce the time and resource barriers associated with home cooking.
Frozen foods are one of the most affordable and convenient ways to help busy Americans eat nutritious, wholesome food. They offer affordable nutrition that helps families, schools, and communities meet healthy eating goals without overspending.
Frozen foods, with shelf lives of 6 to 24 months, directly combat food waste. The average household loses almost $3,000 per year in wasted food. With its longer shelf life, frozen foods help families stretch their food dollars further and cut down on food waste.
Frozen foods help households manage costs, minimize food waste, and maintain reliable access to nutritious foods. Frozen foods play a critical role across the food supply chain. They are used daily in homes, schools, healthcare settings, military bases, federal nutrition
programs, restaurants, and other food service options.
Frozen foods connect farmers, processors, manufacturers,
retailers, and families across the United States, supporting more than 670,000 jobs.