21-03-2025
The case for eating frozen fruits and vegetables
Glistening bunches of kale and containers of plump berries often beckon to grocery store shoppers seeking fresh, healthy ingredients. But experts say that equally nutritious and sometimes planet-friendlier options can be found a few aisles away — in the frozen food section.
The climate case for frozen food is grounded in the idea that freezing leads to less waste along the supply chain, at stores and in homes.
Americans threw out 73.9 million tons of food in 2023, or roughly the weight of more than 369,000 blue whales, according to a report from ReFED, U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending food waste. That wasted food represented unnecessary use of resources, such as land, water, fertilizers, pesticides and energy. Its production, supply and disposal were associated with the emission of 230 million metric tons of greenhouse gases — equivalent to driving 54 million cars for a year. And the food that ended up in landfills accounted for 2.7 million metric tons of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent in the short term than carbon dioxide.
Freezing food and keeping it frozen may require more energy than when dealing with fresh ingredients, but studies of the environmental and climate impacts of frozen food suggest that in many cases keeping food out of the trash can be worth the trade-off.
'The freezer is your friend, whether you're freezing your food at home yourself or if you're buying frozen food,' said Kai Robertson, an independent food loss and waste expert. 'It does put a pause on that perishability — and saves you money as well.'
Freezing food helps limit the waste that can happen at every step from farm to table — preventing mold and bacteria from spoiling it, and blemishes from developing in ways that get food rejected from grocery store displays. Freezing also reduces the pressure of sell-by or use-by dates that may prompt consumers to toss food before they get around to using it.
About 50 percent of the uneaten food that ended up in the garbage in 2023 came from households, according to ReFED. While experts say people should aim to buy only what they know they're going to eat and compost as much as possible, using freezers is another way to keep food out of landfills.
One of the main benefits of frozen food is that it can still be eaten months after purchase. While buying local foods, such as produce, is another way to extend the lifespan of ingredients because they can be fresher than items that have traveled further, that might only add a few extra days, said Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED.
Freezing food can also help with freshness, Gunders said.
'Overall, most frozen foods are frozen within hours of harvest,' she said. 'Fresh foods, on the other hand, are moved around and stored, so are typically several days older than their frozen counterparts by the time you get them home.'
This means people often don't compromise on nutrition either, said Rebecca Riley, managing director of food and agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Vegetables, for instance, are frozen at their peak, which can help preserve vitamins and minerals, she said.
'They're very healthy,' Riley said. 'They're definitely just as good to use as fresh.'
One analysis commissioned by a major European frozen food manufacturer found that most frozen items had an equal or lower carbon footprint that similar products using other preservation methods. The footprint of frozen items depends largely on the amount of resources that go into producing the food, whether the electricity needed to power freezers comes from fossil fuels or renewables, how long products are kept in freezers and the amount of food that is discarded, according to the study.
But the study, which was independently reviewed, noted its findings suggest that when lower rates of waste for frozen foods are taken into account, these products can be the more climate-friendly option.
'When buying something frozen, shoppers should feel comfortable not worrying about the embedded energy, because the odds are higher that they're going to use and eat all of it,' which means less pollution created by wasted food decomposing in a landfill, said Robertson, who was one of the frozen food study's independent reviewers.
Efforts are also underway to reduce the energy needed to process and store frozen food. A 2023 report found that raising the temperature at which food is frozen by 3 degrees Celsius could reduce food loss and cut carbon emissions by 17.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the amount of planet-warming gases released by 3.8 million cars each year. Meanwhile some companies are experimenting with lowering the freezing temperatures of their food products. For example, Unilever recently announced that it reworked its ice cream recipes to stay frozen at lower temperatures and planned to share the work with other ice cream manufacturers.
The first step is to think about the foods you're regularly throwing out because they've spoiled, Robertson said. Those are items you should consider replacing with frozen products.
For many people, produce is an obvious choice. Leafy greens, such as spinach or kale, fresh herbs and berries can spoil more quickly than other groceries.
In general, frozen vegetables are 'a win on all fronts,' said Alison Mountford, founder and CEO of Ends+Stems, a recipe site dedicated to reducing food waste. Frozen food can also be helpful if you're pressed for time.
'It's much easier to grab a handful of frozen broccoli and throw it into a stir fry than it is to take fresh broccoli, trim it down, wash it, chop it up, make a mess,' Mountford said.
If you're buying food that isn't frozen, you can extend its shelf-life by freezing it at home, Gunders said. Among her freezing suggestions:
'The freezer is a 'magic pause button' that can buy you extra time to actually eat the food before it spoils,' Gunders said.
Freeze food in portions you'll want to use them in and make sure you store frozen products properly, Gunders said. Freezer burn is not a safety issue, but it can affect taste and texture, she said. After opening a package, seal it well and put it back into the freezer as quickly as possible.
Of course, it's also worth keeping your frozen food out of the garbage.
'Shop your freezer,' Robertson said.
