[This is the fourth of four briefs covering the state of cold chain logistics. To read the other briefs in this series, please see the links at the end of this article.]
Using frozen storage to preserve food has a long history dating back to ancient times; in its earliest form, frozen storage utilized natural ice elements in cold climates. In the late 1920s, a Labradorian engineer named Clarence Birdseye developed a method for flash-freezing foods for mass consumption. The first foods preserved via this method were meats, fish, vegetables, and fruits.
Today, frozen food has expanded far beyond the preservation of foods at their peak freshness. According to the October 2018 issue of Frozen and Refrigerated Buyer Magazine, Americans purchased approximately $13.06 billion worth of frozen foods between late May and mid-August. The most popular of these foods broke down as follows:
|
Ice cream |
$1,489,000,000 |
|
Frozen novelties |
$1,272,120,000 |
|
Pizza |
$1,038,820,000 |
|
Single-serve dinners/entrees |
$968,120,000 |
|
Processed chicken/chicken substitute |
$649,420,000 |
|
Chicken/chicken substitute |
$620,520,000 |
|
Handled entrees |
$587,000,000 |
|
Shrimp |
$583,980,000 |
|
Vegetables |
$491,230,000 |
|
Fish/seafood |
$489,570,000 |
|
Meat (non-poultry) |
$481,140,000 |
|
Multi-serve dinners/entrees |
$420,190,000 |
|
Appetizers/snack rolls |
$413,130,000 |
|
Plain potatoes/fries/hash browns |
$360,940,000 |
Through modern techniques and technology, cold chain practices and supply chain have helped to create an immensely diverse grocery infrastructure.
Read the other briefs in this cold chain logistics series: