Frozen Veggies 101

Though farmers, fishermen, and hunters have found ways to preserve their food for thousands of years, the modern method of “flash freezing” was invented by pioneer Clarence Frank Birdseye II in the 1920’s. While traveling through the Arctic, he observed Eskimos using ice, wind, and temperature to freeze just-caught fish almost instantly to retain freshness—and was inspired to apply the same biological process to vegetables. The result revolutionized the frozen food industry, and made Birds Eye® vegetables a household name.

After being harvested at the peak of ripeness, fresh-picked vegetables are delivered within hours to be cleaned and quick-steamed to lock in color, nutrition, and taste. The vegetables are finally flash-frozen—each whole or cut piece of vegetable to zero degrees Fahrenheit or colder within minutes—before being checked by quality inspectors.