SCHOOL LUNCH ‘FRESH BETTER THAN FROZEN’ CLAIM MISCONCEIVED

New scientific report highlights frozen food is comparable to ‘fresh’ in providing necessary nutrients to primary school children

A new scientific report on school lunches has debunked the common assumption that ‘fresh’ food has greater nutritional value than frozen.

Investigating the nutritional content of primary school food, statistical evidence established there was no significant difference between ‘fresh’ and frozen food for the 37 key nutrients tested.  In many cases, significant deterioration of ‘fresh’ food in the supply chain can lead to lower nutritional value than frozen equivalents.

On this basis, researchers recommended frozen food as effective in providing appropriate nutrition for primary school children.  They also cited additional advantages of using frozen food on a catering scale – such as its contribution towards reduction in food waste, availability, convenience and improved price stability.

The full report and press release is available online.  If you would like a copy of the appendices please contact hazelcranidge [at] bfff [dot] co [dot] uk