Frozen Veggies Healthier Than Fresh One’s: Study

Most shoppers assume that vegetables labelled ‘fresh produce’ are no more than four days old. The truth however is that most vegetables are about two weeks old by the time they reach marketplace from a farm. A survey found that roughly 80% of shoppers had this misconception about the so-called ‘fresh produce’.

Scientists from the Institute of Food Research claimed that produce that was frozen immediately after being picked has more nutrients sealed in them. A study conducted by UK-based Institute of Food Research on behalf of the frozen food manufacturer Birds Eye found that nearly 45 percent of the important nutrients in fresh vegetables diminish between the process of harvesting, supermarket stay, home, and the actual consumption.

The scientists discovered that after a time gap of 16 days fresh green beans lost up to 45 percent nutrients, broccoli and cauliflower lost up to 25 percent, whereas garden peas and sweet corn lost up to 15 and 10 percent of the nutritional value respectively.

Nutritionist Dr Sarah Schenker said: “The nutritional content of fresh vegetables begins to deteriorate from the minute they are picked. This means that by the time they end up on our plate, although we may think we’re reaping the vegetable’s full nutritional benefits; this is often not the case. With frozen vegetables, where vitamins are locked in at the point of freezing, there’s no need to worry about how nutritious they are.”