COULD IQF FOOD BE A VIABLE SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?

If we look into the waste of fruits and vegetables, the situation is even more severe. In the developing countries, 40% of food waste is happening at post-harvest and processing stages while in the industrialized countries - more than 40% of food waste occurs at retail and consumer levels. In the case of exports from developing to developed economies – the math is frightening.[2] The waste from fresh produce can reach the exorbitant 70-80% if we count from the field till end-consumers’ kitchens. Moreover, according to European national studies, “fresh fruit and vegetables contribute to almost 50% of the food waste generated by EU households”.[3]

So how can we challenge this food waste disaster? One way visionary food processors try to do their part is the practice of upcycling foods by adding value to by-products and surplus produce, while another brave and successful trend is to market and selling the so called “ugly foods” or imperfect-looking products that may be undersized, of the wrong colour, or blemished in some way. There are also organizations trying to tackle the date label confusion, especially in dairy industry, and so help eliminate food waste.

Equipment manufacturers, however, can bring their own share to the table. A well-known leader in engineering and manufacturing of Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) technology - OctoFrost company - believes that innovative IQF technology can be used to tackle food waste issue on many different levels.

IQF stands for Individually Quick Freezing and it is achieved by using very cold and powerful streams of air to separate each piece of product (as opposed to old school block freezing) in the freezing tunnel and so get perfectly separated frozen food products even with sticky and difficult foods such as diced fruits, berries or even shredded cheese, minced or marinated meats. The possibilities are vast in terms of products which can be IQF frozen and most of fruits and vegetables you will find in the frozen aisle of your supermarket, are IQF frozen. When it comes to advantages of IQF products, convenience is probably on the top for the end-consumer who can now defrost the exact needed amount and store the rest in their freezer (without the need of thawing the whole pack).

But is the convenience factor enough today? Some food industry experts would argue that. It seems like consumers have never been pickier about the quality, appearance, and nutritional value of their food. And this is where technological innovation comes to the rescue. Specifically, technological features that can make the frozen products look just as appetizing as their fresh counterparts and lock in their nutrients – are the game changers in the consumer behavior.

Studies show that frozen fruits and vegetables are actually fresher than fresh produce and contains even more nutrients[4]. The reason for that is that frozen fruits and vegetables are usually harvested at the highest point of ripeness containing the most nutrients and taste, and the freezing process is just locking in all that goodness of a fully ripen product.