When it comes to vegetables, the truth is, not everyone likes them. Because of this, it might be difficult sometimes to include them in your meals, so realistically, a vegetable in any form is better than not eating them at all! But when you do get around to buying some, should you get fresh or frozen?

There are advantages to both but there seems to be some controversy around frozen vegetables. Are they healthy? Are they safe? How do they compare to fresh produce?

Freezing is a safe way to increase the shelf life of food, but once it’s frozen, does it lose its nutritional value?

Both fresh and frozen options have good and not so good things about them. What type you end up choosing depends on your lifestyle, life cost, taste preferences or how much time you’ve got.

A lot of people believe that food that has been process is often less nutritional than food that hasn’t. And this can be true. Canned foods usually have less nutritional value than fresh, because they are under heat for a very long time and are usually packaged with a lot of salt. This can cause some confusion when it comes to frozen vegetables. These are not heated and because of this they don’t lose their nutritional value.

When to choose frozen

Sometimes, fresh produce can be a bit limited. If this is the case, frozen vegetables are an alternative. Most times, the frozen alternative can be even healthier than the fresh one. The reason for this is because vegetables are frozen at the peak of their ripeness, which is when they are usually at their best and have the most nutrients. While these vegetables need to be blanched or steamed before freezing – which can cause them to lose some of their nutrients – the freezing process is then quickly done and will lock the rest of the nutrients in and help preserve texture. This means that, typically, frozen vegetables don’t need preservatives.

In addition to this, there is the difference in prices. For those on a budget, frozen vegetables (or even canned ones) might be more cost-effective. Frozen vegetables also last much longer than fresh ones. Opting for frozen will help reduce waste.

They are convenient and can save preparation time. Because they are packed, they always come with a nutritional label, so you know exactly what it is you are consuming.

When to choose fresh

If the vegetable you want to purchase is in season, this is when you might consider fresh over frozen. They are easily accessible, ready to use and, for most cases, tastier.

When not in season, fruits and vegetables in the fresh produce area in supermarkets are usually picked before they are ripe. This will cause these vegetables to have less time to develop, which will then reduce their nutritional value. Freshly picked produce will have the highest nutritional value, however, they begin to lose nutrients after they are picked. In addition to this, they are also stored for some time and then transported to be sold.

The bottom line is the important thing is to consume vegetables. If in season, buy them fresh and ripe. When out of season, frozen vegetables are just as good an option.

M&P Engineering has over 40 years’ experience in manufacturing onion peeling machinery and is home to the famous Large Onion Peeling Machine. With many thousands of units sold worldwide, M&P Engineering’s Large Onion Peeling Machine is at the forefront of food production globally. The efficiency of its operation means that this machine can withstand an input of 750kg per hour when using onions 75mm – 90mm.

As well as their onion peeling machines, M&P Engineering supplies other food processing equipment. Some of these include depositors, fillers and fresh-cut machinery to cover a wide range of food production needs.

To find out more about M&P Engineering’s products, call us on 0161 872 8378 or click here for more contact information.

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