What’s so Cool about Chilled Foods?

Choice

Chilled foods offer consumers a wide choice of great value, safe, tasty and nutritious foods that are quick and easy to prepare. This includes healthy salads and prepared fruit and vegetables as well as portion-controlled low fat foods and more indulgent foods for the occasional special treat.

Chilled foods use many different fresh ingredients in their recipes. This gives a wider variety of choice than with some frozen and ambient foods where fresh ingredients such as fresh produce, are unsuitable for the preservation process.

Convenience

They help save time and energy looking for and buying, then washing and preparing the different ingredients that make up a meal. Well-labelled and innovative packaging also allows you to see exactly what you are buying.

As you’d cook at home – they’re fresh, preservatives are very rarely used 

UK chilled foods receive minimal processing. Food is kept fresh by temperature control so food additives, such as preservatives, are rarely used.

They compare very favourably with foods prepared in the home, both in taste and preparation. Manufacturers aim to use ingredients and cooking methods that are found in a domestic kitchen. If additives are ever used, their presence is clearly marked on the label as required by current food legislation.

Less waste

Chilled prepared foods reduce waste by cutting down the need to buy unnecessary or large amounts of ingredients (e.g. several different types of lettuce) which may only be used a bit at a time and may ultimately be thrown away.

They also help reduce waste in the manufacturing process. Most packaged fresh and prepared foods have had the non-edible materials (e.g. peels, vegetable tops, bones, etc.) removed during preparation. These materials are used for animal feed or other purposes instead of going into domestic waste. Energy is also saved by not having to transport this unwanted material through the distribution and retail chain.

Chilled food manufacturers constantly adjust the supply chain in order to minimise waste. The move to 24 hour trading has also improved the flow of materials and ingredients thus helping to reduce waste during production.