Organic frozen food producer PACK’D has unveiled Frozen February, a campaign initiative to champion frozen produce during the months of the year when “fresh”is anything but in the United Kingdom.
February to April is the worst time to buy fresh so-called “fresh fruit” in Britain, as UK-grown produce is at its lowest point – prompting supermarkets instead to pivot towards Southern Hemisphere suppliers. These fruits have to be picked before achieving ripeness to allow them to be shipped thousands of miles and reach retail shelves before they spoil.
However, being picked when under-ripe means the fruits not only lose sweetness, aroma and flavor, but also nutrients. In fact, research shows that fresh produce can lose around half of their Vitamin C within the first two days after harvest.
The “Frozen February” campaign launched by London-based PACK’D seeks to drive awareness of this topic, and encourage shoppers to make the switch from fresh to frozen to be assured of sweeter, tastier and more nutritious fruit. The drive is backed by a paid media campaign, targeting Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in particular, where PACK’D products are available to shoppers, as well as in consumer magazines such as BBC Good Food.
“The UK climate at this time of year means that the freshest fruit is actually found in the freezer aisle, and it is our job to help inform the consumer,” said Katy Hamblin, director of marketing. “British-grown fruit is hard to come by, instead it is replaced by fruit from warmer and sunnier climates that has been harvested far too early to ensure it can travel thousands of miles to reach our supermarket shelves before it goes bad. This in turn means the fruit just doesn’t taste as nice.”
She added: “On the other hand, the fruits and vegetables in the freezer aisle have been harvested at their peak time for flavor and nutrients, before being frozen on the very same day – locking in all the goodness. Not only this, but frozen produce also has a lower carbon footprint, as it’s able to be transported via sea rather than air.”
Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Alex Stewart and Luke Johnstone, PACK’D originally debuted as a response to misleading health claims around bottled smoothies. Frozen smoothie kits designed for everyday living were developed by nutritionists and rolled out. Since then, the company has grown rapidly, expanding its range to include a full range of quality, nourishing frozen products with a focus on organic offerings. As a certified AA Grade BRC food producer, PACK’D works exclusively with BRC-accredited suppliers to ensure the highest standards.
