Food Business News - July 20, 2021 - 54

CENTENNIAL SERIES
SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
A century of
frozen food
progress
F
rozen food has appealed to changing
consumer desires for more than a
century, from quality and convenience
to health and gluten-free concerns.
Breakthrough ideas have come from
unexpected sources, including fishermen
in Canada, turkeys in railroad cars and
children with celiac disease.
Freezing fish inspiration
The quality of frozen food was
lacking before Clarence Birdseye headed
north. Freezing food early in the 20th
century required large blocks of ice. The
slow process led to ice crystals embedded
in the food, resulting in poor taste and
quality, said Dan Skinner, communications
manager at Chicago-based Conagra
Brands, Inc., which now owns the Birds
Eye brand.
Mr. Birdseye's link to frozen food
began when he was working with the US
Department of Interior in Labrador, an
area in northeast Canada, in the 1920s.
When the Inuit fished there, Mr. Birdseye
CONAGRA BRANDS
Canadian fishermen, microwaves and cauliflower move the category forward
noticed how they used ice, wind and temperature
to instantly freeze fish.
Upon returning to the United States,
he worked on replicating this flash-freezing
process. His invention consisted of
two metal belts chilled to negative 45°
Fahrenheit. Food, including fish, meat and
at different times throughout the years
until Conagra Brands acquired Pinnacle
Foods in 2019.
Too many turkeys
Decades after the debut of the Birds
Clarence Birdseye received a
patent for his flash-freezing
process in 1927.
vegetables, could be pressed between the
two belts and frozen quickly, Mr. Skinner
said.
Mr. Birdseye received a patent for his
As Sosland Publishing Company,
publisher of Food Business News, prepares
to celebrate 100 years of providing food industry
professionals timely information, news
and commentary, we are publishing a series
of articles across all of our titles to celebrate
the past, present and future of the people and
industry that feed the world.
54
Food Business News
flash-freezing process in 1927 and then
sold it to Goldman Sachs, where he stayed
on as a consultant, Mr. Skinner said. The
first Birds Eye products entered the market
in 1930.
" There was a little initial skepticism, but
once people realized this was a quality product,
it quickly took off, " Mr. Skinner said.
General Foods, Dean Foods and Pinnacle
Foods all owned the Birds Eye brand
Eye brand, Swanson Foods encountered
a problem: What to do with 260 tons of
frozen turkeys sitting in railroad cars.
" In 1953 Swanson had made a bad
read on the number of Thanksgiving
turkeys they were going to need, " Mr.
Skinner said.
The miscalculation led to Swanson
creating its TV dinner. Who should
receive credit for it remains the subject
of debate. Some point to Gerry Thomas,
a salesman who suggested Swanson
combine the excess turkey with cornbread
dressing and vegetables on the assembly
July 20, 2021
CONAGRA BRANDS
Food Business News - July 20, 2021

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