Why fresh is best
Genuine fresh food is always the most tasty and nutritious option. However, there are times when
frozen and tinned foods can be a good, healthy choice if you know what to look for.Words / Lisa HolmenN
othing beats the taste of truly
fresh produce, especially when
it comes straight from your
own garden or local farmer’s
market, but there are times when “fresh”
produce isn’t always best, especially
when it isn’t really fresh, is out of season,
has been stored, or has high food miles.
Are you guilty of buying loads of fruit and
vegetables from the shop only to find them
growing moss in the back of the fridge
a week later? Do frozen and tinned foods
really deserve their bad reputations? If you
consider your produce on a case-by-case
basis, you may eat more healthily, save
more money and be more sustainable
while you’re at it. We take a look at the
differences between fresh, tinned and
frozen food and which produce is best
in which situation.Timing matters
Let’s be clear right at the beginning:
produce eaten soon after picking and not
transported long distances is clearly the
best. The question really becomes whether
your “fresh” produce is really fresh and
how many food miles it has taken to get
to you. The claimed “fresh” produce at
your local supermarket may not be as
fresh as you think, since it can take days,
weeks or months to reach the supermarket
shelves during handling and transport.
Most “fresh” fruits and vegetables are
picked before they are ripe to allow them
time to ripen and develop their nutrientsduring transportation. However, during
transportation, produce is usually stored
in a controlled atmosphere, speed-ripened
artificially and treated with chemicals to
prevent the food spoiling. As a result of this
process, produce is usually less nutritious
than naturally ripened fruit and vegetables.
Seasonality is also a key factor since
most fruits and vegetables are not available
year-round in certain parts of the world.
You would definitely know this if you have
ever tried to grow your own tomatoes.
Fresh tomatoes are only available in
Australia for a limited season, which makes
tinned tomatoes a better alternative in off-
season periods. So when buying produce at
your local market, the first step to ensuring
freshness is making sure it is in season.
The amount of time food is stored
also needs to be taken into account. It is
estimated that fresh produce can lose
half of its phytonutrients and vitamins
during storage or cooking. Buying fresh
fruit and vegetables and letting them sit
in your fridge for several days means
they are losing essential nutrients. Fresh
produce is best consumed straight away,
so it’s recommended to buy produce as
close to the day that you will consume it
as possible, to not only maximise your
nutrition but minimise food waste.Frozen facts
Frozen produce has got a bad rap over
the years, due to highly processed frozen
pizza, pies and chips. But it’s about time wechanged our thinking about this. As far as
fruit and vegetables are concerned, most
of them have been snap-frozen (frozen at
–18°C in just minutes) right when they are
harvested at their peak. This means that if
the food is frozen soon after picking, most
of the vitamins, mineral content and dietary
fibre are locked in with only minimal
processing. Unless you have a market
garden and can access genuinely fresh
peas, frozen peas are definitely the way to
go since their sugar turns to starch as soon
as they are picked. In just 24 hours, this
may cause peas to be grainy and lose their
natural sweetness and freshness.
The added convenience of frozen
produce allows people to consume a
range of fruit and vegetables that is out of
season, allowing people to add variety to
their diet. Frozen food also has the added
convenience of being able to be stored for
months, although that is not without limits.
Frozen vegetables should be consumed
within eight months of purchase and frozen
fruits should be used within 12 months
of purchase (four to six months for citrus
fruits). So it’s a good idea to make friends
with your freezer when it comes to out-
of-season produce: just avoid the heavily
processed frozen stuff.
On the downside, frozen vegetables are
usually blanched (briefly submerged into
boiling water) before they are frozen to
kill bacteria, which means water-soluble
vitamins such as vitamins C and B can be
affected. Preservatives can also be added Photography: Getty18 | EatWellARTICLE
fresh vs frozen vs tinned foodEWL026_018-019 FEAT Fresh Frozen Canned-PR.indd 18EWL026_018-019 FEAT Fresh Frozen Canned-PR.indd 18 5/08/2019 7:29:59 AM5/08/2019 7:29:59 AMWhy fresh is best
Genuine fresh food is always the most tasty and nutritious option. However, there are times when
frozen and tinned foods can be a good, healthy choice if you know what to look for.Words / Lisa HolmenN
othing beats the taste of truly
fresh produce, especially when
it comes straight from your
own garden or local farmer’s
market, but there are times when “fresh”
produce isn’t always best, especially
when it isn’t really fresh, is out of season,
has been stored, or has high food miles.
Are you guilty of buying loads of fruit and
vegetables from the shop only to find them
growing moss in the back of the fridge
a week later? Do frozen and tinned foods
really deserve their bad reputations? If you
consider your produce on a case-by-case
basis, you may eat more healthily, save
more money and be more sustainable
while you’re at it. We take a look at the
differences between fresh, tinned and
frozen food and which produce is best
in which situation.Timing matters
Let’s be clear right at the beginning:
produce eaten soon after picking and not
transported long distances is clearly the
best. The question really becomes whether
your “fresh” produce is really fresh and
how many food miles it has taken to get
to you. The claimed “fresh” produce at
your local supermarket may not be as
fresh as you think, since it can take days,
weeks or months to reach the supermarket
shelves during handling and transport.
Most “fresh” fruits and vegetables are
picked before they are ripe to allow them
time to ripen and develop their nutrientsduring transportation. However, during
transportation, produce is usually stored
in a controlled atmosphere, speed-ripened
artificially and treated with chemicals to
prevent the food spoiling. As a result of this
process, produce is usually less nutritious
than naturally ripened fruit and vegetables.
Seasonality is also a key factor since
most fruits and vegetables are not available
year-round in certain parts of the world.
You would definitely know this if you have
ever tried to grow your own tomatoes.
Fresh tomatoes are only available in
Australia for a limited season, which makes
tinned tomatoes a better alternative in off-
season periods. So when buying produce at
your local market, the first step to ensuring
freshness is making sure it is in season.
The amount of time food is stored
also needs to be taken into account. It is
estimated that fresh produce can lose
half of its phytonutrients and vitamins
during storage or cooking. Buying fresh
fruit and vegetables and letting them sit
in your fridge for several days means
they are losing essential nutrients. Fresh
produce is best consumed straight away,
so it’s recommended to buy produce as
close to the day that you will consume it
as possible, to not only maximise your
nutrition but minimise food waste.Frozen facts
Frozen produce has got a bad rap over
the years, due to highly processed frozen
pizza, pies and chips. But it’s about time wechanged our thinking about this. As far as
fruit and vegetables are concerned, most
of them have been snap-frozen (frozen at
–18°C in just minutes) right when they are
harvested at their peak. This means that if
the food is frozen soon after picking, most
of the vitamins, mineral content and dietary
fibre are locked in with only minimal
processing. Unless you have a market
garden and can access genuinely fresh
peas, frozen peas are definitely the way to
go since their sugar turns to starch as soon
as they are picked. In just 24 hours, this
may cause peas to be grainy and lose their
natural sweetness and freshness.
The added convenience of frozen
produce allows people to consume a
range of fruit and vegetables that is out of
season, allowing people to add variety to
their diet. Frozen food also has the added
convenience of being able to be stored for
months, although that is not without limits.
Frozen vegetables should be consumed
within eight months of purchase and frozen
fruits should be used within 12 months
of purchase (four to six months for citrus
fruits). So it’s a good idea to make friends
with your freezer when it comes to out-
of-season produce: just avoid the heavily
processed frozen stuff.
On the downside, frozen vegetables are
usually blanched (briefly submerged into
boiling water) before they are frozen to
kill bacteria, which means water-soluble
vitamins such as vitamins C and B can be
affected. Preservatives can also be added Photography: Getty18 | EatWellARTICLE
fresh vs frozen vs tinned food