The Inuit peoples have used freezing as a way of preserving food for generations. Of course they have the ideal freezing conditions. The simple method of using their abundant natural resources to store food has enabled them to have a rich source of protein even when fishing expeditions where fruitless.



The ancient Chinese also use ice cellars to preserve their food during the winter months when sources of food were short. The Romans also used compressed snow to preserve their foods.

Modern food freezing began in the early 20th century. The process adopted by the inhabitants of Labrador, Canada, of using extreme temperatures to fast freeze fish to retain the quality, texture and taste was observed and taken back to the United States.

Fast freezing techniques are still used today, the process involves rapidly freezing food at extremely low temperatures so that small ice crystals are formed which will not damage the cell structure of the fish.

The first frozen meals were available in the UK back in the 1950s. Bulk buying provided an economical way of purchasing food. However not all families had or could afford to buy a freezer!

The swinging 60s saw a the need for people to spend less time in the kitchen and more time having fun. Pre-packaged frozen food became an increasingly popular way to provide nutritious meals which required very little preparation.

During the 1970s frozen food saw a dramatic increase in consumer use. With many families able to buy a freezer the convenience of frozen food became a staple food source for many families. Frozen fish became a popular meal as companies produced a variety of fish meals complete with sauces. These Boil in the Bag fish meals were ideally suited to the busy lifestyles of working families.

In the 1980s people began to become more nutritionally aware. Frozen foods producers were quick to react and promoted their products by introducing a range of pre-packaged frozen foods which concentrated on encouraging people to eat a more healthy diet which included fish.

The 1990s saw the need to have a more varied diet in both terms of health and use of exotic ingredients which had been regarded solely as luxuries in previous decades. The order of the day was for frozen food manufactures to produce food which was low cost, convenient, low wastage with the additional aspect of being completely safe to consume.

The new millennium arrived and with it a whole host of TV cooking shows advising the nation to become more experimental as well as health conscious with our foods. Fresh and frozen fish was and continues to be highly recommended by TV chefs as a great way to provide a wide range of healthy eating dinners which are quick and simple to prepare.

As you can see over hundreds of years frozen fish has become a staple food source for people throughout the world. The health benefits of eating fresh or frozen fish is more prominent today than ever before.