The ownership of microwave ovens in the late 80s became widespread, enabling frozen foods to be cooked quickly and often without the need to defrost first. The frozen food retailer continues: “That same period saw a great deal of product innovation, including the launch of ethnic foods, healthy eating ranges and frozen snacks, with many being developed specifically for the children's market.”

The strongest growth period for the sector was during the 1980s and early 90s says Iceland: with more women going out to work, there was less time to spend preparing food for the family at home.

The New Ice Age, a showcase for frozen food, explains that in the 90s recession, frozen food offered both quality and value: “Whether at home or eating out, even with a looming recession, people still wanted to indulge in quality food. The catering industry blossomed, providing a variety of quality meals across the price spectrum. Frozen food became the catering industry’s mainstay with its guaranteed availability, convenience, low wastage and, of course, safety. ‘Quality and authenticity’ were key objectives of product development in the 90s.”

At the turn of the millennium, the explosion of cookery programmes onto our screens, together with the advent of the celebrity chef, encouraged the time pressed consumer to incorporate fresh food back into his everyday life. Frozen food was seen as unhealthy, with lifestyle experts warning against ready-made meals and other processed foods as a replacement for fresh, home cooked food.

Keen to voice the benefits of frozen food, The New Ice Age offers another point of view: “Far from being inferior to ‘fresh’ food, frozen food is often fresher than ‘fresh’.” Warning against an either fresh or frozen approach, it concludes that frozen food and fresh food can make the perfect combination.

FROZEN VENDING

UK Vending has machines that vend all frozen products, from ice cream to ready meals and pizzas. Providing meals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, they are ideal for public locations.

The VC1100 merchandiser from Seaga UK is capable of vending chilled or frozen foods and ice cream. Features include triple pane heated glass that eliminates condensation or frost; a three-point locking control panel and vend over-ride safety switch; totally adjustable self-defrosting cycles with fast cool down and recovery; adjustable trays, multiple price capabilities, a durable powder coat finish and a solid-state programmable LCD display.

The Alpine Combi 3000 from Automatic Vendors is a new high capacity stand-alone food and frozen machine that fits through a 30" doorway. Its patent pending design features next generation air flow architecture. Two machines in one, refrigerated foods are dispensed from the top, ice cream and other frozen foods from the bottom. LED lighting enhances product presentation, while the machine requires no service for a minimum of 5+ years and reduces lighting energy costs by 40% over fluorescent equipped models. It is convertible in the field to fully refrigerated or fully frozen.

The Z400, also from Automatic Vendors, is specified by major ice cream manufacturers worldwide. It has up to a 450 unit capacity; up to 18 selections; vends all shapes and sizes up to 1.4kg (3lbs) in weight; offers electronic multiple pricing and has a robotic dispensing system. The machine always looks full – it has a simple and fast loading system; bins that protect products from thermal shock; unlimited product configuration options and optional graphic or dummy product displays.

The Bon Appetit hot and cold food vending machine is the ideal canteen replacement facility, saving your company up to 90% of their catering budget. All the dishes for the facility are hand-made, free from ‘E’ numbers and artificial ingredients. After preparation the food is ‘air blast frozen’ to retain taste and nutrition.

Not only does this provide a restaurant quality but also results in zero waste. The food stays fresh for longer than in ambient temperatures.

The Bon Appetit hot food vending machine is loaded from a storage freezer (depending on geographical locations.) Holding between 10-15 different dishes and 80 -100 items which can be sold at any one time, it rotates dishes according to demand. A telemetry device in all units provides remote access to the machine ensuring sufficient stock levels are maintained on site providing valuable sales reports and informing the operator when the machine is open. The Bon Appetit canteen replacement menu covers a full range of meals for breakfast, snacks and light bites, reviewed constantly to match the seasons and taste habits.

Famed for its convenience, the image of frozen food is changing as manufacturers continue to bring healthy, nutritious meals to market. Conveniently purchased and quick to prepare, its inclusion in Vending represents the ideal solution for those on the go.

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