Freezing is one of the easiest, quickest and most convenient ways of preserving food items. Whether it’s ready-to-eat meals, chopped fruits, pizzas, pastries, vegetables, dairy, or semi-cooked meals, frozen food pops up like a savior on your busy days.
Foods correctly packed and frozen maintain more of their original taste, color and texture and generally more of their nutrients than foods preserved by other methods. Whether the food items are packed in sustainable flexible packaging, glass ware or plastic boxes, if they are properly packed, they can last in the freezer for months and are safe to be consumed at a later date after proper reheating.
Importance of Food Safety and Quality in Frozen Foods
Food stored constantly at 0 F will always be safe. Freezing to 0 F inactivates any microbes: bacteria, yeasts and molds that’s present in food. This can be tested by using laboratory Test Kits to check the quality of different kinds of food being sorted. Additionally, freezing food keeps it safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage. This can prevent the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness. Only the quality suffers with lengthy period in the freezer.
Maintaining safety measures is very important, especially when you run eateries, cafรฉs, restaurants, or home-order outlets. This is to make sure that there is no contamination or quality-related issues that can lead to food poisoning. And as a good measure, you could consult MacEwan Associates Food Safety Consultants or other relevant professionals to assure the quality and safety of food.
Frozen Food Packaging Ideas
The packaging you select will depend on the type of food to be frozen, personal preference and availability. Improper food packaging will cause food to lose moisture, color, flavor and texture. Ice crystal evaporation from an area at the surface will result in freezer burn, which is a dry, grainy and hard brownish patch. Freezer burn does not render a food unsafe, only less desirable and less tasty. Therefore, choose the right packaging for the type of food.
Here are some common frozen food packaging ideas:
1. Zip-Top Freezer Bags
Zip-top freezer bags, available in sizes from one pint to two gallons, are great for anything and everything, from breads to pastries, vegetables, fruits, cooked meat, raw meat and even liquidy food like soups.
2 Child Resistant Packages
If you have small children at home, choose child proof packaging for all your food items. Child resistant pouches are those that have been tested and certified by third-party agencies to meet federal test requirements provided in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Child Resistant (CR) packages are designed to reduce the risk of children successfully opening a package and ingesting potentially harmful or hazardous products. ePac Flexibles offers child-resistant press-to-close zipper bags for safe and convenient pouch resealability.
3. Glassware with Plastic Lids
Glass mason jars and dishes are very good options if you have space in your freezer. They don’t stain and stay in good condition for a long time. Reheating is a breeze as they can go from freezer to fridge to oven or microwave oven so that you don’t have to transfer to another dish.
4 Vacuum-sealed Freezer Bags
If you have the budget, invest in a vacuum sealer for your freezer bags. If not, an inexpensive alternative is the Handi-Vac vacuum-sealing kit which comes with freezer-safe bags.
If you’re considering custom frozen food packaging for your food products, choose eco-friendly and sustainable packaging to reduce carbon footprint.
