Why Choose Frozen Wild Blueberries?

Frozen foods tend to get a bad reputation for being unhealthy and hyper processed, but truth be told, you can actually find amazing and nutritious healthy food options in the frozen foods aisle – especially when it comes to frozen fruits and vegetables. Since the concept of flash-freezing fruits and vegetables was invented in the 1920s, frozen foods have become a staple many people rely on for weekly meals. As of 2022, the American Frozen Food Institute reported that 99.4% of U.S. households consume frozen foods. And while many people question the nutritious benefits of frozen fruits and veggies, it’s actually been found that they possess a higher nutritional value than those of their fresh counterparts.

Exhibit A: Naturally grown and nutritiously delicious wild blueberries. 

These tiny, potent berries are tasty whether they’re consumed frozen or fresh, but frozen wild blueberries are frozen at peak of ripeness, locking in nutrition benefits and taste. So, in this case, frozen is actually fresher. In honor of March being National Frozen Foods Month, we’re dishing on why this is the case.

The Benefits of Flash Freezing Wild Blueberries

Did you know that:

  • Flash freezing fruit locks in fresh taste, nutrition, and convenience
  • Research shows frozen fruit is often nutritionally superior to its fresh counterpart
  • 40% of all food produced in the United States is not eaten before expiration. Frozen food can help reduce the food waste epidemic in the United States.
  • Frozen food generates 47% less food waste than ambient and chilled food in the home

What can we say…the facts don’t lie!

The Wild Blueberry Journey: Harvest to Household

Wild blueberries are harvested in Maine, right where Mother Nature put them more than 10,000 years ago. Harvest season takes place annually in July and August and over 90% of the crop is flash frozen at the peak of ripeness so you can enjoy the taste of Maine summer all year long. To make sure you’re getting true wild blueberries, you’ll want to visit the frozen fruit section of your local grocery store and double check that the package says “wild” on it. 

So, how do these little blue gems get from harvest to your table? Here’s the journey of frozen wild blueberries:

  • Hour 1: Picked at peak of ripeness
  • Within 24 hours: Washed and flash frozen to lock in key vitamins, minerals, and tasty goodness
  • Ready to enjoy, well…whenever: delivered to the frozen foods aisle of your local grocery store, ready for you to bring home!
  • Extended shelf life: Good for about 6-9 months if kept constantly frozen

Unlike wild blueberries, ordinary blueberries can be planted anywhere and grow year round. Their journey is a little different than frozen wild blueberries. Let’s dive into the differences in the journey of an ordinary blueberry from farm to table:

  • Day 1: Picked before they’re ripe
  • Day 2-8: Transported, packed, and distributed to grocery stores 
  • Day 9-14: Arrival at grocery store 
  • Day 15-20: Purchased and eaten at home
  • Short shelf life: Should be eaten within one week of purchase 

So, now you know, frozen is fresher – and just as nutritious and delicious as fresh. 

And the best part? Wild blueberries are versatile! Keep your freezer stocked so you have easy access to frozen wild blueberries to blend in your smoothies or to top off your oatmeal year round.

If you want to learn more about why frozen really is fresher, check out the Wild Blueberries website for more information. Happy Frozen Foods Month! Celebrate by picking up some frozen wild blueberries from your local grocery store (just make sure it says “wild” on the package).

When Frozen Beats Fresh in Nutrition

It’s a nutrition question that’s plagued healthy eaters since the first frozen fruits and vegetables were marketed in 1930: are frozen foods as nutritious as their fresh counterparts? While I certainly won’t deny that fresh foods can be nutritious, I’m also not a blind believer of the “fresh is best” mantra that some would have us believe. A recently published study in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis adds to the growing body of research focused on analyzing and comparing the nutrient content of fresh vs. frozen produce.

University of Georgia researchers compared the nutrient content of eight fruits and vegetables that were stored in 3 specific ways: frozen, fresh, and “fresh-stored.” What’s “fresh-stored”? It describes the way that typical consumers handle fresh produce once they get it home. Most folks keep fresh produce in the refrigerator for 5 days before getting around to eating it—according to data from the Food Marketing Institute, and the researchers considered this to be an important comparison for the study in order to make it more relatable to real-world eating behavior. Vitamin C, beta-carotene and total folate concentrations were examined over a span of two years in six different time frames in order to take into account any seasonal variations.

What were the results? The researchers found that for the majority of the comparisons there were no significant differences between the nutrient values of fresh, frozen or “fresh-stored.” Where there were significant differences, it was generally found that the five days of refrigerated storage (for “fresh-stored” produce) had a negative association with nutrient concentration. And, more often than not, the frozen vegetables and fruits had significantly higher nutrient contents than their “fresh-stored” counterparts.

As far as blueberries go, the data revealed that frozen blueberries had significantly greater levels than that of the fresh-stored blueberries (the content of fresh blueberries was in-between). There were no significant differences in vitamin C between the fresh, frozen and “fresh-stored” samples, while beta-carotene was significantly lower in the frozen berries (the same was found with the frozen strawberries—maybe it’s something to do with berry fruits in general?). Finally, the folate content of the frozen blueberries was significantly greater than that of the fresh-stored blueberries (the content of fresh blueberries was in-between). The researchers specifically gave frozen blueberries the win, concluding: “As with other produce types assessed, the results suggest a possible nutrient advantage for frozen when considering the losses of nutrients during refrigerated storage.”

This latest study should give consumers of frozen produce some confidence that in most cases, the nutrient content of frozen produce is as good as, if not better than, fresh produce—especially if that fresh produce has been sitting at the store a while, and then hanging out in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for days before you eat it.

Extended storage and the dehydration that accompanies it is never a good thing for fresh produce. If the fruits and veggies at your market are looking limp and sad, there’s a good chance that their nutrient content has been compromised. You won’t be doing yourself or your family any nutrition favors by purchasing aging “fresh” produce. At those times, choosing frozen over fresh just makes good sense.