The seasonal vegetables on our tables are no longer bound by seasons or geography, a feat made possible by over a century of frozen food technology.
At -18°C, each vibrant green pea seems frozen in time. When thawed and stir-fried, their color and texture remain virtually indistinguishable from freshly harvested peas. This is the everyday miracle created by modern freezing technology.
Today, we can enjoy a variety of vegetables in any season, thanks to a century-long evolution of freezing technology—from aristocratic ice cellars to the establishment of global cold chain systems. Frozen vegetables have gradually transformed from luxury items to everyday staples, profoundly altering people’s dietary habits and lifestyles.
1.An Introduction to Freezing
The history of food freezing dates back to the early 19th century. In 1834, British inventor Jacob Perking developed a compression-type refrigeration machine using ether as a refrigerant, marking the industrialization of freezing technology. Within a few decades, engineers in France and the United States successively improved refrigeration techniques, making food freezing feasible.
As early as the 17th century, English writer Francis Bacon attempted to freeze chicken by stuffing it with snow, only to fall ill from the cold. Though unsuccessful, such early experiments reflected humanity’s relentless pursuit of food preservation.
By the late 19th century, wealthy landowners in Europe and America began installing ice cellars on their estates to store food. These ice cellars can be considered the precursors to modern refrigerators.
2.Key Breakthrough
The true breakthrough in frozen vegetables came from American inventor Clarence Borzage. During his travels in Labrador, Canada, in the 1920s, he observed that locals could preserve the flavor of food by rapidly freezing it in extreme cold conditions.
Borzage realized that freezing speed, not freezing depth, was the key to maintaining food quality. Upon returning to the United States, he invented the clamp-freezing method, which rapidly froze food by pressing it tightly between two frozen metal plates.
This technological innovation made the commercialization of frozen foods possible. By 1928, Borzage’s company was producing 500 tons of frozen goods. In 1930, General Foods Corporation, under the “Bird’s Eye” brand, became the world’s first manufacturer to sell “frozen foods in paper boxes.”
3.Technological Evolution
Following World War II, frozen foods entered a period of rapid development. Between 1948 and 1958, research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in collaboration with scientists revealed that nearly all foods could retain their original quality for up to a year when stored below -18°C.
This discovery made the large-scale, long-term preservation of fruits and vegetables possible. According to recorded data, U.S. frozen fruit production surged from 125,000 metric tons in 1942 to 450,000 metric tons in 1991—a 3.6-fold increase.
Advancements in freezing technology not only extended shelf life but also enhanced food quality. Studies indicate that flash-frozen vegetables and fruits form smaller ice crystals, causing less cellular damage. This results in better preservation of original texture and flavor after thawing.
4.The Path of Globalization
The widespread adoption of freezing technology is closely tied to the development of household refrigerators. During the 1950s and 1960s, household refrigerators became increasingly common in developed countries, paving the way for frozen foods to enter family kitchens.
Following the widespread adoption of household refrigerators in Japan during the 1970s, the country rapidly developed its low-temperature logistics system. Concurrently, the low-temperature logistics system expanded rapidly, forming a global “frozen highway.”
Today, cold chain logistics systems in Europe and the United States are highly developed. The United States boasts a cold storage capacity of 103 million cubic meters, ranking among the world’s highest per capita, with over 250,000 refrigerated trucks in operation.
Leveraging its strategic geographical position, the Netherlands has become Europe’s agricultural product distribution hub, establishing a comprehensive product traceability system.
5.China’s Development
China’s frozen vegetable processing began in the early 1970s, initially focused primarily on exports. By the early 1980s, frozen vegetables started appearing in the domestic market, gaining particular popularity in the Northeast region.
Entering the 21st century, with the rise of new economic models like fresh food e-commerce and home delivery of fruits and vegetables, China’s cold chain logistics industry experienced rapid growth at an average annual rate of 10%. Data shows that as of December 2021, China had 19,000 cold chain logistics-related enterprises in operation.
From a technological R&D perspective, China has taken a commanding lead in cold chain logistics patent applications. In 2020, China filed 11,170 patents for agricultural product cold chain logistics—far surpassing Japan’s 286 and the United States’ 838.
6.Future Outlooks
Freezing technology continues to advance. Film-wrapped freezing suppresses food expansion and deformation while forming fine ice crystals; ultrasonic freezing enhances heat transfer during the freezing process; and high-pressure freezing creates uniformly small ice crystals within food products.
These innovations further reduce tissue damage and elevate the quality of frozen products. With the implementation of the “New Infrastructure” policy, technologies like the internet, big data, and blockchain are gradually integrating into cold chain logistics, paving the way for a more intelligent cold chain system.
Rising consumer expectations for food safety and quality are also driving the frozen vegetable industry toward higher standards.