Organic frozen food producer, PACK’D, has announced the launch of a new campaign initiative, Frozen February – aiming to champion frozen produce during the months of the year when ‘fresh’ is anything but.
In the UK, February to April is the worst time to buy fresh fruit. UK-grown fruit is at its lowest point – meaning supermarkets instead pivot towards Southern Hemisphere suppliers. As a result, these ‘fresh’ fruits have to be picked when they are under-ripe, to allow them to be shipped thousands of miles and reach supermarket shelves before they spoil.
However, being picked when under-ripe means the fruits not only lose sweetness, aroma and flavour, but also nutrients. In fact, research shows that fresh produce can lose around half of their Vitamin C within the first two days after harvest[1].
As a result, PACK’D has launched its “Frozen February” campaign – an initiative that seeks to drive awareness of this very topic, and encourage shoppers to make the switch from fresh to frozen, for sweeter, tastier, and more nutritious fruit.
The campaign will be backed by a paid media campaign, targeting Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in particular, where PACK’D products are available to shoppers, as well as in consumer magazines such as BBC Good Food.
Katy Hamblin, Director of Marketing at PACK’D, explained: “The UK climate at this time of year means that, confusingly, the freshest fruit is actually found in the freezer aisle and it is our job to help inform the consumer.
“British-grown fruit is hard to come by, instead it is replaced by fruit from warmer and sunnier climates that has been harvested far too early to ensure it can travel thousands of miles to reach our supermarket shelves before it goes bad. This in turn means the fruit just doesn’t taste as nice.
“On the other hand, the fruits and vegetables in the freezer aisle have been harvested at their peak time for flavour and nutrients, before being frozen on the very same day – locking in all the goodness. Not only this, but frozen produce also has a lower carbon footprint, as it’s able to be transported via sea rather than air.
“These are all messages we feel passionately about at PACK’D, and this new campaign is our commitment to educating consumers that you can still enjoy the freshest, sweetest, nutritious fruit during these months – you just need to look in the freezer aisle for them!”
More information on PACK’D can be found at www.packd.co.uk
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