Is frozen meat cheaper than fresh meat? (2023)

Is frozen meat cheaper than fresh meat?

On the consumer side, fresh meat is generally cheaper, can be bought sooner, and doesn't need to be defrosted before cooking.

As for the money-saving benefits, frozen foods can be 50% cheaper than their fresh counterparts, if not more. And since they can be stored for weeks or even months without spoiling, you cut down on waste and the cost of having to toss fresh items that have gone bad before you had the chance to consume them.

But in an unexpected turn of events, it's suddenly cheaper to buy fresh than frozen—at least when it comes to one item in particular. In a recent report from Numerator, frozen meat at the grocery store has gone up 28% in price since this time last year, while fresh meat like pork and beef only went up 5%.

One solution: buying frozen, which is just as healthy and much cheaper than fresh. In fact, studies have found that the nutritional value of many frozen foods (especially the amounts of vitamin A and C and folic acid) of some frozen fruits and vegetables is greater than fresh-stored options.

Frozen produce is typically cheaper than its fresh equivalent, especially out of season. There is minimal wastage and you can use the exact amount you need – all of which makes frozen produce more cost effective and accessible to more people.

Frozen Food: Disadvantages

One of the biggest and most known disadvantages of cooking frozen foods is that it has the potential to remove much of the flavor obtained when consuming the fresh version. In addition, many foods lose nutrients and vitamins once they have been frozen.

By freezing meat, you are slowing down the yeast and bacteria, but they're still present. Nutritional content doesn't really change when you freeze meat, however freezing forms sharp crystals of ice within the meat and cause fibers to break down and some of the meat's natural flavors to escape once thawed.

It is a well-known fact that freezing meat reduces its quality to a great extent. The meat is exposed to extreme temperatures for a long period and if not stored properly may be subjected to freezer burn. So when you thaw and cook it, your dish will be less tender, less juicy and drier as compared to fresh meat.

“The truth about fresh versus frozen is that both have the same nutrients, unless frozen produce has sauces or sugars added,” says Beal. If your favorite vegetable or fruit is out of season or is more affordable frozen, frozen is often the better choice.

Is it cheaper to buy frozen?

You can save money

Frozen produce is often cheaper than fresh and has a longer (freezer) shelf life to boot. This means you're doubly cutting down on costs since you're saving money you might have lost on spoiled fruits and vegetables.

Grocery stores often purchase bulk quantities of meat which have to be kept frozen. This frozen meat is defrosted and sold as fresh. The consumer then takes it home and unknowingly refreezes it.

Freezing foods not only saves families money, but also cuts down on food waste.

The yield on many fresh fruits and vegetables is less than 50% after trim and spoilage. That effectively doubles their market price. Add in the cost of labor to process and it's even more expensive.

Frozen chicken vs. fresh chicken is often cheaper and has the added benefit of having longer storage times than fresh chicken does. If you don't want to cook your fresh chicken right away, you can also freeze it.

Although anything that is fresh should have more nutrition, the older food gets, the more nutrition it loses. On the other hand, frozen food that frozen quickly and efficiently can have more nutrition because it decays more slowly. Fresh food that's been kept longer will have less nutrition than frozen.

Many frozen foods are frozen with minutes or hours of being harvested. On the other hand, fresh product can be in the supply chain for many days or weeks; this is especially true in the winter when many products are shipped from distant countries.

First, frozen food has a much longer shelf life than fresh food — so it can reduce food waste due to expiration significantly. Pop a fresh meal in your fridge, and there's a risk that you'll forget about it, then stumble on its moldy remains a month later.

Why should you never freeze thawed out meat?

As the meat thaws, the outside will reach room temperature and be in the bacteria Danger Zone while the inside is still frozen. This increases the chances of harmful bacteria growing.

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), meat is safe to cook without thawing, but it is not always safe to cook Frozen meat because it is prone to bacteria that can cause food-borne Illnesses.

Frozen meat should be tossed after a year at most

According to the handy cold storage chart located at FoodSafety.gov, ground meats have the shortest freezer shelf life, at three to four months. Fresh cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork — including steaks, chops, and roasts — will last for between four and 12 months.

Information. Ground beef is safe indefinitely if kept frozen, but it is best if used within 4 months. Refrigerate or freeze ground beef as soon as possible after purchase. This preserves freshness and slows the growth of bacteria.

We don't have to freeze the beef for our hamburgers because we work with suppliers located so close to our restaurants that it never has to be frozen. Instead, we transport fresh beef deliveries in refrigerated trucks to Wendy's restaurants between 12,000 and 14,000 times every week.

Does Freezing Steak Affect Taste? Nope! If you properly wrap your steak and don't leave it for ages, steaks will taste delicious even after freezing. You can use a defrosted steak in any steak recipe.

If you handle it right, frozen meat should be just as good as fresh. A steak should be cut, vacuum sealed and then frozen at a very low temperature very fast. But the key for "Frozen is the new fresh" is for steaks to actually be fresh when they are put in a freezer.

(b) The terms “fresh frozen” and “frozen fresh,” when used on the label or in labeling of a food, mean that the food was quickly frozen while still fresh (i.e., the food had been recently harvested when frozen).

Because frozen foods fit the way people live and eat today, they offer incomparable value in a number of ways: dollar savings, nutrition and quality, time savings and energy saving.

Is it better to freeze food in bags or containers?

Zip-top bags are especially good for freezing food because you can more easily get all the air out of them than out of rigid containers.

Cook from scratch

Almost anything you cook from scratch will cost less and be healthier than processed, canned, or frozen versions of the same food. In fact, it will be better than most restaurant food. Homemade meals are cheaper, healthier, tastier, and better for the planet.

“Freezing meat and poultry does not affect the nutritional value,” says CiCi Williamson, a food safety expert with the USDA meat and poultry hotline. “It should be fine for a month or longer,” she says.

Freeze and defrost your food correctly

If you freeze food correctly, it won't deteriorate or spoil as bacteria cannot grow on frozen food. However, the longer the food is frozen, the more likely that the texture will be affected. This will not affect safety. However, once defrosted, the pause button is off.

The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only—frozen foods stored continuously at 0 °F or below can be kept indefinitely.

Butcher shops and meat departments can sell (for a very low price) their bones, fat, and other inedible meat scraps to rendering companies that will turn the unwanted waste into proteins for pet food and other industrial uses. This is circle-of-life stuff; the kind that maybe you don't want to know about.

So, many meat manufacturers treat beef and pork with carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide binds with a pigment in the meat and keeps the colors vibrant and red.

Yes, you can freeze eggs. Eggs can be frozen for up to a year, although it is recommended to use them within 4 months for freshness. Many people find themselves being left with spare egg whites or yolks after a recipe requiring just one or the other, or even throwing out unused eggs when the box hits its expiry date.

Most breads freeze very well with little to no loss in quality or texture. The enemy is freezer air, which can cause freezer burn and impart freezer-aroma flavors. To prevent this, wrap each loaf tightly in two layers of plastic wrap before placing it in a large resealable freezer bag.

Why are frozen meals not healthy?

Frozen meals can be notoriously high in sodium and saturated fat. “The worst frozen meals have more than 700 grams of sodium and more than 4 to 5 grams of saturated fat,” says Taylor. It's best to limit the sodium in your frozen meals to 600 milligrams or less, and the saturated fat to 3 grams or less.

Ready-chopped fresh fruits and vegetables are much more expensive because not only are you paying for the item, you are also paying for someone to prepare them. If you need to buy pre-prepared, aim for frozen; these prices tend to be more competitive and the product itself will last longer.

The time between harvest to transport to canning, tomatoes can sit for several days, losing nutrients, prior to canning. All tomatoes are peeled using a chemical process. Canned tomatoes lack the amount of nutrients found in fresh tomatoes and contain added preservatives.

One solution: buying frozen, which is just as healthy and much cheaper than fresh. In fact, studies have found that the nutritional value of many frozen foods (especially the amounts of vitamin A and C and folic acid) of some frozen fruits and vegetables is greater than fresh-stored options.

There is more cost in transporting fresh birds to the grocery store since they have to be moved quickly near the holidays. These costs are passed on to the shopper, which means fresh birds can be more expensive. Frozen turkeys are often less expensive and can be purchased throughout the year.

The texture of most proteins will only change noticeably if the product isn't frozen properly. If you handle it right, frozen meat should be just as good as fresh.

But we're here to finally put the question to rest, as the USDA states that as long as all foods are stored at 0 °F or lower in your freezer, they are safe to eat indefinitely.

Because they're high in sodium, you should eat frozen chicken in moderation. Too much sodium might contribute to osteoporosis, increase your risk of some types of cancer and also boost your heart disease risk.