A pilot study conducted by Nomad Foods, in partnership with leading food science and technology organization Campden BRI, has shown that storing frozen food at -15°C instead of the industry standard -18°C could reduce freezer energy consumption by over 10% without compromising product safety, texture, taste, or nutrition.
The study, which spanned six months and tested nine different frozen food products including poultry, coated fish, natural fish, vegetables, plant-based options, and pizza, evaluated four different temperatures ranging from -18°C to -9°C. It assessed key areas such as food safety, texture, nutrition, energy use, and packaging impact.
The results revealed no significant changes to any of the products across the tested areas when stored at the higher temperatures, with a small exception for Mixed Veg at -9°C and Salmon Fillets at -12°C, which experienced some sensory changes. Additionally, vegetable products stored at the highest temperature of -9°C showed a slight impact on Vitamin C content. Campden BRI also estimates a 10% to 11% reduction in freezer energy consumption for every 3°C increase in temperature.
This pioneering study from Nomad Foods follows its industry-leading research on the life cycle analysis of frozen food, published last year. The previous study showed that frozen food performs exceptionally well compared to alternatives in terms of carbon footprint, primarily due to significantly lower levels of food waste.
Nomad Foods’ Chief Executive Officer, Stéfan Descheemaeker, emphasized the importance of frozen food as both a consumer and environmentally friendly choice. Descheemaeker stated, “This new pilot study with Campden BRI demonstrates the potential to significantly reduce energy use in storing frozen products, without the need for reformulation. If implemented on a larger scale, this could revolutionize our industry and result in substantial energy and cost reductions for manufacturers, food retailers, and consumers. Moreover, it would further contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of frozen food products. However, we acknowledge that this is not a task we can accomplish alone, and we eagerly anticipate sharing our findings with trade bodies, retail partners, and other key stakeholders to explore opportunities for broader collaboration.”
Emma Hanby, Associate Director at Campden BRI, highlighted the organization’s unique capabilities, allowing them to conduct a large-scale pilot study in collaboration with Nomad Foods. Hanby explained, “We examined a wide range of parameters that affect the safety and quality of frozen food. Once we confirmed that freezing at higher temperatures presented no regulatory or legal barriers in Europe, our scientists utilized various analytical, instrumental, and sensory panel techniques to generate a robust dataset across Nomad’s product range. We have conclusively shown that increasing freezer temperatures to -15°C (in contrast to the industry standard of -18°C) reduces energy consumption without compromising product safety or quality.”
