A new survey from Young’s Foodservice has revealed that school caterers are overwhelmingly in favour of buying frozen seafood because they believe it’s the best way to ensure they are serving the freshest fish to schoolchildren.
Some 82% of those questioned said that they believed seafood is fresher if bought frozen and 76% believing that fresh and frozen fish are equally as healthy.
“We are delighted that school caterers have such confidence in frozen seafood and recognise that with modern rapid deep freeze technologies, frozen fish is captured at pristine quality,” said Adrian Greaves, Foodservice Director at Young’s Foodservice.
“It is really reassuring to see that caterers are recognising just how fresh and healthy frozen seafood is. From the results of the survey we can see that there is a clear preference for buying frozen seafood because of the nutritional benefits it provides to children.”
The research also demonstrated the convenience of frozen seafood, with more caterers buying frozen because it is affordable and easy to prepare. Variety was important too, and 95% of caterers said that buying frozen expands the number of species available all year round.
With environmental and food waste issues becoming increasingly important across the catering industry, sustainability was flagged up as one of the great benefits of buying frozen. Frozen seafood takes advantage of seasonal bounty and increases availability throughout the year, ensuring that high quality seafood is available no matter the season.
Over 90% of caterers said that frozen fish is the most sustainable and appreciated that there is very little waste with frozen products.
As Adrian Greaves, Foodservice Director at Young’s Foodservice explains:
“We will continue to communicate our message that frozen delivers the freshest fish, from the results of the survey, we can see that there is a clear preference for buying frozen seafood because of the positive benefits it provides to education caterers. We’re delighted that our products tick all the right boxes and not only help with menu planning but also provide children with the best quality too.”