Chilled foods: walking a tight rope

Chilled foods came to prominence in the 1970s-1980s and much of the research and development (R&D) requirements were conducted in the COST 91-bis sub-group 3 (chilled foods) programme (1985-1989).^1-3 Relatively little R&D on chilled foods had been conducted prior to the COST 91-bis concerted action and results from this programme remain the cornerstone of today’s chilled foods industry.

Quality, safety and nutritive value of chilled foods

Consumers perceive chilled foods as ‘nearer to fresh’ than other forms of processed foods and, hence, chilled foods possess a high quality image and, indeed, are generally of good quality, ie, consumer perception in most cases is justified.^3-5