Healthy goodness

The ever-popular McCain Food brand has been a much-loved staple in many a Kiwi’s kitchen.

It has been the simple solution to many a harried Kiwi’s cooking dilemma. Simply rip open the bag, tip it into the frying pan, with a dashing of oil, a sprinkling of pepper and salt –viola – it’s the perfect side dish.

Ever wondered where exactly that prepackaged plastic bag full of frozen peas, carrots, corn, broccoli, freshly snapped peas and the other healthy delicious range of vegetables, that makes life so much easier, came from? Well wonder no more.

Making it tasty

Local growers grow McCain’s produce, which is then harvested and washed, the vegetables are blanched, snap-frozen, bulk-packed, stored and packaged into the beautifully presented retail pack that can be found in the frozen veggie aisle at the local supermarket or grocery store.

Each bag is filled with the one hundred percent pure and natural McCain frozen vegetables that have been snap-frozen by the experts at the plant to preserve all the nutrients, freshness and flavour that makes vegetables so great.

With their convenient frozen shelf life, excellent presentation and delicious taste it is no wonder that McCain Foods has become a mainstay in many a New Zealander’s freezer.

The benefits of frozen food

Frozen food can be nutritious

One of the most important facts about frozen foods is that commercial freezing effectively locks in nutritional value. In 1998 the U.S. Federal Department of Agriculture wrote in the Federal Register: “The nutrient profiles of selected raw fruits and vegetables and frozen, single ingredient versions of the same fruits and vegetables revealed relatively equivalent nutrient profiles … In fact, some data showed that the nutrient content level for certain nutrients was higher in the frozen version of the food than in the raw version of the food.”

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Frozen food is often more affordable

Frozen products are often lower in cost per serving and have a much greater shelf life than refrigerated foods. They can also be more easily portioned and stored for use at a later time, which reduces spoilage and food waste.

Frozen food is generally safer

Frozen has the least number of food safety incidents, behind chilled, fresh and organic foods. The freezing and canning processes inhibit the growth of some pathogens and therefore reduce the likelihood of serving contaminated products.

Frozen food can reduce waste

The global food crisis isn’t just about skyrocketing prices. While Americans waste 27 per cent of the food available for consumption, with two-thirds of this waste deriving from fresh produce (milk, grain products and sweeteners), the British toss away a third of the food they purchase. In addition to the food waste, rotting food that ends up in landfills produces methane – a major source of greenhouse gas. It is estimated that recovering just five per cent of the food that is wasted would feed four million people a day.

Some helpful tips from the team at McCain

Best frying practice

To ensure your McCain fries always present and taste as appealing as possible, it’s important to follow ‘best practice’ cooking procedures. Here are some handy hints to pass on to your staff:

• Cook from frozen where possiblefrozen fries will absorb less oil during cooking

• Avoid “Double Dipping”, reheating fries in oil - this leads to greater oil absorption and adversely affects flavour and texture

• Cook to manufacturer’s recommended cooking time

• Shake cooked fries over the fryer and where possible, place on absorbent paper to remove any excess oil and grease

• Don’t sprinkle salt on fries before serving - many customers prefer unsalted fries

• Cook to order and avoid holding for more than five minutes - this allows fries to stack better, so you’ll use less fries per portion.

Storing and preparing frozen vegetables and fruits

• Do not thaw or rinse frozen food before cooking

• Never thaw and then refreeze frozen foods

• Check the temperature of your refrigerator, freezer and cool room regularly. Freezer temperature should be no warmer than -18°C

• Frozen foods keep at -18°C, but for peak quality should be used within the recommended use-by date

• Cook frozen vegetables in as little water as possible, to keep maximum vitamin and nutritional value. Or cook in the microwave - there’s no need to add water unless the quantity of vegetables being cooked is very large

• Steaming and stir-frying are also excellent cooking methods for frozen vegetables and like microwaving, these help retain maximum nutrient values.

Environmental initiatives

McCain Foods vegetable processing factory in Timaru is now producing French fries using a boiler system powered by woodchips instead of coal, seeking to minimise waste by 20 percent and position itself as an industry leader.

The NZ Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund (GIDI) contributed NZD 2.876 million (USD 1.8 million) towards McCain’s 5.6 million dollar conversion project.

Energy and Resources Minister, Megan Woods, says “By converting their coal boiler to burn domestically sourced woodchips, made possible by government co-funding, McCain will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 30,000 tonnes per year, the equivalent of taking 11,000 cars off the road.

“This kind of project – converting largescale industrial processes to clean energy alternatives – is a great example of what can be done when the government partners with industry to make big things happen quicker.”

In addition to the conversion, McCain Timaru has also put in place a heat recovery system that uses mechanical vapour recompression to lower the need for steam.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw says initiatives like this one are essential to the nation’s Emissions Reduction Plan and a significant step towards reaching net-zero.

The technology recovers waste heat from the fryer for use elsewhere in the facility, reducing total energy consumption and fuel use by more than 37,000 GJ/year, nearly equivalent to the electricity consumed by 1,400 families. CT

McCain Foods Timaru

63 Meadows Road Washdyke www.mccain.co.nz