Multiple factors impact the popularity of dishes and what goes into them. Supply chain issues, pricing, sustainability concerns and culinary developments all play roles in whether caterers favour fresh or frozen produce.
“With the recent trend towards sustainable regional food, dnata has pivoted to fresh rather than frozen food. This is in keeping with our ‘serve the best of fresh seasonal food’ approach and strategy to cooking,” says Stephen Templeton, Global Head of Culinary at dnata.
He acknowledges that is not the case across the industry: “Due to supply chain challenges in the marketplace, many hospitality and catering companies are moving to frozen food, which helps with the sourcing of forecasted quantities and negotiating the best price.”
Cost factors
Nicolas Rondeau, Executive Vice President – Sales and Marketing at Flying Food Group, concurs that using frozen food offers supply chain advantages, allowing caterers to stock more products while reducing delivery frequencies. There’s also a cost factor to consider, as many frozen ingredients are less expensive than their fresh equivalent, which can make a difference when designing Economy class products.
“We need to get away from the idea of frozen equals low quality. This is not true. We are working with very good frozen ingredients nowadays and when incorporated in high-end recipes designed by our chefs, you cannot tell the difference,” he argues while pointing out that the supply chain of frozen products is more robust than its fresh counterpart in some locations.
Chef Rodrigo Saravia, Senior Culinary Excellence Manager – Latin America at LSG Group, believes that the choice of whether to use fresh or frozen produce comes down to each specific ingredient: “Fruits, vegetables, dairy products and much more, we prefer fresh – using seasonal and local items whenever possible. Also, in Latin America, all meals are sent to our customers fresh.”
Supply chain
“In order to guarantee the supply chain of seasonal materials such as animal proteins, the kitchens will use frozen products to ensure the menus and volumes will be delivered within specifications and quality desired by our customers,” he adds, conscious that safeguards are needed so proteins do not carry too much water.
Ultimately, the quality of frozen products depends on the freezing process. Rapid freezing prevents the formation of ice crystals and effectively ‘seals in’ freshness. Correctly defrosting ingredients ensures that they have the desired taste and texture.
Of course, freezing is not the only food conservation method but it is one of the most efficient in maintaining taste, aroma, texture and appearance. And having a stockpile of ingredients means there is no need to find substitutes for agreed services in the case of a shortage.
Reassessing strategies
Nonetheless, Audrey Hart, Senior Manager – Inflight Services Food, Beverage and Ancillaries at Virgin Atlantic, has noted an increase in the use of fresh produce: “Today we procure more fresh food from our global caterers than we did pre-pandemic. External factors have shaped the markets we operate in, such as changes in supply chains during and post-Covid. We use local suppliers in the UK to minimise disruption and the complexities that come with importing European supplies and keep sustainability at the forefront in our catering decisions.”
After donating its stock of frozen main meals during the pandemic, Virgin Atlantic re-evaluated its sourcing strategy and moved towards working collaboratively with its US caterer to develop a freshly produced range of entrees. That model is still in place.
Nevertheless, Hart acknowledges that “centralised development and production of frozen food allows for greater consistency of the final product presentation and feel. This is through finely tuned technology, traceability, resilience and financial efficiencies through centralised sourcing.”
Yet fresh production has several notable advantages: “including reduced transport requirements with the upside of lower carbon emissions, agility and speed of change (as fewer restrictions than already produced stock requiring depletion). Fresh produce also has a much more locally authentic human touch.”
Stephen Templeton believes that using fresh ingredients means that dnata’s chefs use the best of what is available from suppliers and markets. “This really helps the chefs keep on top of the latest ingredients and food trends. There are, of course, instances whereby due to volume we use frozen ingredients in some parts of the world where fresh is not always available. This gives us some freedom to give our customers choice,” he explains.
Ultimately, each catering company needs to balance the pros and cons of using fresh or frozen ingredients against its operating circumstances and business model to create dishes that meet or even surpass customer expectations.
