Why Fresh Is Best

Genuine fresh food is always the most tasty and nutritious option. However, there are times when frozen and tinned foods can be a good, healthy choice if you know what to look for.

- Lisa Holmen

Nothing beats the taste of truly fresh produce, especially when it comes straight from your own garden or local farmer’s market, but there are times when “fresh” produce isn’t always best, especially when it isn’t really fresh, is out of season, has been stored, or has high food miles. Are you guilty of buying loads of fruit and vegetables from the shop only to find them growing moss in the back of the fridge a week later? Do frozen and tinned foods really deserve their bad reputations? If you consider your produce on a case-by-case basis, you may eat more healthily, save more money and be more sustainable while you’re at it. We take a look at the differences between fresh, tinned and frozen food and which produce is best in which situation.

Timing matters

Let’s be clear right at the beginning: produce eaten soon after picking and not transported long distances is clearly the best. The question really becomes whether your “fresh” produce is really fresh and how many food miles it has taken to get to you. The claimed “fresh” produce at your local supermarket may not be as fresh as you think, since it can take days, weeks or months to reach the supermarket shelves during handling and transport. Most “fresh” fruits and vegetables are picked before they are ripe to allow them time to ripen and develop their nutrients during transportation. However, during transportation, produce is usually stored in a controlled atmosphere, speed-ripened artificially and treated with chemicals to prevent the food spoiling. As a result of this process, produce is usually less nutritious than naturally ripened fruit and vegetables.