Frozen Food in America

The idea of eating frozen food has been around for millions of years. However, it was not accepted in society at the time. People often related frozen foods to the Eskimos, who had no choice but to eat frozen food. It was also considered to contain less nutrients than fresh produce. It wasn't until Clarence Birdseye, a fur trader and trained in biology, who introduced frozen foods as a way of preserving fresh produce in 1930. While he was working as a fur trader in Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada, he found that the fishes that he and the local Inuits caught froze immediately after being pulled out of the water. After a few month, the fish was thawed and it still tasted fresh. He was shocked by the outcome and theorized that fresh produce that are immediately frozen can retain its taste and texture. In 1925, several months after his extraordinary discovery, Birdseye concluded his research and refined the quick freeze process. A process in which a packaged food is held under pressure by two metal plates and chilled in -25 degrees celsius. This process allows meat to be frozen in as little as 90 minutes, while fruits and vegetables only took 30 minutes. In 1929 however, he sold his patents on frozen foods to Goldman Sachs and Postum Company, which would become General Foods. Frozen foods started to slowly rise after its debut in 1930. However, it experienced its greatest growth during and after World War II. As supplies such as canned foods during the war were tight, more and more people bought frozen foods in replace of canned food. Troops were also sent freeze dried coffee, orange juice, and even blood plasma which made their lives a lot easier and more enjoyable. 

Sources: 

https://www.healthcentral.com/article/first_frozen_food_sold_march_6_1930

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/frozenfoods.html

https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/frozenfood.html