Frozen food a cool invention according to grocery poll

FROZEN food has been voted the most important grocery invention of the past century, according to a survey published yesterday.

The ability to store food for longer through freezing came at the top of a list of 20 innovations which were revealed by trade magazine The Grocer.

Runner-up in the poll of 2,276 people was the pasteurisation of milk to kill off bacteria.

Others in the list include microwaveable food, tea bags, instant coffee, sliced bread, ready meals, disposable razors, gravy granules and screw-top wine bottles.

The research by HI Europe, and published in The Grocer, asked participants to choose their top innovations of the past 100 years from a pre-selected list.

The findings reveal how older people still appreciate inventions those much younger take for granted.

Some 43% in the over 55-year-old bracket said instant coffee had been a big leap forward in home shopping, yet 28% of 16 to 24-year-olds thought the same.

However, 15% of younger people gave bagged salad - which fell just outside the top 20 - the thumbs-up but just 5% of over 55-year-old ranked the relatively recent arrival as important.

Caroline North, from HI Europe, said: “Older shoppers appear to appreciate innovation more than younger people who don’t appreciate that 10, 20 or 30 years ago the grocery landscape wasn’t like that.”

Alf Carr, director general of trade body the British Frozen Food Federation, said: “I’m delighted and a little surprised.

“The survey indicates that shoppers see the freezing process as very innovative and that the industry should spend some money to strengthen that view,” he added.