Hunt, Fern E.

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RESEARCH CIRCULAR 126 NOVEMBER 1963 Problems Associated with Purchase and Use of Frozen Foods FERN E. HUNT 0 OHIO AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Wooster, Ohio This study was financed in part by a grant from the National Association of Frozen Food Packers, Washington, D. C. 11-63-2.SM PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PURCHASE AND USE OF FROZEN FOODS FERN E. HUNT A survey of.the practices of a randomly selected group of homemakers in Ohio in buying, caring for, and using frozen foods was conducted by mail and by personal interview in the autumn of 19621 • Among the questions on the questionnai·e used in the survey, an opportunity was provided for respondents to comment on their problems with frozen foods. Answers were expected to be useful to members of the industry as indica-tors of need for or means of improving some aspect of service or product and to reveal areas in which additional emphasis is needed in consumer information programs, Usable returns were received from 2,670 households in the mail sample and from 335 in the interview sample, For the purpose of this prelimi-nary report on problems, all of the responses, a total of 3,005, were grouped together as one sample, Among these participants, 2,856 stated that they used at least some frozen foods. Of these 2,856 women, 2,035 of them (71 percent) either left blank the space provided for listing problems or indicated satisfaction with frozen foods, and 821 women (29 percent) listed one or more problems. A total of 935 comments were received from the 821 women listing problems. A summarization of these is pr6sen ted on the following pages, No attempt is made here to evaluate the reasonableness of criticisms or merit of suggestions. Most of the statements refer to commercial frozen food items 2• lDetail s of sampling will be represen!ed in o later report. 2Jn a few instances on item may hove been purchased in an unfro%en state ond frozen by the homemaker or by a locker plant (for example, bacon or a large cut cf meat), 3 HOMEMAKERS' PROBLEMS WITH FROZEN FOODS Number of Buying Comments Premature thawing: Partial thawing of frozen foods before reaching home 56 Partial thawing of frozen foods in grocer's case SO Suspicion that "sole items" ore 1hose that hove thawed and been refrozen 2 Cost: Frozen foods are too expensive Heavily breaded items are misleading in quantity Avoi labi I ity: Items sought are not ovai I able Store practices: 48 l 36 Want grocer to use insulated bags 21 Want more carefu I hand Ii ng at check-out counter 15 (less roughness, standing pies on edge, etc.) Want frozen food di splay cases nearer exit 9 Want thermometer in display case 2 Want packages individually priced (e.g., not 5/x¢) ') Wont unrestricted number of packages per customer on sale items l Suspect grocer is careless about rotating stock 1 Dislike rusty fruit cons 1 Dislike soiled display case l Want step stool in order to reach into case (es1;>eciolly when stock is low) Items wonted: More items in "pour and store" packages Special diet foods Unsweetened fruit Half turkey Stuffed turkey Wax beans in "pour and store" packages More variety in vegetables with prepared dinners More frozen desserts Fresh cranberry relish White com Beets Black raspberries Total 4 17 4 3 2 l 1 l l 1 1 1 l 281 Packages Size: Packages too small for family 43 Packages too large for family; difficult to thaw partial package 22 Need in-between size packages-small too small, large too large 16 Package size deceptive-package large, contents small 1 0 . l pening: Packages too difficult to open ?1 Difficult to remove food from some packages 15 Can't open package of fruit with metal ends without spills 13 Wrapper sticks to product 3 Can't open small orange juice cans with automatic opener 3 Difficult to remove frozen soup from can 1 Labels: Want directions on front of label Want package dated {how long to keep) Want date of processing on label Want weight on front of label Wont vitamin, mineral content on label Use of partial package: 7 5 4 1 1 Closing of partial package for continued storage is difficult 5 Frozen packages too hard to cut in half 4 Suggestions for improvements: Com'partmental i zed or portioned packs for easier separation 5 Portioned packs for fish and poultry 3 "Variety packs" of fruits and vegetables-two kinds of fruit or vegetable in regular-size package 3 General: Wrappers tear too easily Want "see through" packages, plastic boxes Total 7 2 185 115dome_,_womenk suggest~d that ~n opening tape such as is used in chewing gum wrappers wou mQ'Oe pac age opening easier. 5 Thawing Remembering to thowj 2 thawing for emergency meal Si thawing takes too long Thawing fruits to suit fomily 3 Concern about quality and safety of meat during and after thawing Knowing what to do when food accidentally thaws (partially or completely) Estimating thawing time (wont it stated on label) Relying on defrost time on label (incorrect) Total Quality Specific items objected to and reasons (if offered): Vegetables-Green beans (flavor) Corn Fruit-Fish-Poultry-French fried potatoes Peas (flavor) Corn-on-the-cob Broccoli (stalks too tough) Cauliflower (flavor) Lima beans in plastic bags Potato patties Squash Peaches (turn dark) Strawberries (dislike mushiness) Orange juice (flavor) Peaches, cherries (decoyed material found) Other fruits (general) Below standard or unsatisfactory Too sweet Soiled pieces found Doesn't store well Falls apart Wont head and tail removed (trout) Tasteless Bones blackened Needs singeing 135 8 6 4 3. 3 159 25 8 3 2 l 1 l 1 1 1 8 7 1 l 6 1 l 18 3 l 11 3 1 2fifty-two percent of these comments referred specifically to meat, fish and/or poultry; 6 percent, to fruit; 5 percent, to meat ond fruit; and 37 percent were not specific:. 3Partial thawing of frozen fruit for table use has been generally suggested in order to lend firmness to the fruit, Some women in this survey commented that fruit containing ice crystals is too cold to eat, but that they disliked the softness of completely thawed fruit, 6 Dinners-Meat-In general: Whole dinners (taste) Meat loaf Potatoes Beef (I oses flavor if kept I ong) Hamburger patties Bacon (becomes rancid) 3 1 1 2 1 1 Poor flavor in al I frozen foods 22 Variation in quality among brands 14 Artificial appearance of som.e frozen foods 1 "Unnatural" taste of seasoned vegetables 1 Objectionable odor of frozen whipped cream 1 Too little rising of frozen rolls Poor quality in waffles Poor quality in prepared casseroles Total 157 Cooking Suggested cooking time for vegetables too short 13 Directions for cooking not clear 4 Frozen block of vegetables does not fit saucepan 3 Frozen vegetables in clumps difficult to cook evenly 3 Need more waterthan directions state 3 In.mixed vegetables, other vegetables are mushy before Lima beans are cooked tender 2 Time needed for doneness varies among items on dinners 2 Can't make French fries crisp 2 Brussels sprouts difficult 1o cook properly 1 Frozen pies take too long to bake 1 Giblets difficult to remove from frozen turkey 1 Total 35 Using Frozen dinners too small 5 Need to learn how to sort and store fO use oldest items first 3 Want recipes and serving suggestions on label (e.g., frozen juice recipes, what to serve with specialty items such as foreign foods) 3 7 Package directions on outer wrap are usually discarded when first opened; 4 may need to refer to them later if only partial package is used 2 Forni ly prefers other pieces of chicken than 1hose offered in frozen dinner Total 14 Miscellaneous questions and comments Lock appropriate (or adequate) storage space at home 89 What should be done with frozen foods when clecaning freezer? 5 Not enough seasoning in frozen vegetables 3 How should one refreeze thawed foods? 2 Weight o·f frozen fruits is short l What type of freezer should I buy? l Dislike disposal of messy paper from thawed' meats l Frozen onions and green pepper mixed with meat make it watery l On freezer food plans, "quality decreases with time" l ---Total 104 Grand Total 935 4Some women suggested that contents and cooking directions be printed directly on box as well as on outer wrapper. 8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Awong the 2,856 homemakers in Ohio participating in this study and using at least some frozen foods, only 29 percent indicated any problems. The most frequently mentioned of these were problems with (a) purchasing-partial thawing on the way home from the store and in the grocer's dis-play case, cost of frozen items, availability of wanted items, and the grocer's handling at the check-out counter; (b) package sizes and opening of packages; (c) getting foods requiring prethawing ready by mealtime; (d) inadequate home storage facilities; and (e) adjustment to flavor of frozen foods. The two most common problems had nothing to do with specific frozen food items but rather with the homemaker's remembering before mealtime to start the thawing of items needing prethawing and with inadequacy of storage space at home for frozen foods. Some comments which may seem paradoxical may actually indicate a need for reworded directions on a package or renewed promotional efforts. For example, some women wanted thawirrg times stated on labels but other women said that the defrost times stated on labels were incorrect. Perhaps further clarification of thawing conditions is needed when thawing times are stated. A second example of conflicting needs which could possibly be re-solved by promotional materials involves package size. Some families thought packages were too large; others thought them too small. On the other hand, many women said that they had adopted and liked the "pour and store" packages because of the ease of removing just the amount needed at a time and the flexibility in numbers of servings readily availa-ble when guests were to be fed. There were, in fact, several requests for a greater variety of frozen items in "pour and store" packages than is now available. A need for more emphasis on the utility of this package type for families of all sizes seems indicated. 9 

Problems associated with purchase and use of frozen foods

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Problems associated with purchase and use of frozen foods

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