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American Frozen Foods company history timeline

1928

His interest in this process finally produced the double belt freezer in 1928 and soon after the brand launched a line of frozen foods to consumers.

1929

In 1929, his business was sold and became General Foods.

1933

By 1933, 516 stores were selling the frozen food with better equipment to store the product.

1939

Birds Eye started a version of the tv dinner in 1939 however it was a single dish, not a complete meal.

1944

In 1944, he leased the first insulated railroad cars so that he could ship his products nationwide.

1946

1946, 104–9, 178–82; “Frozen Food Enters Selling Era,” Business Week, 4 Jan.

1949

1949): 195, 219; J. L. Heid, “Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice,” Fruit Products Journal and American Food Manufacturer (Apr.

1949): 39; “Home Freezer Sales Are Setting New Records,” QFF (Aug.

1949): 93; “The Fabulous Market for Food,” Fortune, Oct.

1950

1950): 35; “Retail Frozen Food Prices Declined 3.9% in Past Year,” QFF (Dec.

1951

1951): 37; “It Isn't Quite Fair, Is It?” QFF (Jun.

1952

62 Carl Dipman, “Better Take a Good Look at the Freezer-Food Business,” Progressive Grocer (July 1952): 88; “‘Stock Your Freezer’ Month Launches Oct.

69 “Who Uses Frozen Foods?” FFF (1952): 51.

1953

Earley-Freezer-image History of Frozen FoodFirst Ready Meal The volume of frozen food products on the market took off rapidly and the first frozen ready meal hit the freezer aisles in 1953.

The company did try a limited run of frozen green peas in 1953 but found “the lack of profit generally throughout the industry in frozen peas, has determined us not to expand this operation at the present time.” Green Giant Company, Annual Report, 1953, 3–4.

1953): 39; “Are B Grade Brands Coming Back?” QFF (Aug.

1954

In 1954, the company adapted some of Birdseye's freezing techniques, a segmented aluminum tray -- that was being used for airline food -- turkey, potatoes, vegetables, a clever name and a huge advertising budget to create the first "TV Dinner." It was a product whose time had come.

15 “More Mechanical Reefers for Frozen Food Transportation,” FFF (1954): 97.

1956

40 The published study appeared in a refereed science journal: Burger, Marie et al. , “Nutrients in Frozen Foods, Vitamin, Mineral, and Proximate Composition of Frozen Fruits, Juices, and Vegetables,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 4 (May 1956): 418–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

Clarance Birdseye died on October 7, 1956 from a heart attack at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

1957

42 “The Wisconsin Study of Frozen Food Nutritional Values,” FFF (1957): 66–71.

1958

1958): 27; “Future of Frozen Foods Is in Higher Quality, Higher Priced Products,” QFF (Sept.

1959

By 1959, Americans were spending $2.7 billion annually on frozen foods.

1960

77 “Motivation Research and Frozen Foods,” QFF (June 1960): 29.

95 Bingham, John E., Kramlich, C. Richard, and Leland, John D. Jr, Are Frozen Foods Profitable for Supermarkets? (Boston, 1960)Google Scholar.

1961

91 “Children's Preferences Determine Growth of Many Frozen Items,” QFF (June 1961): 40–2.

1962

96 “Just How Profitable Is the Frozen Food Department?” QFF (May 1962): 174.

59 Simpson, Jean I., The Frozen Food Cook Book and Guide to Home Freezing, 2nd ed. (New York, 1962), 29, 205Google Scholar.

1963

23 Brand, Edward A., Modern Supermarket Operation (New York, 1963), 53, 54Google Scholar.

1967

The problem of urban black access to cheap, quality food would become even more pronounced after many chains fled inner cities following the 1967–68 riots.

1969

The series was eventually collected, revised, and republished as Van Arsdel, Wallace B., Copley, Michael Joseph, and Olson, Robert L., Quality and Stability of Frozen Foods: Time, Temperature Tolerance and Its Significance (New York, 1969)Google Scholar.

1977

See Marion, Donald R., Supermarkets in the City (Amherst, 1977)Google Scholar.

1988

Findus launched calorie counted Lean Cuisine (note the microwaveable packaging). McCain boosted the healthy profile of its pioneering Oven Chips in 1988 with the introduction of Sunflower Oil.

Levenstein, Harvey, Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet (New York, 1988)Google Scholar.

1993

8 Wilde, “Industrialization of Food Processing”; Levenstein, Harvey, Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America (New York, 1993), 106–8Google Scholar; “Frozen Foods: Interim Report,” Fortune, Aug.

1997

5 Frank, Thomas, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism (Chicago, 1997)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2002

Zunz, Olivier, Schoppa, Leonard, and Hiwatari, Nobuhiro (New York, 2002), 130–53Google Scholar.

2007

First published in 2007.

2018

© Fresh from the Freezer 2018 All rights reserved

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Founded
1921
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Headquarters
Milford, CT
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