麻豆影视

Lifestyle

    • Which is more expensive and which is healthier for you, fresh or frozen food?

    Share

    As grocery prices soar amid inflation, experts have weighed in on the cost effectiveness of buying fresh or frozen foods, adding that buying frozen doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean food will lose any nutritional value.

    While they agree that buying fresh food rather than the equivalent frozen version does not affect the healthiness of the food, they said shopping around between fresh and frozen sections for the cheapest price is your best bet on saving money.

    CTVNews.ca scoured the websites of Canada鈥檚 three largest grocery store chains鈥擫oblaws, Sobeys and Metro鈥攃omparing the costs of several food items. We looked at fresh foods as well as their equivalent frozen options and compared prices, using in-store brands such as President鈥檚 Choice, No Name, Compliments, Selection and Irresistibles where applicable. Loblaws prices were taken from Toronto (Dupont St. location), Sobeys prices were taken from its Voila delivery service website and Metro prices were taken from metro.ca鈥檚 My Online Groceries. All prices are per 100 grams and were recorded on March 7.

    In most cases, fresh foods tended to cost more than frozen foods per 100 grams. At Loblaws, frozen green beans cost $1.10 per 100 grams compared to $1.76 per 100 grams for the fresh equivalent. At Sobeys, both fresh and frozen green beans cost $1.00 per 100 grams. And at Metro, frozen green beans cost $0.96 per 100 grams compared to $1.10 per 100 grams for fresh ones.

    Frozen strawberries and blueberries cost the same at all three stores at $1.00 per 100 grams, however the price of fresh berries vary drastically. Fresh blueberries at Sobeys and Metro cost $2.35 per 100 grams, while Loblaws offers them at $1.47 per 100 grams. Fresh strawberries are cheapest at Sobeys and Metro at $1.32 per 100 grams, where at Loblaws they cost $1.76 per 100 grams.

    The price of fresh sirloin steak and frozen sirloin burgers are comparable between the three stores, however shoppers can find the cheapest fresh steak option at Metro at $1.52 per 100 grams while the cheapest frozen burgers when comparing the three stores can be found at Loblaws for $2.10 per 100 grams.

     

    FRESH VS. FROZEN: WHICH IS MOST COST EFFECTIVE?

    Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, told CTVNews.ca on Tuesday if shoppers are looking to get the most bang for their buck at the grocery store, doing research ahead of time is the best way to save on food costs.

    鈥淏efore you show up at the freezer aisle, you don't have to really investigate as to where the cheapest carrots are or the cheapest potatoes are, it's all done for you. So, in the fresh section, if you find a very good deal and bring it home and you freeze some of it鈥攜ou can't beat that. It's a little bit more work and you have to gather your intel in order to really appreciate how good of a deal you're looking at,鈥 he said.

    Charlebois says there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation he can give for shoppers looking to be savvy with their money, however he does have one piece of advice.

    鈥淚f you have the time and you have the intel, go fresh. That's how you're going to save some money. If you don't have the time, if you don't understand the market all that well, and you don't want to actually put in the time to freeze everything鈥 just go to the freezer (aisle), it's all done for you.鈥

    He says generally, fresh food prices are more volatile, while frozen food prices are much more stable. However, it鈥檚 not always a matter of which option is cheapest but which option will save you time and energy in the long run.

    鈥淲hen you go to the grocery store, you don't just buy calories, you buy time. At the freezer aisle, you buy extended time, compared to fresh. But you can always freeze [your food] of course, when it's fresh. But everything is done for you in the frozen aisle. So obviously, people appreciate that,鈥 he explained.

    Charlebois says it鈥檚 a nuanced situation when comparing the price of fresh food to frozen food, there is no clear option that will always be cheaper or more cost efficient when factoring in the time it takes to prepare. He also says getting the best deals on food depends on where you live and what you have access to.

    鈥淲ell, of course, if you go to major urban centres, you'll probably have more choice. But it depends on your grocer, it depends on where you go,鈥 he added.

    Charlebois explains while it鈥檚 not easy to find savings by strictly buying either frozen or fresh foods at the supermarket, you can save yourself money by wasting less food.

    鈥淔ood waste is probably the one thing that costs families the most money. So we are expecting the average family of four in Canada to spend about $16,000 worth of food and probably they'll end up wasting over $2,500 of that sum. And so, if you can actually reduce that you'll basically absorb the effect of inflation over two years,鈥 he explained.

    By freezing food yourself or buying frozen food, you鈥檒l have an easier time managing your home inventory and therefore waste less, according to Charlebois.

    鈥淚 think that still a lot of people think of frozen as the forbidden category, they shouldn't go there unless they have to. But, like I said, I think the quality has improved immensely over the last 20 years.鈥

    He acknowledged a trend during the COVID-19 pandemic where people bought freezers in anticipation of either buying more frozen foods or buying fresh foods in large quantities with the intention to freeze some to eat another time.

    鈥淚 mean, you can freeze basically everything,鈥 Charlebois said. 鈥淚t's just when you freeze it yourself you're making some compromises on taste of course, and flavour. But there's always an opportunity for you to conserve food much longer if you have a freezer for sure.鈥

    FRESH VS. FROZEN: WHICH IS HEALTHIER?

    Dr. Michaela Devries-Aboud, associate professor in the department of kinesiology and health sciences at the University of Waterloo, says despite any difference in taste between frozen fruits and vegetables versus fresh ones, there is virtually no difference in their nutritional value.

    鈥淥ne of the reasons people might perceive the health of those sorts of frozen fruits and vegetables to be lower than the fresh fruits and vegetables may be because sometimes the taste is a little different,鈥 Devries-Aboud added.

    Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, says there appears to be a misconception about frozen foods and unhealthiness.

    鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is any difference,鈥 Tarasuk said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 about whether the food has been frozen or not, I think 鈥 it would depend what they are and how they鈥檝e been prepared. But it鈥檚 not the physical act of freezing something that matters, so much as it is what you're choosing to eat. And you know is it something that has an excessive amount of sodium or sugar or fats? Those kinds of things are what matter in terms of health, not whether it's been frozen or not.鈥

    Tarasuk says the food industry uses sophisticated technology to quickly freeze food and maintain its freshness. She says it鈥檚 reasonable to assume nutrient concentrations in frozen foods such as vegetables would be similar to fresh foods.

    Devries-Aboud says foods are frozen in order to try and capture the best flavour and nutritional value as possible and preserve it for longer periods of time so they don鈥檛 spoil.

    Using corn niblets as an example, Tarasuk says you can buy fresh corn on a cob and cut the niblets off yourself, however it鈥檚 labour intensive and time consuming to do so. Buying a bag of frozen corn niblets will save you time and energy without trading away the nutritional value of the corn itself.

    鈥淓ssentially, what happens is, those vegetables get picked at the height of their freshness, and then frozen immediately,鈥 Devries-Aboud agreed.

    鈥淚 mean, you can't store things for years on end, right? But, if you're storing it for shorter periods of time, you know, months to a year, the nutrition is still maintained. Where you have to be concerned about the nutritious value of frozen [food], and to a certain extent as well, canned vegetables and fruits would be: what else is added?鈥

    Tarasuk and Devries-Aboud both say you鈥檙e more likely to see a drop in nutritional value when buying canned corn than frozen corn, because canned goods usually have additives such as sugar or sodium to help with preservation.

    鈥淚t would really depend on what the alternative is and how you're doing it. But you know, would a prepared meal be a good choice? Well, again, it would totally depend on what that meal is, and not whether it's fresh or frozen,鈥 Tarasuk said, adding when considering a frozen option, look at the ingredients and how it was prepared.

    鈥淪o, is it fried? Is it breaded? Has it had salt added to it? Has it got a sugar coating? All of those things are very, very important in terms of deciding whether it is a healthy choice or not.鈥

    Tarasuk adds while it may or may not be the healthiest choice to buy a frozen prepared meal, it can save you time and energy, and maybe even money in some cases.

    鈥淚 mean, part of the reason people鈥擨 think鈥攁re drawn to frozen, prepared foods is that they're not having to do the work of acquiring all the different ingredients and preparing the food from scratch,鈥 Tarasuk said.

    Devries-Aboud says shoppers should be looking at the ingredients of 鈥渦ltra-processed foods,鈥 such as certain kinds of frozen breaded chicken strips, to determine how healthy of a choice they are making and weighing that against their time to prepare a fresher version of the same meal.

    鈥淭hat鈥檚 when you start to see that there's a lot more added salt, there's a lot more added sugar and saturated fat predominantly. And those types of foods, it's generally healthier if you can make that type of thing at home,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o there is a difference between making a breaded chicken at home. Now, one caveat with the frozen chicken is that oftentimes, there's a lot of salt that's been added.鈥

    Devries-Aboud says frozen meats sometimes have salt added to help with preservation, whereas fruits and vegetables are often frozen without additives and with negligible differences in nutritional quality.

    She says with regards to the common misconception that food in the frozen aisle is always unhealthy, that is not necessarily the case.

    鈥淚 think part of that has to do with the fact that in that frozen food section, you have access to very healthy frozen foods, and then access to other frozen foods that are not. And sometimes they make it look like a frozen pizza at the grocery store looks very similar to a pizza you would make at home. And so as a consumer, how do you know what would be the healthy frozen foods and then unhealthy? And we kind of get told repeatedly that frozen foods are less healthy, but we're really talking about those ultra processed foods,鈥 Devries-Aboud said. 

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    WATCH LIVE

    WATCH LIVE

    Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    Canada

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    • At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    • The owners of a North York condominium say they are facing a $70,000 special assessment to fix their building's parking garage. '$70,000 is a lot of money. It makes me very nervous and stressed out of nowhere for this huge debt to come in,' said Ligeng Guo.

    • The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a "pattern" of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Staff at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital are calling for systemic changes just two days after its emergency room was more than three times above its capacity.

    • An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.

    • What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    Sports

    Autos

    • A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.

    • A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

    Local Spotlight

    Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

    From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

    A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

    The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

    A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

    Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

    What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

    New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is vowing to raise British Columbia's speculation and vacancy tax on empty homes if re-elected premier this month.

    • One day after a man was stabbed to death in East Vancouver, a 27-year-old woman has been charged with murder.

    • A Vancouver tenant is at war with his former landlord over what he calls an exorbitant charge for bent blinds.

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    • A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by 麻豆影视 Toronto show.

    • Police say they have arrested a man in Burlington, Ont., in connection with child luring charges.

    • Martha Hart, the widow of Calgary wrestler Owen Hart, is speaking out after the release of Netflix's 'Mr. McMahon' documentary series, which she says inaccurately portrays her husband's death as an accident.

    • Authorities say two Calgarians were arrested and charged in "a complex scheme" involving stolen vehicles.

    • Following the Alberta government鈥檚 recent announcement of capital funding to build charter and independent schools, the Investigative Journalism Foundation has found that several consultants with ties to the United Conservative Party (UCP) have been lobbying on behalf of charter schools and associated organizations over the past year.

    • The owner of a Gatineau, Que. caf茅 says it's 'silly' that Quebec's language watchdog is telling the business to write its Instagram posts in French.

    • Raise your glass and make a toast to a new Distillery in eastern Ontario. Artist in Residence (AIR) Distillerie has launched in Hawkesbury. This is the second location for the company, who has an existing operation in Gatineau.

    • After 25 years, Rev. Anthony Bailey has retired as the coordinating minister of Parkdale United Church. A farewell event to celebrate Rev. Bailey will be held on Saturday at Parkdale United Church on Parkdale Avenue.

    • At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.

    • Classes and campus activities at CEGEP de Valleyfield were cancelled Friday morning as a result of a police operation.

    • Public transport users who regularly use Fabre, d'Iberville and Saint-Michel stations on the Montreal metro's blue line will have to be patient, as the emergency closure of the three stations announced on Thursday evening could stretch out over 'a few days, or even a few weeks.'

    • Rescue crews are on the scene of a person "involved in a collapsed trench" in the Duffield area, Parkland County Fire Services told 麻豆影视 Edmonton on Friday afternoon.

    • Following the Alberta government鈥檚 recent announcement of capital funding to build charter and independent schools, the Investigative Journalism Foundation has found that several consultants with ties to the United Conservative Party (UCP) have been lobbying on behalf of charter schools and associated organizations over the past year.

    • Rural Albertans say they鈥檙e being penalized by high utility fees and some municipalities are asking the government to step in and equalize costs throughout the province.

    • A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    • The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a "pattern" of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.

    • A 31-year-old man is facing theft and break-in charges in connection to a vandalism incident at the Fredericton Public Library that caused tens of thousands of dollars of damages over the weekend.

    • Police say a 16-year-old boy has died after an assault outside a northern Manitoba home.

    • The federal government says it's making progress on a pilot program for an alert system that would inform the public when an Indigenous woman or girl is missing.

    • The Opposition Tories introduced a motion to get the justice system to take another look at the case of Jordyn Reimer.

    • NDP Leader Carla Beck says she would cut $58 million in spending during her first year as premier should her party win the Saskatchewan election set for Oct. 28.

    • Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says if re-elected, his government would introduce a Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit aimed at making renovations more affordable.

    • Indigenous leaders say two staff at a Saskatchewan courthouse were told to go home and take off the orange shirts they wore for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • Waterloo Regional Police have laid charges after a car crashed into the side of a Kitchener home at 3:30 a.m.

    • A DoorDash driver who was caught on camera appearing to spit into an Ontario man鈥檚 drink has been removed from the platform, the food delivery company has confirmed.

    • Two serious crashes shut down Highway 401 early Friday morning in Puslinch, Ont.

    • Saskatoon police arrested a homeless person at the scene of an encampment underneath the University Bridge on Friday morning.

    • Indigenous leaders say two staff at a Saskatchewan courthouse were told to go home and take off the orange shirts they wore for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • NDP Leader Carla Beck says she would cut $58 million in spending during her first year as premier should her party win the Saskatchewan election set for Oct. 28.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    • An outfitter in Kenora, Ont., and two individuals have been fined a total of $9,500 for bear hunting offences, including abandoning a bear they shot and using it as bait to hunt another bear.

    • According to police, officers responded to the 600 block of Tennent Avenue for a, "report of a possible stabbing" around 9 p.m. on Thursday.

    • Middlesex OPP have shuttered a road between Mount Brydges and Komoka today - Amiens Road is currently closed between Glendon Drive and Oriole Drive.

    • The London Police Service said that it鈥檚 stepping up police presence around Jewish and Muslim places of worship as the October 7 anniversary of the start of the Israel Hamas war draws near.

    • The Ministry of Labour is investigating a workplace incident that claimed the lives of two people in Georgian Bluffs, south of Owen Sound.

    • Police in Barrie allegedly seized a semi-automatic pistol and drugs during an overnight investigation that resulted in the arrest of three men downtown.

    • Provincial police are investigating a collision along Highway 400 in Tay Township Friday afternoon.

    • A London, Ont. man, who pleaded guilty earlier this year in a harassment case, has been sentenced to two months in jail for criminal harassment of a Windsor, Ont. family.

    • The Windsor Police Service (WPS) are looking for a witness to a collision between a pedestrian and vehicle in September.

    • Windsor fire has named its new fire chief, effective on Jan. 1, 2025.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is vowing to raise British Columbia's speculation and vacancy tax on empty homes if re-elected premier this month.

    • Politicians are continuing to promote their promises across British Columbia as the provincial election campaign nears its midway point.

    • One person is dead after a floatplane carrying three people crashed Wednesday evening in a remote inlet on British Columbia's central coast.

    • Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week 鈥 and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.

    • A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.

    • The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

    • WestJet has changed its operations at the Lethbridge Airport, and it means there's now only a single daily flight from Lethbridge to Calgary, down from three flights a day, as offered previously.

    • Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue has been open about six years and, like many other animal rescues, it has seen a surge in surrenders.

    • It鈥檚 almost deadline day for Lethbridge residents interested in becoming members of one of the city鈥檚 boards, commissions and committees (BCCs).

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • A suspect who accused Thunder Bay police of being responsible for his throat injury actually hurt himself when he swallowed a large amount of drugs.

    • An outfitter in Kenora, Ont., and two individuals have been fined a total of $9,500 for bear hunting offences, including abandoning a bear they shot and using it as bait to hunt another bear.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视