“With shipping and storage, fresh fruit can often sit around for as long as two weeks before it hits your supermarket,” says Suzanne Henson, RD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s EatRight Weight Management Program. “During that time, it can lose a lot of its nutrients, especially vitamin C.”
In contrast, frozen fruit is frozen shortly after picking and so the fruit is at the peak of freshness and it locks in the vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Scientists at the University of Chester conducted research comparing fruit which had been sitting in a fridge for the days compared to frozen equivalents. They found that in fact, in two out of three cases, frozen fruits and veggies packed higher levels of antioxidants, including polyphenols, anthocyanins, lutein, and beta-carotene.
Because freezing preserves the fruits and vegetables, you will find that the ingredient list on the packaging shows only the fruit/vegetable!