With food prices rising at their fastest rate for 45 years, shoppers are turning to frozen food instead of fresh to reduce costs – and food manufacturers need to follow suit.

Not only does freezing improve food quality for the consumer, but it can also prolong shelf life, in turn allowing an increase in capacity and storage, enabling producers to reduce costs and adapt quickly to fluctuations in demand in order to stay agile and competitive in a challenging market.

Reduce Costs and Carbon

Every year, the UK food industry wastes 3.6 million tonnes of food, with a market value of £1.2 billion at farm gate prices. It occurs at all stages of the food supply chain, including production, processing, transport, retailing, storage and consumption.

Not only is this a huge waste of money and resources, but it also contributes significantly to pollution. Every business involved in the food industry needs to play its part in reducing food waste and its environmental impact.

One cost effective way of increasing food efficiencies is freezing. Blast freezing maintains the quality of the food at the highest standard whilst extending the shelf life. This can be done at the production stage, allowing you to store a larger volume which saves costs and enables you to meet any increases in demand without any waste. Equally, blast freezing can be added to your processes further down the line, providing more time to redistribute the goods to other customers when there is surplus food.

By improving food efficiency, you are reducing the energy, costs and water usage it would take to grow, manufacture, transport and sell excess food. It also prevents the emission of methane into the atmosphere by diverting waste from landfills, therefore decreasing pollution and improving air quality.

Bespoke Solutions

Whether you are new to freezing or it is an established part of your processes, Dawsongroup can provide unique temperature control solutions that fulfil all your requirements.

Our blast freezers get your produce to -18°C quicker and more efficiently than chamber freezers, saving you time and money as well as reducing your carbon emissions. If you need controlled thawing, we have a range of tempering freezers to suit every demand, and our mobile storage units are quiet, energy-efficient, and compliant with HACCP, BRC and GMP standards.

A free consultation to understand your business needs is just the start of our relationship with you, and it doesn’t end at installation. We provide first-class service, training and support whenever you need it and throughout the term of your contract with us.

Add freezing to your processes and reduce costs from food waste whilst improving your carbon footprint. Arrange a free site visit with our experts and, once they understand your business needs, they will provide you with a free report detailing our recommendations on how to streamline your processes and improve your efficiencies.

If freezing is already an integral part of your processes, contact our experts for a free consultation and see whether our blast freezers can improve efficiencies, reduce costs and increase your agility.

Contact us today on 01623 518538 or info@tcs.co.uk to see how we can streamline your processes and reduce your costs.

Find out how Dawsongroup’s Smarter Asset Strategy can provide bespoke solutions for your business.

Jude’s Ice Cream has been producing delicious ice cream for over twenty years, and has had a relationship with Dawsongroup for almost as long. As a certified B Corp, Jude’s believes that all businesses should benefit people and communities. They are well on their way to achieving their target of reducing carbon emissions by 43% by 2030, with a 20% reduction already attained since their start date of 2020 – and Dawsongroup is helping them achieve that.

Dawsongroup’s Unique Solution

Dawsongroup has provided various solutions for Jude’s over the years, from forklifts through Dawsongroup material handling to loading docks from Dawsongroup tcs. When Jude’s needed additional cold storage for their ice cream which was also carbon efficient, they turned to Dawsongroup for a solution.

Dawsongroup tcs has a range of modular cold storage solutions which can be set to any temperature from -30°C to +30°C and can be sited either internally or externally to suit your space and requirements. Whilst our units are optimised for energy efficiency and low running costs, they still need electricity to run them.

Tim Clark, Regional Head of Sales for Dawsongroup tcs, worked with Jude’s to come up with a unique solution – a cold storage unit powered by solar panels on the roof.

“Jude’s Ice Cream presented the near perfect partner for the first solar-powered portable cold storage facility in the country, being in the south, in an open prospective and on an exposed hill,” said Tim. “When I made the suggestion to them, the response was overwhelming as it tied in with their very green philosophy.”

Quality Ice Cream with Reduced Emissions

Kevin Smith, Technical Manager for Dawsongroup TCS, installed the solar panels on the cold storage unit roof. He regularly returns to ensure that they are always angled to make the most of the sun year-round.

The 8kW solar array generates 1.54kW/hr of useable electricity in an average month, which is more than 50% of the power needed to keep the cold storage at -25°C, the ideal temperature for the best quality ice cream. On sunny days, it can generate more power than the unit uses – keeping Jude’s ice cream cold with the heat of the sun.

Whilst this saves Jude’s over £100 a week on electricity costs, the saving in carbon emissions is more important to them and makes a significant contribution towards their carbon reduction target.

Just a Phone Call Away

“Dawsongroup TCS is fantastic. The main service Dawsongroup provides for us is that whatever we need as we grow, we can come to them and they have a solution for us,” said James Wright, Managing Director of Jude’s Ice Cream. “Whenever we need help we can pick up the phone and Dawsongroup responds straight away. We have a very good relationship, and they’ve been very supportive to Jude’s as we’ve grown from a hobby twenty years ago to a much bigger business today.”

Contact Dawsongroup tcs for all your temperature control needs, loading docks and more, and contact Dawsongroup material handling for warehousing equipment and storage.

Arrange a free consultation with a Dawsongroup expert today to find out how our Smarter Asset Strategy can help your business reduce carbon emissions.

“The British Frozen Food Federation welcomes the conclusion of the negotiations between the UK Government and European Commission. The settlement reached on the Northern Ireland Protocol is good news for businesses throughout the frozen food supply chain which are looking forward to more efficient trade relations within the UK and to the EU.

“For frozen food producers, distributors and retailers which have faced difficulties since the Withdrawal Agreement, this marks the beginning of a positive new chapter.

“Frozen food has become an increasingly popular choice for consumers looking for high quality and affordable options in their weekly shop and I know that our members will seek to reach more of the Northern Ireland and EU markets through this renewed opportunity.”

For the full set of explainers on what is being called the Windsor framework, click here.