The Father of Fresh-Frozen

Our refrigerator-freezers might look a whole lot different without the vision of one man – and by different, we mean empty. Clarence Birdseye, born on Dec. 9, 1886, found a way to flash-freeze foods and deliver them to the public, revolutionizing an industry, not to mention our grocery lists.

The inspiration for all this was Birdseye’s work in Labrador as a naturalist for the U.S. government during the early 20th century. He noticed how well fish, after being caught, were preserved almost instantly by the icy temperatures. Birdseye returned home to New York with a plan, and the Birds Eye brand was born with the founding of the General Seafood Corporation in 1924.

Not only did Birdseye develop the Quick Freeze Machine to preserve food but he also introduced the refrigerated grocery display case and began leasing refrigerated boxcars to transport the frozen foods by rail. Birdseye was a man with a plan indeed!