Photo by Neil Caudle 



Tyre Lanier explains proper freezing techniques for seafood 



migration," Lanier says. 



Moisture leaving the food causes 

 freezer burn. Oxidation of the fat can 

 follow, leaving the fish with a dry, 

 chalky taste and an "off" flavor. 



Lanier says the traditional frozen- 

 food cartons have their faults, and 

 have perhaps contributed to the con- 

 sumer's low opinion of frozen seafood. 



"The waxed cardboard box can be a 

 good oxygen barrier, but because it's 

 not skin-tight to the products, 

 moisture can migrate out of the food, 

 unless there's another package inside," 

 Lanier says. "Any time you see frost 

 accumulation in one of these boxes, 

 you know you've had some freezer 

 burn." 



Lanier's tests have shown that 

 frozen seafood is best protected when 

 it is vacuum-packaged in a tight- 

 fitting, plastic film. But such packages 

 are expensive. And, in North Carolina, 

 where much of the seafood is still sold 

 wrapped in yesterday's sports pages, 

 not every seafood handler has either 

 the means or the know-how to modern- 

 ize. 



Lanier says it will take education, 

 and a few good success stories, to con- 



vince the industry to try quick- 

 freezing fresh seafoods. It will also take 

 some convincing to dispel the public's 

 attitude that all frozen fish is inferior. 



"That attitude is based on bad ex- 

 periences in the past, when most 

 seafood was frozen because it was 

 getting old," Lanier says. He adds that 

 no matter how well you freeze and 



they need to promote fish, that they 

 need to offer fish in as much variety 

 and quality as they do red meat and 

 chicken," Lanier says. "This has not 

 been done in the past." 



Hank Walker, frozen-foods buyer 

 and merchandizer for the Charlotte- 

 based Harris-Teeter chain, says his 

 company's 71 stores have for the last 



"The big problem is in convincing the supermarket 

 retail chains that they need to promote fish, that 

 they need to offer fish in as much variety and 

 quality as they do red meat and chicken." 



— Tyre Lanier 



package a fish, it won't come out of the 

 package fresh unless it went in that 

 way. 



Many grocery stores have little ex- 

 perience with seafoods, Lanier says, 

 and are reluctant to carry anything 

 more than a few cuts of unfrozen floun- 

 der or trout, and a few boxes of shrimp 

 and breaded seafoods. 



"The big problem is in convincing 

 the supermarket retail chains that 



year reported declines in sales of 

 processed, frozen seafoods. Most of 

 these products are battered or breaded 

 outside North Carolina. 



"I see the market going more into 

 inexpensive, minced-type products," 

 Walker says, "simply because people 

 who would buy your high-ticket items 

 are leaning toward the local fresh 

 items, which are becoming more 

 available to them. Walker says that his 



