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“This is a significant, steadily growing industry representing hundreds of billions of dollars. The popularity of pre-cooked, frozen options that are reheated and ready-to-eat in minutes is not in question. The average American eats more than seventy frozen meals annually and China’s consumption is catching up to the United States.”

Quote by Jeff Swystun

Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals

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Jeff Swystun

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“If McDonald’s was a fine dining establishment, the chain would have failed years ago because customer surveys routinely return less than fifty percent satisfaction with both the food and service. Ubiquity and familiarity are the chain’s secret sauces. McDonalds survives by operating in thousands of convenient locations. This was once the strategy for the clothing retailer, The Gap and remains important to Starbucks. McDonalds is a real estate company first and a food business second.”

FoodPop CultureFood HistoryTv DinnersPop History
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“At some point during this decade, people stopped being people and became consumers. The word conjures up an image of a parasite or leech, a ravenous entity existing only to devour. No longer were people simply satisfying needs, they were actively pursuing wants and becoming professional at consuming in the process. Whether it was a big bandwagon or locust mentality, ever increasing numbers of people sought the perfect home with a swimming pool, a piano in the living room, vacations, and second cars.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“For most, the idea of whipping up a shrimp salad roll or assembling a cheeseburger loaf remained daunting. Sourcing the ingredients, finding the time, and completing the dish successfully were barriers. So why not purchase a frozen meal comprised of three or more dishes? It was ready in minutes versus hours with no preparation and cleanup. The instructions could not be clearer or simpler. Advertisements were quick to hit upon these benefits.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“When a product debuts, it can face opposition and may require significant promotion and explanation. Heinz EZ Squirt ketchup, Crystal Pepsi, and McDonalds’ Arch Deluxe were expected to shake up their categories. The products had huge budgets to introduce and explain different colored ketchups, clear and caffeine free cola, and a gastronomic hamburger for adults. All failed. The Arch Deluxe was a quarter pound of beef on a split-top potato flour sesame seed bun, topped with a circular piece of peppered bacon, leaf lettuce, tomato, American cheese, onions, ketchup, and Dijonnaise. In 1996, McDonald's spent over US$300 million on research, production, and marketing. Despite having the largest promotional budget to that point in fast food history, the “burger with the grownup taste”, neither compelled nor impressed.”

FoodMarketingNew ProductsBusiness History
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“The traditional TV dinner has been portrayed as a dirty secret consumed in isolation. This drove perceptions and created the pathetic stereotype that changed during the pandemic. Forced to eat at home, people tried different options and experienced the changes in quality and variety of frozen meals. The products are now viable options for the one, the few, and the many.”

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“Top Shelf made bold claims asserting it was, “faster than frozen”. The company hired Dick Cavett, the well-known and trusted television personality, for a series of commercials. These dinners had no preservatives, did not require freezing or refrigeration, heated in two minutes, and could be carried to work in one’s briefcase without spoiling. Cavett earnestly sold this innovation by admitting all sounded too good to be true. To battle consumer skepticism, the company pledged twice the money back if dissatisfied. That may have sealed its fate as Top Shelf and its “faster than frozen” process quickly shut down.”

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“French fries are America’s vegetable of choice, and the average American eats the fat equivalent of one whole stick of butter each day. This has forced airlines to add more fuel to planes to compensate for heavier passengers, manufacturers increase the size of car seats for children while selling seat belt extenders for adults, and curved shower curtain rods are creating space for those needing extra room while bathing. There is no way one size can possibly fit all. Time reports, “As Americans have grown physically larger, brands have shifted their metrics to make shoppers feel skinnier—so much so that a women’s size 12 in 1958 is now a size 6.” Disguising this doubling in size is called vanity sizing but has been derided as “insanity sizing”.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“Picture a countryside with one hundred million chickens roaming the land. It is challenging to imagine anything of that magnitude. It happens to be the number of cooked rotisserie chickens Costco sells annually. The Chief Financial Officer shared that the retailer loses upwards of US$40 million a year selling the chicken. This is not altruism. People are lured by the five-dollar item but leave with a cart overflowing with bulk underwear, photocopier paper, and lawn ornaments. This practice of selling rotisserie chicken has spread to most grocery chains in North America.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“The pandemic exposed key challenges in food delivery. Not all foods travel well even in short distances. Chefs toil to perfect recipes and customers expect the food as it appears on the restaurant website but time in transit distorts. A meatball sub barely survives a few feet let alone a car ride. Tomato sauce spills over the sandwich collecting at the bottom to soak the bread. Barbecue dishes suffer from congealing while nachos arrive both moist and brittle. Calamari grows chewy, mozzarella sticks turn into heavy weapons, and fries arrive limp. The enemy to food delivery, beyond stop lights, is moisture.”

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“When the TV dinner debuted, no one was demanding an easy, speedy, and convenient mealtime product but they were quickly embraced. An industry was born overnight, and its story is one of entrepreneurs and innovators who were passionate, driven and as original and eccentric as the product itself. Clarence Birdseye, W.L. Maxson, Betty Cronin, Percy L. Spencer, Jeno Paulucci, and others made it possible.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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