Frozen vegetables have been given a thumbs up by British health officials – who say they can now be as good as the fresh kind.
The switch in policy means that poor families and pregnant women who get vouchers for healthy food will be allowed to buy frozen as well as fresh.
"Cheating" in the kitchen – by using frozen – is no longer a sin, the Department of Health said, citing the example of Delia Smith.
Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We’re looking at including frozen fruit and vegetables in the Healthy Start scheme.
"Healthy Start helps more than half a million pregnant women and low-income families by giving them vouchers that can be used to buy milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, and also coupons which can be exchanged for free vitamins for women and children.
"Plain frozen fruit and vegetables count towards your five a day and can contain as many – if not more – vitamins than poorly stored fresh produce.
"Frozen goods are often cheaper than fresh and they can last longer, so there’s less food waste too. This would mean that families on Healthy Start have access to a much greater range of produce all year round."
The change was backed by nutritionist Amanda Ursell, who said: "Families need easy access to healthier food, and a bag of frozen fruit or vegetables from the local corner shop when fresh produce isn’t available can be a healthy lifeline to go with any meal.
"Frozen fruit and vegetables give parents far more flexibility so it makes complete sense to include frozen fruit and vegetables in Healthy Start."
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