Frozen food is packaged against freezer burn: air in the bag dries the surface and leaves ice crystals, and a bag that tears in the freezer case lets it happen fast. Freeze the product first, spread out so pieces don't stick, then bag it in freezer-grade material with a label that stays on when it's cold and wet. A stand-up zip pouch with a window stands in a grocer's freezer and recloses at home. A vacuum-sealed bag leaves the least air, but delicate food can crush and it doesn't reclose. A lay-flat bag with a printed header card puts the brand and label on a card printed once. Restaurants take cases of a hundred. Every package says keep frozen and how to cook it. In the example below, a Massachusetts dumpling maker prices four options: 15 to 28 cents per bag of 24. Below are the options, the label, the example, and a free cost calculator.
The short version
- Freeze first, spread out on trays, then bag, so pieces don't freeze into a block.
- Use freezer-grade bags and labels with freezer adhesive.
- Grocers and markets: a stand-up zip pouch with a window.
- Least freezer burn: a vacuum-sealed bag, if the food won't crush.
- Printed brand without printed bags: a lay-flat bag with a header card.
- Restaurants: a case of a hundred with a liner.
- Every package says "keep frozen" and how to cook it.
- TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and date, and the packaging in every batch's cost. More below.
The options
| Option | Keeps out air | Recloses | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand-up zip freezer pouch | Mostly | Yes | Grocer freezers, markets |
| Vacuum-sealed bag | Yes | No | Sturdy food, long storage |
| Lay-flat bag with header card | Mostly | No | Branding on a budget |
| Restaurant case with liner | In the case | Fold and tie | Restaurants |
The label
A frozen package carries the label your license requires: the name, net weight, ingredients, allergens such as wheat, soy and sesame, and the name and place of business, plus Nutrition Facts unless an exemption applies. "Keep frozen" and cooking instructions tell the store and the customer how to handle it, and a best-by date tells them how long. Labels need a freezer adhesive, or they fall off in the case. How the label works is in food labeling requirements for small business, and what frozen food earns in frozen food profit margin.
An example: four options for a dumpling maker
Wollaston Dumpling Co., the made-up dumpling maker in Quincy, Massachusetts, I use in these examples, freezes hand-folded vegetable and tofu dumplings and sells about 125 bags of 24 a week at markets, online and to Asian grocers, plus 100-count cases for restaurants:
| Option | Parts | Per bag of 24 | 125 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand-up zip freezer pouch | Pouch 22¢, freezer label | $0.28 | $34.43 |
| Vacuum-sealed bag | Bag 12¢, freezer label | $0.18 | $21.98 |
| Lay-flat bag with header card | Bag 6¢, header card, staples | $0.15 | $18.18 |
| Restaurant case of 100, per 24 | Case 70¢, label, per 24 | $0.18 | $22.52 |
Grocers and markets get stand-up pouches, because the grocers shelve them upright in the freezer; vacuum bags crushed the pleats in testing; restaurants get cases. On a grocer bag at $10 that costs $6.12, the pouch is about 7% of what's left. How the dumplings are costed is in dumpling business plan, and every packaging cost in packaging cost per unit.
Get the calculator
Download the frozen food packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a bag uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per bag and per week at your volume, with notes. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
Frozen food keeps for months, so the freezer fills with batches from different weeks, and a grocer wants the newest. A cost sheet doesn't say which batch is at the back of the freezer, or which grocer got it.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and date, and the packaging in every batch's cost.
Each batch dated. A batch of dumplings records the cabbage, tofu and wrapper lots it used, automatically, gets a lot with its production and best-before dates, and lot labels print for the bags.
Oldest first. First-expired-first-out is the default, so the oldest bags leave the freezer first.
Where it went. Each grocer's order records the lots it got, so one recall report shows every customer a batch reached.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which batch is at the back of the freezer | Not recorded | Stock by lot and date |
| Which bags go out first | Remembered | First-expired-first-out |
| Which grocers got a batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Lots, expiry, recipes and batches are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.