Prolific inventor Clarence Birdseye, a native of Brooklyn, found inspiration to pioneer frozen food for American consumers in the remote icy wilderness of Labrador, Canada.
Clarence Birdseye proved you can’t judge a book by its cover. The Brooklyn native and frozen food pioneer looked scholarly in his spectacles, as if he belonged at the head of a college lecture hall. He was in fact a college dropout. The slight, narrow-shouldered free spirit instead lived a life of adventure. He explored remote areas of the world, from the frigid coast of Newfoundland to the steamy sugarcane plantations of South America.
He founded Birdseye Seafood Inc. in 1924, pioneering and patenting new ways to both flash-freeze and market food for American consumers. There’s a good chance you even have frozen vegetables bearing his name in your freezer right now. Birds Eye — two words — is a prominent label in the frozen food aisle of American and British supermarkets, owned today by international powerhouse Conagra Brands.
At the start he could afford to spend only $7 on equipment, including an electric fan, ice and salt. Later, a friend lent him the corner of an ice house to carry on his work,' The New York Times reported in his obituary. 'We can say that Clarence Birdseye has indirectly improved both the health and convenience of virtually everyone in the industrialized world' 'After his return from , Mr. Birdseye began the experiment that led to the development of his process.
Today, we especially appreciate that Birdseye's process, still basically in use, preserves food's nutrients as well as its flavor,' said the Lemelson-MIT Program for innovators. To read more stories in this unique 'Meet the American Who…' series from Fox News Digital, click here. 'In fact, we can say that Clarence Birdseye has indirectly improved both the health and convenience of virtually everyone in the industrialized world.
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