{"id":52768,"date":"2025-11-11T13:36:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T12:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/?p=52768"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:44:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T14:44:02","slug":"what-is-iqf-and-why-is-it-so-important-in-the-frozen-food-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/what-is-iqf-and-why-is-it-so-important-in-the-frozen-food-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"What is IQF and why is it so important in the frozen food industry?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a supplier, MOOIJER is very aware of the fact that product quality, shelf life, and food safety are extremely important. A term that is often used in this context is IQF. But what does this term mean? And why does it make such a difference to the end user?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article, we explain what IQF is, how it works, and why this freezing method is a smart choice for both the hospitality industry and retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does IQF mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IQF stands for Individually Quick Frozen. This technique ensures that each piece of product (such as a shrimp, pea, or dim sum) is frozen separately, rather than as a block or mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p-4 rounded has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#cceffa80\">Products are frozen rapidly to temperatures of -18\u00b0C or lower, often using air circulation or a cryogenic system (such as nitrogen).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/IQF-1280x905.jpg\" alt=\"IQF: individually quick frozen\" class=\"wp-image-51475\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the advantages of IQF?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.417), 18px);\"><em>Better quality and structure<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because hardly any ice crystals form in the cell structure of the product, texture, color, and taste are optimally preserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.417), 18px);\"><em>Less waste<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customers do not have to defrost an entire portion or bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.417), 18px);\"><em>Faster to prepare<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IQF products are often pre-cut, peeled, or pre-cooked. This means they can be used immediately in the kitchen, which is ideal for the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.417), 18px);\"><em>More hygienic working<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you don&#8217;t have to \u2018break\u2019 or defrost in bulk, you prevent cross-contamination and keep the work process cleaner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IQF products are often pre-cut, peeled, or pre-cooked. This means they can be used immediately in the kitchen, making them ideal for the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.417), 18px);\">Suitable for worldwide distribution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By maintaining product integrity, IQF products can be transported internationally without any problems and with minimal loss of quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of IQF products at MOOIJER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At MOOIJER, you will find a wide range of IQF products, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/assortiment\/\">Tropical shrimp<\/a> (peeled, unpeeled)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/assortiment\/\">Edamame<\/a>, sugar snaps, and other frozen vegetables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fish cubes or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/product_category\/fresh-fish\/\">fish fillets<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dim sum and individual snacks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spring rolls, buns, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/assortiment\/\">gyoza<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p-4 rounded has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#cceffa80\">All these products are easy to portion, quick to prepare, and consistent in quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-10-02-at-16.19.31-1280x810.jpeg\" alt=\"Frozen goods like shrimps, squid rings, tubes, calamaris, musselmeat.\" class=\"wp-image-51479\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is IQF interesting for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catering companies that work with fresh daily portions;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Caterers who want to prepare efficiently;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Asian grocery stores and shops that want to offer customers flexibility;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exporters who want to offer products worldwide without compromising on quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IQF is more than just a technique: it is a guarantee of quality. For both chefs and buyers, IQF means less waste, more convenience, and better end results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MOOIJER invests in these types of technologies to provide our customers with the best frozen food solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p-4 rounded has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#cceffa80\">Curious about our full IQF range? Contact our sales team or find out more in our knowledge base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a supplier, MOOIJER is very aware of the fact that product quality, shelf life, and food safety are extremely important. A term that is often used in this context&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1056],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knowledge-base"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64704,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52768\/revisions\/64704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mooijer.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}