Freezer Queen was an American

frozen food Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows decompositi ...

packaging company. It was a pioneer of the

TV dinner A frozen meal (also called TV dinner (Canada and US), prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal) is a packaged frozen meal that comes portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States a ...

industry beginning in 1958. For many years, it was an important employer in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. It was founded by Buffalo businessmen Paul Snyder and Charles R. Spalla, and at one point had over 1,000 employees. In 2004, its Buffalo plant failed a government safety inspection and was closed by Home Market Foods, its corporate parent. The company was previously owned by United Foods. The plant's closure left many employees unemployed. The

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

inspection found such violations as live cockroaches in the gravy tank on multiple occasions. In response, Freezer Queen first requested a new USDA inspector, then suggested that parts of the facility were debris-strewn and not normally cleaned, and finally elected to shut down the facility rather than fix the unsafe and unsanitary conditions. In its final years, Freezer Queen was merely a brand entity for the line of frozen dinners and entrees it had previously produced. Among those Freezer Queen-branded products were "Gravy with Salisbury Steaks," and "Broccoli with Cheese Sauce." Home Market Foods then transitioned the brand to "Family Buffet," ending Freezer Queen's history. The former warehouse and production facility at 975 Fuhrmann Boulevard in Buffalo was demolished in anticipation of the construction of

Queen City Landing Queen City Landing was an approved residential tower proposal by developer Gerald Buchheit on the Outer Harbor of Buffalo, New York. Preparation work included the demolition of a 6-story warehouse formerly operated by Freezer Queen Foods and the ...

, a 23-story apartment tower.

References

External links

Freezer Queen website

Vanishing Point
photography and essay on Freezer Queen Frozen food brands Food manufacturers of the United States {{Food-company-stub