When did freezing food become widely useful for commercial food storage?

Commercial freezing for food storage began to gain significant traction in the late 19th century, when methods involving salt and ice were utilized in the United States to preserve fish and poultry.1

However, the industry was revolutionized in the 1920s by Clarence Birdseye, who developed highly efficient quick-freezing processes. By placing food in small, retail-ready packages between refrigerated metal plates, Birdseye was able to preserve the taste and quality of various foods, including fruits, vegetables, and fish. His innovations, which included using calcium chloride solutions or ammonia vaporization to achieve extremely low temperatures, provided the foundation for the modern multiple-plate freezers used in the food industry today. By 1929, his successful line of products led to the formation of the General Foods Corporation, marking a pivotal shift toward the widespread commercial availability of frozen foods.21