Frozen Dinners Were Invented Because One Woman Was A Picky Eater

Vintage | Food

Frozen Dinners Were Invented Because One Woman Was A Picky Eater

We've all sat down to a frozen dinner at some point or another. Whether or not you care to admit it, frozen food is commonplace is most households. It could be something as simple as frozen vegetables to have seasonal produce year round, or it could be a full frozen TV dinner. Regardless, everyone has experienced the likes of these meals.

But do you know who actually invented these frozen delicacies...and more importantly, why?

Have you ever heard of Marjorie Merriweather Post? Her father was C.W. Post, owner of the Postum Cereal Company, also known as General Foods, Inc. When her father died in 1914, Marjorie became the owner and was the wealthiest woman in the United States.

Marjorie Merriweather Post married Joseph E. Davies, an American lawyer and diplomat in 1935. It was her third marriage and his second.

Hillwood Museum

Davies was the ambassador to the then-Soviet Union, so he and Marjorie planned their move to Moscow. However, there was just one problem: Marjorie had trust issues.

The heiress didn't think the USSR had food processing safety standards, so she had commercial-grade freezers sent to Spaso House, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The freezers were fully stocked with products from General Foods, and allowed the Davies to serve up meals that would otherwise be out of season. Once she returned to the United States, Marjorie ordered General Foods to market frozen foods to upscale restaurants.

Since then, frozen food has become a mainstay in many households.

Green Giant, which was previously owned by General Mills, has a wide array of frozen food products. Wall Street Journal

How cool is it that someone's idea for personal use became a modern-day common food practice? Do you eat frozen foods?

Meagan has an intense love for Netflix, napping, and carbs.