Freezer Queen was an American frozen food packaging company.[1] It was a pioneer of the TV dinner industry beginning in 1958. For many years, it was an important employer in Buffalo, New York. It was founded by Buffalo businessmen Paul Snyder and Charles R. Spalla, and at one point had over 1,000 employees. In 2006, its Buffalo plant failed a government safety inspection and was closed by Home Market Foods, its corporate parent.[2] The company was previously owned by United Foods.[3]
 Freezer Queen building | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Products | frozen food |
The plant's closure left many employees unemployed.[4] The USDA 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.[5]
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, a 23-story apartment tower.
References
edit- ^ "About us". Freezer Queen (Wayback Machine). 2008. Archived from the original on November 18, 2008. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
- ^ "Dinner maker Freezer Queen's day is done as corporate parent shuts down factory". Quick Frozen Foods International. EW Williams Publications. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "United Foods received an offer for Freezer Queen". Los Angeles Times. 1985-10-22. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Galante, Joseph (2006-07-10). "Freezer Queen's demise puts 175 workers out in the cold". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "Higgins Calls for Buffalo Building Inspectors to Fully Investigate Freezer Queen Facility at Outer Harbor". Congressman Brian Higgins. 2006-08-14. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
External links
edit- Freezer Queen website
- Vanishing Point photography and essay on Freezer Queen
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