Seafood

Flake is specified for seafood for one reason: it has no sharp edges. It packs around a fillet or a whole fish without bruising it, moulds to any shape, and puts an enormous amount of cold surface in contact with the product. Cube ice does none of that – it marks the flesh and leaves gaps where the cold isn’t.

Standard flake or sub-zero

• Standard flake suits retail display and short holds – it’s wet, it moulds beautifully, and it looks the part on a display bed.
• Sub-zero flake is made below freezing so it comes out dry and free-flowing. It doesn’t clump, it doses through automated lines, and it adds less free water to the product. For processing and for anything travelling in the heat, it’s the better choice.

One for compliance. Ice used to cool the outside of product – under a display bed, packed around a catch – can’t then be used as food or in drinks. It’s important to keep ice for these applications separate.