How is it that you can refreeze some foods that have been previously frozen and defrosted (by a supermarket) but you cannot refreeze defrosted items at home?

Question

Today I bought some food that I had planned to freeze for use on another day. On the back of the packet it detailed that it had previously been frozen but thawed under controlled conditions and that it was safe to refreeze. I had always thought you couldn’t refreeze once thawed. How can supermarkets do this differently to me at home?

If at all contextual, I live in the U.K. and it was a curry.

In: Other

Answer 1

Freezing and thawing by itself doesn’t make a food ‘unsafe’ but it will have a big effect on the flavor and texture. Water expands when it freezes so freeze/thaw cycles turn things into a mushy mess.