Processed Food History

I was not exactly aware of the processed food origins, but I had a remote notion that this processed served to preserve food when refrigeration wasn't yet a household reality nor a portable solution.

Opposed to you, I'm thankful this process exists because makes possible to have food at hand that otherwise we could reach, let's say if we would be lost in the middle of the desert. Preparedness groups certainly may also appreciate their existence.

However don't get me wrong, I see processed food as a good option to have ingredients to prepare a traditional meal, which would be rotten otherwise because I don't currently have a fridge, but not exactly as an easy fix meal, even if the may serve for this though.

 

It's not an entirely bad thing. We all have the choice and we're all making it. Unfortunately, most don't understand what their foods are doing to them and don't care because it's not immediately hurting them (or so they think), sort of like smoking.. if a cigarette would give you cancer after the first one, most wouldn't do it. I hope! lol. Or there are those who eat it out of necessity.. because it is necessary for many. Sometimes I wish it was never invented either.. but again, nobody is force feeding us. Our health is our own doing, not these inventions.

 

Rosy, are you talking about the things that the military uses, like C-rations ? Those have become very popular, especially now that so many people are becoming "preppers", and stocking some extra food in case of an emergency or disaster of some sort.
As far as just plain canned food, I think that came from people canning home grown food in jars, and companies started processing it in cans for people so they could carry it and store it easier than with the jars. I could be wrong on that; so i will have to look it upand see.
Either way, it would definitely be much healthier for people if we could all grow our own food, or at least just buy it fresh from the grower, and take it home to eat.
Most of the food we have now is so processed that it is not even healthy for people any more.

 

You are absolutely right. I feel the same. All these highly processed foods nowadays, in combination with GMO's are causing all kinds of allergic reactions, one of them being lactose intolerance. I have many friends with young kids, and almost none of those children are able to tolerate "ordinary" milk or other dairy products. The same goes for gluten. But it's no wonder when you look at all the artificial and highly concentrated ingredients.

 

If you actually look back in history, you will realize this was a good thing because many people would have starved to death and the population would have decreased and many of you may not have existed.

While fresh food is preferable, even in Victorian times people were starving to death because they could not afford food, hence people used to steal food and poach. It's not the process, but how people choose to eat. Clarence Birdseye introducing freezing to the mass population from the eskimos and that was a positive thing, otherwise no one would be able to keep food for long periods of time.

 

To be fair - if you were to go back in time - you would see that humans “processing” food is actually something that has been going on for centuries.

However although originally a process done at home to prevent bacterial growth and make food last longer - the first real change came around the early 1900s when an American canning industry's research center - originally launched for the purpose of studying the bacteriology of food spoilage - got together with a French chemist who had discovered that the flavors, odors and colors of food could all be chemically made - extremely cheaply.

Which was then followed by the most drastic change of all - just some 50 years ago - when the food industry realized that as artificial flavors masked the taste of the original ingredients - they could start making huge profits - by cutting corners and replacing real food with bio-engineered chemical concoctions that looked and tasted like real food - especially as the latter are way, way cheaper and much easier to produce

Unfortunately this was also the era that people's lives changed dramatically and time became a valuable commodity - which as that somehow lead people to lose control over their lives and become easy prey for the food industry - this is the very reason why obesity is now a growing major global health problem and why billions and billions a year are needed to be spent on the health consequences of eating chemically produced " food ".

Sadly the future outlook doesn't look too promising either - as although the number of people dying from - heart disease, strokes, diabetes, several types of cancer as well as suffering from arthritis, infertility, gallstones, asthma - caused by the over-consumption of chemically produced " food " - is growing at a dramatic rate and effecting younger and younger people each year - could all be prevented by educating the public on the importance of eating healthy food and providing it too - its unlikely that will happen - for the simple reason - that as food is the most essential of all economic goods and the food industry's major objective is line their own pockets even further - by encouraging everyone to consume their chemical concoctions with misleading advertising - its very likely to get worse.

Which in reality means that - as the majority of people born in the past 30 years probably don't even know what real unadulterated food is, as they've never eaten it - even with the advanced medical technology we have today - life expectancy is likely to decrease significantly - unless people start taking control of their own health - by looking for healthier alternatives.

 

Speaking of military style rations - they are a very good example of why no one should be happy with what is happening to our food - especially as there is a whole world of difference between the original old style rations of just over 50 years ago to the processed “food “of today.

The main one being - that in those days food processing was used purely as a method of preserving real food with no added chemicals from bacterial growth - not only so that it could be stored for longer - but more importantly for the protection of the consumer.

Unlike that of today - where the primary benefit of processed food goes to the food manufacturers rather than the health of the consumer - particularly as processed “ food “ nowadays is not real food - but a deliberately changed - bio-engineered chemical concoction masquerading as what was once known as real food.

 

I agree with pretty much everything already said. I think most artificial things should be avoided, and we should eat as much fresh, natural food as possible. The problem nowadays is that companies have really skewed the truth, so it's often difficult to tell what is actually natural, versus artificially flavored, colored, which type of sugar is good versus bad, etc.

Life has become complicated, and so has determining what to eat and what is safe to feed our families. I don't mind so much the things (as discussed elsewhere) such as imitation crab meat, because it actually is food and is healthy, it's just a lower cost fish, rather than actual crab. Although I'm not a fan of artificial colors and flavors, what I find really concerning is when products are found to be unsafe, and can cause harm or death.

 

I'm not 100% against processed food - I think there is a time and a place for it, and it also depends on what types of processed foods you buy vs. others. Ramen noodles and a can of crushed tomatoes are both technically "processed foods" but the later isn't really bad for you at all, and often times a better option than the fresh variety since tomatoes are really only in season a limited time per year. You simply cannot make a tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes that are off season that is anywhere near as good as the canned variety which are picked and preserved at their peak. On the other hand, you can make your own fresh chicken soup which is far better than a pack of processed Ramen noodles.

Also, canned and processed foods are critical when dealing with emergencies and disasters where fresh foods may not be available or may have become contaminated. Think of situations such as hurricane Katrina, where people were without electricity for weeks if not months. Processed foods may not be the healthiest option available, but they are a far better option than stale rotten food or no food at all.

Not to mention, many people who grew their own gardens and cooked fresh food regularly during times such as the depression, also canned and made their own processed foods as well.

 

Well I must say that in certain situations, processed food or canned goods are very essential for people to survive just like during wars when it was invented by Kraft. Now we can put stocks for emergency purposes, like say, during typhoons or natural calamities that usually happens in my country. Although the benefits in our body is not as good with eating natural foods, in some way it can help people survive. But still we have to understand that consuming processed foods can be very bad to our health.