What is "Processed Food"?

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  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,633 Member
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    When I think of processed food I think of any kind of restaurant or fast food/ junk foods/ and "fake" foods like any kind of fake cheese or foods with a lot of ingredients that are hard to pronounce.
  • Logical_Integrity
    Logical_Integrity Posts: 48
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    I have to admit. I just don't get the "if I don't understand the ingredient, it isn't healthy or is processed" argument. So, the more ignorant of chemical terminology you are, the fewer unprocessed/healthy items you can eat? Really? What if you go to a foreign country and don't read the language? What can you eat then?

    It is all semantics. People would rather just label something unhealthy or bad for you instead of taking the time to actually research the facts behind ingredients, how they are processed, why they are named differently and so forth. Laziness and lack of knowledge for the most part. Add those to the people that jump on "bandwagons" and you have a wealth of misinformation and confusion. I know it is sad but to each their own.
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
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    eat your meat raw :) haha - just saying -- I've done it and it's delish

    paleo follows the non-processed foods. veggies, meats, eggs, no dairy/grains/wheats...etc
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    it's not about how long it lasts at your house, but how long it lasts on supermarket shelves. unprocessed foods lead to a lot of waste at the supermarket because they spoil before being purchased. that creates a loss for the company producing said food, thus preservatives save companies tons of $$

    But the fact remains that the longer something lasts, the lower the sales volume. How long it lasts at someone's house is a huge factor. And I'm unfamiliar with grocery store operations - do they seriously buy their product on consignment? Hard to believe spoiled product is the responsibility of the supplier (unless delivered that way), and not the supermarket.

    not true. a box of cheez-its lasts on the store shelf for years, but once purchased will be gone in one late night binge. in other words, Nabisco makes profit on 100% of its product because it lasts forever AND the consumer buys it often.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Are you sure they're cheaper to produce? More ingredients (not necessarily more costly however), and R&D costs must be accounted for somewhere. I'm unpersuaded. And again, how does something that doesn't spoil lead to more $$? The longer something lasts, the less I buy of it.
    Have you ever studied economics or large scale logistics? Extending shelf life is a key factor in reducing cost and improving revenue.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    eat your meat raw :) haha - just saying -- I've done it and it's delish

    paleo follows the non-processed foods. veggies, meats, eggs, no dairy/grains/wheats...etc
    When I break down a standing rib roast of beef, I'll portion everything out while keeping generous trimmings. Once everything is portioned out and vac packed, I'll take the trimmings, remove the fat. Pound them out flat between two pieces of plastic.

    Arrange them flat on a plate, cover in a little kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a generous amount of really fruity, dark green extra virgin olive oil. Then a couple quick drops of truffle oil, and boom. Done. Eat it with some endive if you'd like, or with your fingers.
  • Theindomitablejeeves
    Theindomitablejeeves Posts: 15 Member
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    it's not about how long it lasts at your house, but how long it lasts on supermarket shelves. unprocessed foods lead to a lot of waste at the supermarket because they spoil before being purchased. that creates a loss for the company producing said food, thus preservatives save companies tons of $$

    But the fact remains that the longer something lasts, the lower the sales volume. How long it lasts at someone's house is a huge factor. And I'm unfamiliar with grocery store operations - do they seriously buy their product on consignment? Hard to believe spoiled product is the responsibility of the supplier (unless delivered that way), and not the supermarket.

    not true. a box of cheez-its lasts on the store shelf for years, but once purchased will be gone in one late night binge. in other words, Nabisco makes profit on 100% of its product because it lasts forever AND the consumer buys it often.
    I'm sure there is no shortage of people who eat cheez-its in moderation and controlled portions. I need to look no further than my kids as demonstration. But I think that Nabisco would make profit on 100% of it's cheez-its even if they didn't last forever, because I doubt they are responsible for product going bad once the store takes possession. Do you know? Is the grocery store accountable for making good purchasing decisions and responsible when product goes bad? Or is the supplier liable? If it's the former, then more money would "roll in" if things didn't last forever.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    it's not about how long it lasts at your house, but how long it lasts on supermarket shelves. unprocessed foods lead to a lot of waste at the supermarket because they spoil before being purchased. that creates a loss for the company producing said food, thus preservatives save companies tons of $$

    But the fact remains that the longer something lasts, the lower the sales volume. How long it lasts at someone's house is a huge factor. And I'm unfamiliar with grocery store operations - do they seriously buy their product on consignment? Hard to believe spoiled product is the responsibility of the supplier (unless delivered that way), and not the supermarket.

    not true. a box of cheez-its lasts on the store shelf for years, but once purchased will be gone in one late night binge. in other words, Nabisco makes profit on 100% of its product because it lasts forever AND the consumer buys it often.
    I'm sure there is no shortage of people who eat cheez-its in moderation and controlled portions. I need to look no further than my kids as demonstration. But I think that Nabisco would make profit on 100% of it's cheez-its even if they didn't last forever, because I doubt they are responsible for product going bad once the store takes possession. Do you know? Is the grocery store accountable for making good purchasing decisions and responsible when product goes bad? Or is the supplier liable? If it's the former, then more money would "roll in" if things didn't last forever.

    the grocery wouldn't buy as much if it didn't last as long.

    come on man, economics. just think for a second.
  • Gordo1981
    Gordo1981 Posts: 59 Member
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    Also, this is one of my favourite charts when it comes to talking about what people consider "processed foods"
    how-to-find-real-food-at-the-supermarket-graphic.jpg

    I like the part about lightbulbs,
    I need to remember to buy lightbulbs for my garage!
  • Theindomitablejeeves
    Theindomitablejeeves Posts: 15 Member
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    Are you sure they're cheaper to produce? More ingredients (not necessarily more costly however), and R&D costs must be accounted for somewhere. I'm unpersuaded. And again, how does something that doesn't spoil lead to more $$? The longer something lasts, the less I buy of it.
    Have you ever studied economics or large scale logistics? Extending shelf life is a key factor in reducing cost and improving revenue.
    Perhaps with raw materials so just in time manufacturing is easier to manage. But extending shelf life for finished goods trying to be sold is a key factor in reducing cost and improving revenue? How? Assuming the retailer is responsible for product that goes bad, and it's not a consignment situation, I'm not following the logic.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    I was reading while eating a banana and I almost died because I choke while laughing , – obviously, I can't just swing by the store and pick up active live cultures. :laugh:

    Why not? I live in a tiny little town and I can. Hell, when I lived in SF and Boston I could quite easily. You can even get it online.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    How?

    It's pretty simple. There are a lot of factors involved that cover retail to the end user, logistics issues, account crediting, etc.

    Here's a good place to start.
    http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp

    Then you can google from there!

    You'll find quite quickly how important shelf life can be to the bottom line.
  • Laurelthequeen
    Laurelthequeen Posts: 78
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    I guess I use the term processed incorrectly. To me healthy "unprocesed" means limited ingredients, nothing I can't pronounce, and if it was an item available to mankind before the industrial revolution, it is worth considering. No corn syrup or modified anything. If it came from a tree, plant or the ground, and still has the skin or stem, even better. Happy, uncaged animals taste better and don't need hormones or antibiotics.

    Whole, clean foods, organic if possible, and if it was grown or made in my state thats a bonus. Artificial is not a flavor. Neither is sodium. Genetically modified scares the heck out of me. I prefer things modified by Mother Earth. Naive? Maybe, but I'm hopeful I can make conscious choices. And make the best choices I have available to me.

    This is a solid interpretation that I agree with.

    I am personally trying to cut out things like refined flours, but that's more for weight loss reasons than for being afraid of what they have added to them. All dirty dozen items we buy are organic, and we go organic for anything containing the monsanto group of foods. Otherwise, I'm willing to pay more for organic, but not 2-3x as much.
  • StArBeLLa87
    StArBeLLa87 Posts: 1,582 Member
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    To avoid processed foods a good tip is stay out of the middle of the grocery store
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Packaged food can be produced easily in large volume, transported easily, stored easily, and sold easily. It's easy to quantify, and very little is lost due to damage or spoilage as compared to fresh/whole/bulk foods. It takes up less space on the shelves.

    It's easier for production, shipping, inventory, and sales.
  • Joniboloney
    Joniboloney Posts: 127 Member
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    Also, this is one of my favourite charts when it comes to talking about what people consider "processed foods"
    how-to-find-real-food-at-the-supermarket-graphic.jpg

    This is great, Thanks!
  • Theindomitablejeeves
    Theindomitablejeeves Posts: 15 Member
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    the grocery wouldn't buy as much if it didn't last as long.

    come on man, economics. just think for a second.
    Thanks for the sound advice, thinking hadn't occurred to me.
    But they would buy it more frequently. And, limited shelf space itself likely limits the amount a grocery would purchase of a long lasting product at any one time.
    Assuming control of costs and a good manufacturing process (regardless of degree of processing), it seems to me a high turn over rate in a company's product at a store is a good recipe. The longer it's sitting on the shelf, the less frequently the store is buying another to replace it.

    Sorry OP for hijacking your thread. I think I'm done...
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    unless you live in amish country, most things are processed. which isn't always a bad thing

    I DO live in Amish Country :laugh: and I sell products to a lot of Amish kitchens. I have never seen MSG on their shelves

    I define "processed" food as something I couldn't make myself.

    There are exceptions like yogurt or cheese, sure I COULD make it myself. After this thought process I to go:

    Can I pronounce the ingredients?
    or
    The One Ingredient train of thought. What is in carrots? Carrots. What is in Chicken? Chicken. Now I am ok mixing carrots with chicken to make something.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    the grocery wouldn't buy as much if it didn't last as long.

    come on man, economics. just think for a second.
    Thanks for the sound advice, thinking hadn't occurred to me.
    But they would buy it more frequently. And, limited shelf space itself likely limits the amount a grocery would purchase of a long lasting product at any one time.
    Assuming control of costs and a good manufacturing process (regardless of degree of processing), it seems to me a high turn over rate in a company's product at a store is a good recipe. The longer it's sitting on the shelf, the less frequently the store is buying another to replace it.

    Sorry OP for hijacking your thread. I think I'm done...

    with processed snacks, there's high turnover AND longevity. it's a win-win for everyone making money off cheez-its.

    see jonnythan's post above
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Would you all eat this piece of food?


    Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Pyridoxine, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Folate, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium, Zinc, Phytosterols, Amino acids, Alanine,Arginine, Aspartic acid, Cystine, Glutamic acid, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine,Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine,Proline, Serine,Threonine, Tryptophan,Tyrosine, Valine

    Yum sounds delicious. And OP you are right never once is that term used in nutritional science. To me taking a knife to food is processing or adding baking soda to flour so it rises is processing. It is the process of changing food either in mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation.

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