The Dark Secret Of The Food Industry: Ready-made Meals

Researching the food preparation process never hurts. Prefabricated items, for example, pose very dangerous health risks.

The concept of ‘ready made meals’ is heard a lot. There are hundreds of ultra-processed and frozen foods that offer users a ‘quicker’ and ‘easier’ alternative than normal when it comes to preparing a tasty and accessible menu.

However, this kind of food carries more risks than health benefits. The advertising that surrounds it is, to say the least, misleading. Its low and affordable price also makes it the only option for many low-income families when they are, in turn, those who have the fewest resources to face the consequences.

Although the food industry pursues its economic profit, it must go through strict quality control. To carry it out there are experts in Food Safety, as explained by Gemma del Caño, Pharmaceutical and expert in Quality, Food Safety.

Let’s see below what some research reveals. In your data we will find the importance of paying attention to certain details, without this stressing us and leading us to mistrust without foundation.

Foods to avoid

One of the keys to the success of pre-made meals is that they will always taste the same until their expiration date.

However, what the consumer does not take into account is that, to achieve that delicious perennial flavor, these foods have been subjected to a series of processes. That is, a multitude of substances have been added (some of them preservatives) to keep them fresh and delicious despite the passage of time.

Most of the pre-made or ultra-processed foods are high in substances that are not recommended to consume on a daily basis. Some of them are:

• Sodium
• Sugars

• Saturated fat
• Chemical substances

Therefore, frequent and excessive consumption of these foods can have a negative impact on health. This, in the long term, could lead to different problems such as:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol levels

In the same way, among the pre-made meals that could pose a health risk are, among others:

• Refreshments
• Margarine
• Baubles
• Some canned
• Sausage meats
• Ready meals
• Cereal bars
• Hamburger meat
• Instant Pot Soups and Macaroni
• Snacks bagged (with added sugar, salt, and trans and saturated fats)
• Some types of cookies and cereals with added sugars

One of the biggest problems What is excessive consumption? of these foods daily is that, with it, calorie intake is increased , leaving aside the necessary nutrient intake. In addition, the importance of consuming fresh and nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables, is neglected.

Notably the nutrients of these foods are essential for the correct functioning of the organism and the correct digestion of fats.

Acrylamide: one of the dangers of ready-made meals

The marketing has worked hard when convince consumers of the benefits of prefabricated meals.

In this sense, advertisements and advertising campaigns show how easy it is to prepare these foods and how delicious they are. This generates confidence in people when it comes to acquiring them.

However, this study carried out by the European Snacks Association and published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (United States) affirms that one of the substances used to make it is a potentially neurotoxic chemical called: acrylamide.

Acrylamide  is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are prepared at high temperatures, from the reaction between sugars and an amino acid called asparagine.

Among the pre-made foods with this substance can be found: chips , French fries, the crust of bread, toast, crusty bread or breakfast cereals, among others.

Conclusion

Some companies that are part of the food industry they carry out advertising campaigns to win over and convince consumers of acquiring and consuming their products. However, they do not always convey the warnings necessary for consumption to be carried out in a moderate and safe way.

By law, some foods must have on their labeling the list of ingredients, additives and the like with which they are prepared. This allows the consumer to know exactly what that you are going to buy and, therefore, to ingest. 

Unfortunately, the average buyer does not usually stop to look at the list of ingredients with which a product is made , something that works in favor of the ultra-processed and pre-cooked food industry.

There are many loopholes around this niche, making it difficult to ban. Therefore, it never hurts to investigate a little about it. , always consulting official sources, such as the information provided by experts in Health and Food Safety.

Otherwise, as consumers, we can always limit our consumption of ultra-processed and related groceries, and instead prioritize the recently called real food .