To buy or not to buy a certain product. That is the question. Is it nobler to prepare a meal completely from scratch, or pull together pre-washed or cut vegetables, prepared sauce and other conveniences to shorten preparation and cooking time and get on with your life?
This is an age-old question faced by people for decades. Our great, great grandparents had to decide whether to buy store bread or make it at home. Mothers faced the box or "made from scratch" question. Then, freeze-dried coffee hit the market, and people had to decide between percolated coffee and the newer version. These are decisions that most consumers do not even think twice about today.
Over 70 percent of married women in their childbearing years are now in the labor force. Although men are playing a more active role in food purchase and preparation, women still take the lead on over 85 percent of the cooking and 90 percent of the shopping. Whether people are employed outside the home or not, time demands are high. Now, consumer choice is even greater with fresh pasta, a variety of washed, cut and peeled vegetables, and many convenient sauces and fully or partially prepared entrees and side dishes. The broad-based food and supermarket industries have greatly reduced some of the labor involved in meal preparation because people want to increase discretionary time.
Partnering with the Supermarket
Most people are finding they have less, not more, time. These time-starved consumers are eating out or turning to their supermarkets not only for convenient and nutritious food but also for help in preparing meals. More and more consumers are turning to "meal solutions" to help them balance the demands in their lives. According to the 1998
Shopping for Health report prepared by the Food Marketing Institute and PREVENTION magazine, nearly three-fourths (73%) of shoppers have purchased prepared foods, such as deli salads or pre-cooked entrees, in a supermarket. This figure has increased from 68 percent in 1997 and 65 percent in 1996.
"Consumers' desire to take charge of their health extends to their need for convenient, nutritious food-to-go," said Ed Slaughter, director of research for PREVENTION magazine. "They are also looking for information and guidance to help them make decisions that will promote their health."
"Meal solutions" are supermarkets' answer to "what's for dinner" when the consumer enters the store at 5:00 p.m., as well as their response to consumer demands for variety and convenience. Examples include recipe cards displayed at appropriate locations, such as a recipe for meat loaf at the meat counter; or grouping food products together, such as tortilla shells, refried beans, salsa and cut lettuce for a quick Mexican dinner. Other ways supermarkets are trying to assist busy consumers are with ready-to-cook items (marinated poultry or pre-washed broccoli florets) and ready-to-heat items (vegetable lasagna or meat ravioli).
Although convenience foods are a definite attraction, many people have questions. Am I sacrificing anything for convenience? Do the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables need to be fresh? What about additives and preservatives? Do they affect safety? Do the additional health benefits exist in processed as well as fresh foods?
How Processed and Unprepared Products Compare
For most fruits and vegetables, there is a difference in taste and texture between fresh and canned or frozen versions. However, nutritional analysis verifies that fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are practically identical in vitamin content. "Taking advantage of the variety of canned and frozen produce is a great way to reach '5 A Day,'" said Sue Snider, Ph.D., University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service. "Many consumers have the notion that frozen and canned varieties 'don't count' when in fact they are sometimes more nutritious than those found in the produce aisle because they are harvested and preserved at the peak of freshness." Fresh produce often loses some of its nutrients during shipping, while at the store, and in consumers' refrigerators.
Phytonutrients-plant components with potential health benefits-are present regardless of how they are processed. The lycopene in tomatoes, for example, is in fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes and spaghetti and pizza sauce. Evidence shows that processing actually improves the bioavailability of lycopene.
Processing can also add a safety advantage to some products. Traditional pasteurization, or heating to destroy harmful bacteria, has been recognized as a food safety advantage for decades, and is considered one of the major advances in public health. When milk pasteurization was discussed in the early 1900's, the concern was tuberculosis as well as other illnesses then could be transferred by raw milk. Those few states that currently permit the sale of unpasteurized milk experience periodic recalls because of contamination with salmonella or E. coli O157:H7. More recently, pasteurization is being applied to apple cider. According to Dr. Snider, "Some people were concerned that pasteurization would reduce nutritional value, but the change is only minimal. On the other hand, heat treatment of cider is critical because the benefits of additional protection from E. coli can be life saving."
One day, consumers across the country may be able to select safety-enhanced irradiated meat and poultry that have been pasteurized through irradiation. This "cold pasteurization" process leaves the product virtually unchanged regarding taste, texture and nutritional value. Yet, 99.99 percent of harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are destroyed (see March/April Food Insight).
Some consumers are concerned about preservatives and additives used in processed food. Additives have been used since antiquity either to improve food preparation or to preserve food. Salt was used to cure meat in 3,000 B.C., and bread leavened by yeast or chemicals has been popular for millennia.
The U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act defines a food additive as any substance that becomes a component of food or affects the characteristics of a food. By legal definition, sugar and spices, as well as leavening agents, are food additives. More than 75 percent of food additives are used to impart flavor. Additives can serve several functions:
- Improve or maintain nutritional quality. Nutrients can either be lacking or lost during processing. Vitamin A, a fat-soluble nutrient, is added back to reduced-fat milk, and grains are enriched with vitamins and minerals lost during milling, or fortified to improve public health.
- Improve quality and reduce waste. Calcium propionate is added to bread to retard molding, and nitrite is added to cured meat to prevent botulism. Cucumbers are preserved when they are converted into pickles with the addition of salt and vinegar. Cabbage is available year round as sauerkraut by preserving it in salt and through natural fermentation.
- Maintain food quality and consistency. The addition of emulsifiers and stabilizers prevent oil separation in salad dressing and peanut butter. The use of phosphate additives in instant oatmeal or instant pudding facilitates fast and convenient preparation.
- Make food more appealing. Use of food colors enhances the appearance of certain foods and meets consumer expectations, especially for holiday or fun foods.
Food Additives Are Regulated
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires food manufacturers to prove that an additive is safe for its intended use in food. Commonly used household ingredients like salt, sugar and spices and other food ingredients like caffeine and MSG are classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and are exempt from this requirement as are items used prior to 1958. The FDA monitors all prior sanctioned and GRAS ingredients in response to new scientific information and evidence on safety.
The decision to buy or not to buy certain products should be based upon personal preference and lifestyle, but not fear or safety concerns. Prepared food combines good nutrition with convenience to meet the needs of all consumers.
