Should Not Health Be The Engine of Modern Food Industry?

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Should Not Health Be The Engine of Modern Food Industry?

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

The consumption of processed food and the increasing dependence on processed food has changed lifestyles. It has also contributed significantly to obesity. The food industry is powerful enough to determine what food is produced, how it is produced and processed. The industry also influences what are consumed and how it is consumed. It influences the whole agricultural sector including government policies. Concerns for health are hardly a priority in this profit driven industry. There is more profit in selling processed food than fresh food. The shelf-life of processed food is also more. The consumer has to choose between short shelf-life costlier nutritionally richer fresh food and the longer shelf-life cheaper nutritionally poorer processed food. Processed food is also easier to purchase, store, and prepare. It also makes life easy for the harried and rushed for time urbanite.

The consumer preference in food is decided increasingly these days by the food industry. It is actually not as though that the consumer has the choice. They have to choose from what the industry offers. This is the situation in most urban centers. The food processing industry has developed technologies that can ensure a longer shelf life. The fresh food is processed through the use of such technologies as pasteurization, cooling, autoclaving, drying, salting and separation of various components. The processed food is then packed and sold through the stores. Cooling continues to be the main method of processing to retain freshness. In addition to longer shelf life, the food is kept safe from bacterial infection too. Nevertheless, there are other problems that arise from processing.

Processing reduces the nutritional value of the food. That is why processed food is found to be enriched with additional nutritional ingredients. Processed food may also contain harmful acids and fats. Consumption of beverages too has increased adding to carbohydrates and sugar intake. Together with fast food, these contribute to the overweight problem. Along with this the weight loss market has been booming. There are a variety of weight loss guides and programs available for you to know the causes and how to manage them. Guides such as HCG Weightloss, Lose Your Belly Fat, and Low GI Diet offer you a choices for shedding excess fat.

To begin with you may choose a weight loss program that suits you. Seeking professional advice could be a good idea before you make the choice. Along with this, better nutrition and modification in your lifestyle could go a long way in maintaining better health.

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