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Processed Food

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Processed Food

Postby Sakkarin » Sat Feb 03, 2018 3:36 pm

I've posted this because I find it horrific. Over 50% of UK food consumption is not just processed food, but what is described as "made in a factory with industrial ingredients and additives invented by food technologists and bearing little resemblance to the fruit, vegetables, meat or fish used to cook a fresh meal at home".

I am afraid I am guilty of eating "imitation food", but I am making a determined effort to exclude it from my diet this year.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... -purchases

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Joanbunting » Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:53 pm

Interesting isn't it that the further South in Europe you go the fewer ultra processed food are consumed.

I haven't got the reference to hand, but there was a similar survey done in France and the further North you went the more processed food were consumed.

As the article said the odd Digestive biscuit isn't going to be a problem ( one a day is my allowance :D )but when combined with all the other horrors ... eeek!

The worst offender in our local supermarket are the breakfast cereals, which only a few years ago were unknown here. In fact I used to have to bring Rice Crispies and cornflakes with us for the kids when we came on holiday. Now it's easy to buy cereals but try finding anything that doesn't contain ridiculous amounts of sugar, or honey or chocolate or all three.

The interesting thing is that, on the whole, French people don't snack - you can spot the ones who do ;) . You don't see much grazing in the street and that includes things like coffee. if you need a coffee when out, you go into a cafe and order one, sit down and drink it. The kids get a proper school lunch - the menus are impressive - and then they get a gouter when they come home to see them through to dinner. Traditionally this was a piece of fresh baguette with a couple of squares of chocolate inside. These days, quite often chocolate spread or a piece of plain cake, a crepe or a pain au raisin and maybe a piece of fruit or a fromage frais.

Thanks for the link anyway, food for thought indeed. I'm just off to check my extremely un sullied pot au feu whci has been simmering for the last 3 hours. :yum

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Sakkarin » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:13 pm

Joanbunting wrote:one a day is my allowance


I haven't the willpower. I say I'll just have the one, which becomes three, and then am wracked with guilt the next day when I find myself finishing the last one in the pack off...

Similarly with those huge bags of crisps, I have a few and fold the pack back up, saying I'll save them till tomorrow. All gone by bedtime. Like an alkie, when it comes to junk food I think with me it has to be a complete detox. None a day, not one a day.

I will try and get a pic in Tesco next time I go, the moment you enter you are bombarded with aisles and aisles of cut price sweets, biccies, soft drinks and junk food.

EDIT: You've probably got his books anyway, but if not, here's Bocuse's Pot-au-feu from the "French Chefs" book I mentioned recently - if you've got some truffle left over from the Pot-au-feu (!), there's a modest little soup recipe in the third column you can make, with just a little foie gras to cheer the truffle up a bit.

Image

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Renée » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:25 pm

What an interesting thread, Sakkarin.

Although we are a very small country, we seem to have the highest concentration of large supermarkets, so there is a lot of manufacturing going on and so many temptations in supermarkets.

I don't have breakfast cereals, except porridge, occasionally, with a grated raw apple in it. I usually make smoothies from yogurt, fruit, oat bran and a few toasted nuts thrown in. Lunch is usually oatcakes, cheese and small tomatoes or homemade paté. Sometimes I buy hummus, but usually make it. Evening meal is usually a casserole dish or fish with vegetables and rice, or sometimes new potatoes. Sometimes Italian with pasta. On the whole, I do buy fresh foods, but occasionally ready-made meals such as noodles with chicken and saté sauce from Asda. I was rather shocked when I noticed that the chicken was from Brazil. :o I do buy a large bag of Tyrrells Sweet Chilli and Pepper crisps occasionally, but they usually last over about four days.

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Suelle » Sat Feb 03, 2018 10:51 pm

It's hard to say, looking at the map, whether the smaller proportion of processed food consumed in some countries is because of a different food culture, or poverty. If you went from West to East, rather than North to South, you'd suspect that it was poverty that had the biggest influence.

You also need to factor in other cultural differences - does the UK have a bigger number of working mothers, with less time to cook? Or do workers in the UK spend more time commuting, so have less time for cooking properly, whether they are heads of families, just couples, or single people. More single people are living in shared accommodation, because of the difficulty of getting on the housing ladder - this might mean that shared cooking facilities are less conducive to 'proper' cooking.
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Re: Processed Food

Postby Alexandria » Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:31 pm

@ Sakkarin,

On the whole Spain, France and Italy, Portugal and Greece ( The Mediterranean ) shop in Central Markets located in the city centres verses large supermarkets ..

Rural people grow alot of their own produce and have 100% natural sustainable food right on their property with tiny farmer´s markets in the the main squares ..

Mediterraneans are also alot less flexible about foreign imports and are veered towards eating only their local product selection ..

Try getting curry powder in San Estevo Romanin, Ourense, Galicia .. Lots of luck !

The population of this Hamlet is 35 people ..

People in the big cities, like Barcelona and Madrid, check out the corner Tapas Bar ! They are packed full .. Most working professionals here, eat tapas for dinner ..

If people have young children, then this changes a few things .. However, still, and all, many tapas bars have a take out so one can order as they wish and bring it home ..

The working professionals with school age children have a " Nanny " who prepares the kids meals according to the parents desires ..

The Mediterranean also has very good labelling laws .. Here in Spain, all products are labelled thoroughly .. Transgeneticos = Genetically Modified Food in English ..

Gastronomic culture in the Mediterranean countries is completely different and profoundly steeped in its traditions ..


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Re: Processed Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:40 pm

I think the labelling laws are pretty much the same throughout the EU

Intrigued though that you would expect the nanny to prepare the children's dinner, I do think we have much less paid domestic support in the UK than in many other countries, certainly all the French cousins seem to have visiting household help, whereas in the UK people I know have a couple of hours cleaning a week or nothing

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Re: Processed Food

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:02 pm

Offhand, I can´t think of any processed foods in Venezuela, unless you include American imports ( devilled ham, CheezWhiz and Oscar Meyer wieners). There are Farmer´s markets at different spots in the city almost every day, and people buy their meat, chicken and vegetables there. Most dishes ( and I don´t think I´m generalising) are made from scratch.
Many homes ( at least, homes where there´s a professional working couple) have a maid to cook every day. We used to, but now there are just 3 of us, we don´t bother.

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Re: Processed Food

Postby jeral » Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:31 pm

I'm of the opinion rightly or wrongly that the UK has suffered more from US sugar/profit business model than anything else. Perhaps a close second is that anything fried in a crispy crumb/batter will be tasty irrespective of the minimal interior content, relegating the proper food to the also-ran part.

Do we foodies feel smug for knowing that highly-industrialised = rubbish, or helpless that people are so swayed by marketing claims oblivious of how far it is from fresh and healthy? By healthy, I mean the normal sense, not the marketing "healthier than eating cardboard" sense?

If, instead of glossy "eat me" pictures, there were picture showing "goodness" versus "gloop" by proportion, would that help? E.g. goodness would probably be a tablespoonful, gloop probably the remainder of the pint. Presumably it would be legal to publish such photos if a true analysis?

Recently I tried hard to buy some convenience foods that I could eat (no meat, milk-free) since have been under the weather but found it all "never again". How people live on it...

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Joanbunting » Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:08 pm

Sakkers.

Pot au feu consumed with pleasure. I have to admit that the remains of the Christmas truffle was fished out of the fridge and added but no foie gras - just a piece of lambs liver - which the cat will get. I used 3 sorts of meat: beef shin and paleron and veal shin. The beef marrow is my treat , spread on toasted baguette.

As is usual we put a slug of red wine into the bouillon we had with the meat and veg. The bouliion has been strained and we'll have that for supper with some left for onion soup tomorrow and the rest of the meat layered with potato and gribiche sauce will be supper tomorrow.

I don't know of a single family round here who has a nanny although we do have a Nou nou -( child minder) in the hameau. I think there are only two households who have a cleaner - I'm one.

We have markets close by every single day of the week. The biggest is in our nearest town which is where practically everyone goes to and, at the same tome pops into the butcher and patisserie. When i go to the supermarket it is noticable that they mostly contain staples like loo rolls and washing powder rather than such things as fresh meat. The fish though is excellent - bearing in mind that we are a long way from the sea here. everything is clearly labelled including blue marin conservation labels. Rather cheaper than buying from the market.

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Alexandria » Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:49 pm

Joan,

It is necessary to have a Nanny or Caretaker ( some one who does not live in one´s house in Spanish is called an Externa ) for one´s very young children if, one does not have parents or inlaws in the same city or country .. Spanish people call it a Nanny for the ease of pronouncing it .. :thumbsup

Very common in Spain ..

Depending on one´s agreement with this Nanny or Caretaker, some clean obviously and some only the basics but their main function are the kids under 18 ..

I have a cleaning lady every Friday .. Two professionals, impossible without .. Merits the excellence .. :clap
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Re: Processed Food

Postby Pampy » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:40 am

Before I retired and was still with my, now ex, husband, we both had "professional" and very intense/demanding jobs, which often necessitated us working long hours and travelling all over the world. However, we still managed to keep our reasonably large home well looked after without having to pay for help. We just had to be very organised. He was quite useless though but managed to do things when he was asked to!

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Petronius » Mon Feb 05, 2018 2:45 pm

A friend of mine who spends at least half the year living in the South of France is appalled at the amount of sugar in French breakfast cereals and other products.

'Discussing' with a vegan friend of mine the benefit of the Mediterranean diet he sent me these comments,

“Life expectancy in the UK (2015) is marginally better than that of Greece - 81.6yrs, versus 81.59!

“Greece ranks 16 on a 2007 list of fattiest countries with a percentage of 65.5% of its citizens with an unhealthy weight. This may be a surprise to most individuals because in the past Mediterranean countries like Greece were known to live a pretty healthy lifestyle.”


Girding my loins to post a reply, I found some information on the 'Occupation Effect', American food bought in to feed a starving population has continued - lots of Greeks no longer follow their traditional diet, as it is highly westernised.

I agree with jeral, UK supermarkets have gradually persuaded the population that cheap high fat/sugar/calorie food is healthy.

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Joanbunting » Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:20 pm

I agreee with your friend Dennis as I mentioned in my earlier post. If you buy "supermarket" bread the same holds true.
That's supermarkets I fear. Fortunately there are still plenty of local specialist shops and marketsso for those who want to, most people I'm glad to say, can find real fresh ingredients to cook real food.

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Re: Processed Food

Postby Alexandria » Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:57 am

I very rarely buy anything in a "supermarket " that is packaged. I always read labels if I do ..

El Corte Inglés of Barcelona has a Gourmet Club for its cheeses, charcuterie and of course its World wine wine department ..

I also buy all my toilet paper and kitchen paper towelling there as well ..

It is not a "typical supermarket" ..

It is the 1st supermarket in The Mediterranean of its size, opened in Madrid in 1936 and so it caters to natural sustainable products and has a Gourmet International Section, marked by country ..

My meat, fish, eggs, poultry and veggies and fruits, I purchase at Le Mercat de La Boqueria ..

Like Joan, we have a wide variety of tiny shops which specialise in local farmed goods as well .. :thumbsup :thumbsup
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Re: Processed Food

Postby WhitefieldFoodie » Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:17 pm

What a fantastic thread.

Me and Tiff do, where possible eat fresh food, cooked from scratch. However we do fall into the trap of the odd processed pizza, or some less than convincing ham when pushed for money. One way I have addressed this is by having 2 "Veggie" days per week. I have started eating lots of pulses and beans which has saved us a lot of money at what has been a very expensive time for us.

For me it comes down to food culture and education. I was raised in a household where a full plate was a good plate, but was lucky that my mom cooked the majority of our food fresh. However in the UK most people aged say, 25-40 have been raised at a time where the UK food scene/industry was saturated with saturates and sugar and production and convenience has taken precedence over skill, knowledge and enjoyment. I think now, especially with all the food "activism" going around, eg. Veganism, peoples attitudes are changing. People are getting more interested in the provenance of their food and are taking eco-sustainability into consideration more and more.

I think we will see a huge improvement in the next 10 years! :thumbsup

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