Frozen, processed food sales are down, according to ConAgra, and they mean to "educate" the public about that.
Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for our health, the local food movement has been gaining a hold on people's minds and they are now eating fresher, healthier whole food to themselves and their families. This affects processed food sales negatively, but instead of following the concept of free market economics (funny how the value of free market economics is touted, but never followed unless convenient for corporations and banks - staring right at you, Wall Street).
If ConAgra actually listened to consumers and heard that they want fresh, organic, local food, they could move beyond hyper-corn-infused microwave dinners and actually provide us with frozen food we would be tempted to eat. The reality is that we are busy and we do not always have time to make supper or lunch from scratch, but we do not want to fill our bodies with limp pasta and tasteless sauce that required four minutes and 30 seconds in the microwave anymore. The questions now in consumer's minds are "Where did my food come from?" and "How was my food made?". If we aren't able to make it ourselves, we want it to be nearly as nutritious as if we had.
Alas, this is not the tack they wish to take. Instead, they want to "educate" (ie. sell) the public on the benefits and healthiness of their food. They want people to be convinced that processed, microwavable dinners are somehow better for us than the fresh produce from the farmer's market. They have expressed concern that processed, frozen food has received a bad reputation. Deservedly so!! These so-called microwavable "dinners" are barely food in the proper sense in the first place. The public is still convinced to a great extent that eating food with the words "low-fat" on it are healthy. Yet, study after study shows that low-fat foods do NOT help people lose weight. Our brains aren't stupid; they want their proper fats to function and will make us eat and eat and eat to get it. I could go on about low-fat foods, but I will stop myself here and leave that for another post.
The truth of matter is that these overly processed foods are not good alternatives to a home made meal. Does that mean that all frozen food is terrible? Of course not. There is an entire section of the frozen food aisle dedicated to frozen vegetables and fruits. They include in their ingredient list that fruit or vegetable and THAT IS IT. Nothing else weird and unpronounceable is necessary because it has been frozen in its simplest state. Now, if they would go down the road to organics, that would be even better. I have read the studies that state the nutritious quality of food is not compromised if it is sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Perhaps not. But that doesn't mean I want my body and my air filled with toxic chemicals, right? And it would be nice if my food was not GMO because I do not want to be Monsanto's personal lab rat (as we have been with wheat and look at all of the gluten allergy people now!).
At the end of the day, corporations like ConAgra need to start listening to consumers instead of trying to shove their sad idea of "healthy" down our throats. Because if they get their way, the only healthy thing is going to be their bank accounts.
I like knowing what I'm eating. Who knows what else is in the processed food. And DDT was once considered safe.... Just cause there is a study that says it's safe doesn't mean it actually is!
ReplyDelete