by Felicity Jakc

Created on: March 07, 2009   Last Updated: March 09, 2009

Thre are a number of arguments against processed foods and these are;

1. Fresh tastes better, always.

2. Processed foods often have a higher content of salts, sugar and fats, and a wide range of preservatives and other chemical additives.

3. Processed food uses more packaging and hence are less environmentally sound than fresh produce

Used wisely however processed foods can be a valuable adjunct to fresh foods in the kitchen. And they can be a healthy addition to our diet. In terms of freshness, fruit and vegetables in season but purchased from the shop down the corner or a local supermarket is often different to fresh from the garden, or the local farmer's market. It must not be assumed that what is in season is automatically freshly collected and chemical free just because it is located in the fresh produce part of the supermarket, and not in a can or packet.

As emergency stock

I lived on a supporting parent pension for a number of years as a young mother. It was a battle to survive but selective use of processed food was one of the ways I was able to provide us with varied and nutritious food until the next payment was due. My kitchen is stocked today with a list I developed then of processed foods always to have at hand.

The list includes the type of food - dried, canned - and the number of items I would need to cover a certain number of days.

Processed foods keep longer than fresh foods or perishables. As such a larder or kitchen stocked with a variety of canned and dried foods is a larger or kitchen that is still going to be able to cope when funds are low, or the household suddenly and unexpectedly has to deal with lots of visitors.

There are also certain processed foods which can be added to enrich or extend leftovers, and not just to fresh ingredients. Canned beans or extra pasta can be added to leftover spaghetti bolognaise or taco filling for example, to make a new or extra meal, or to make it sufficient to deal with the unexpected. Canned fruits can be added to leftover cake for desserts. Our family favourite slice is still hedgehog, made primarily with bought biscuits.

Cost efficient

Buying fruit and vegetables out of season is expensive, but some vegetables are part of favourite recipes all year. I am thinking particularly of tomatos here but this also applies to new recipes or ideas we are trying out which contains ingredients not immediately or easily available. Cost efficiency also happens in relation to spicing up or increasing the volume of leftovers,

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