Also known as Convenience Foods or Commercially Prepared Foods or Packaged Foods
What are processed foods?
“Processed” refers to food that has undergone a “change in character”. Processed foods have
been altered from their natural state for safety reasons and for convenience. The methods
used for processing foods include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and aseptic
processing. Processed foods can be as simple as cut, pre-washed spinach versus a head of
spinach being the unprocessed form.
Processing foods may be appropriate and some processed foods are healthy.
For example:
Milk would be considered a processed food because it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and
homogenized to keep fats from separating.
While fresh may be best, freezing vegetables preserves vitamins and minerals and
makes them convenient to cook and eat all year around.
Fruit and vegetable juice is a processed food.
Many processed foods are made with trans fats, saturated fats, and large
amounts of sodium and sugar. These types of foods should be avoided.
Examples of processed foods include:
frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
packaged cakes and cookies
boxed meal mixes, such as Macaroni and Cheese and Rice A Roni
sugary breakfast cereals
processed meats, i.e. luncheon meats, sausages, ham, bacon, chicken strips, chicken
nuggets, hot dogs, bologna
packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks
high-fat convenience foods, such as cans of ravioli
canned foods with lots of sodium
white breads and pastas made with refined white flour
Developed by Lisa Francescutti, RD
June 2010
What does this all mean?
• If you shop for processed foods, be sure to look for products that are
made with whole grains, low in sodium and calories, and free of trans
fats.
Information • Pay attention to the serving size and balance out the processed foods
you eat with a fresh salad and whole grain bread.
• Purchase fresh ingredients, or food with minimal processing, and always
read the Nutrition Facts label.
• Fresh ingredients and food with minimal processing tend to be LESS
Cost expensive than processed foods. It’s more cost effective to cook from
fresh ingredients and/or foods with minimal processing.
• In general, fresh foods may be expected to contain a higher
proportion of naturally-occurring vitamins, fiber and minerals than an
equivalent product processed by the food industry.
• Food processing can lower the nutritional value of foods, and
introduce hazards not encountered with naturally-occurring products.
Vitamin C, for example, is destroyed by heat and therefore canned
Nutrition fruits have a lower content of vitamin C than fresh ones.
• A single serving of highly processed foods contain a significant portion
of the recommended daily allowance of sodium. Without a
significant amount of sodium in highly processed foods, the taste
would be compromised. Research shows that diets high in sodium
are linked to high blood pressure and the development of
cardiovascular disease.
• Processed foods often include food additives such as flavorings and
texture-enhancing agents, which may have little or no nutritive value
and sometimes considered unhealthy.
• Preservatives added or created during processing to extend the
Health 'shelf-life' of products, such as nitrites or sulphites, may cause
adverse health effects.
• Use of low-cost ingredients that mimic the properties of natural
ingredients (i.e. cheap chemically-hardened vegetable oils in place of
more-expensive natural saturated fats or cold-pressed oils) have
been shown to cause severe health problems.
Developed by Lisa Francescutti, RD
June 2010