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This article, written by Dalhousie University's Sylvain Charlebois and Dalhousie University's Janet Music, was originally published in The Conversation and is republished here with permission:
Ultra-processed foods, a label invented in research by a Brazilian pediatrician, have long been viewed as a threat to society, primarily by environmental advocates and health professionals.
For most consumers, the distinction between processed and ultra-processed foods is a matter of individual perception. Many consumers recognize that ultra-processed foods contain additives and artificial ingredients. However, there is confusion about processing, as all processed foods become badociated.
Few people have dared to refute the argument that ultra-processed foods are bad for us, and the mbadive movement against them has clearly influenced public policies around the world. At home, for example, Canada's Food Guide recommends staying away from ultra-processed foods.
However, the socio-economic consequences of discouraging consumers from buying and consuming these products have been underestimated in most cases. Little attention has been paid to how wages have not kept pace with our lifestyles, the gender gap in the division of unpaid work and the pressure on women to they adopt an unrealistic and idealized version of motherhood in the fight against processed foods.
Nearly ten years ago, the value of processed foods was suddenly the subject of close scrutiny. Consumers not only began to question the value of processed foods, but they also feared that these foods might contribute to the onset of chronic noncommunicable diseases or even cancer. It has become commonplace to think that processed foods contribute, at the very least, to unhealthy eating habits.
Over the last 40 years, however, the number of women entering or returning to work has increased exponentially: almost 70% of households in Canada have dual incomes, which leaves them with much less time. families to focus on home cooking. At the same time, wages have stagnated, failing to keep up with the rising cost of living, financially constraining families. Women feel the financial and temporal burden of families are greater: 68.6% of women feel that they do not have enough time in the day, but the division of unpaid work force n & # 39; It has not kept pace with gender parity in the labor market.
Reduce costs and save time
Processed foods save consumers time and money. The acquisition of these products means less time in the kitchen. Less affluent families often have less free time because they work longer for lower wages or have multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Decades ago, it took hours of cooking to prepare three meals a day for a family of four, and of course women were largely responsible for it. Processed foods have allowed the same family to accomplish the same task exponentially in less time. In other words, the text suggesting that ultra-processed foods should be banned completely ignores the contribution of food science for more than a century.
It is also badist to suggest that families spend more time preparing homemade meals without considering the consequences for women already overburdened, as most cooking in most households is still done by women.
The media has also put undue pressure on women to become perfect mothers, even though many of them work full time, resulting in stress and burnout. Indeed, the pressures to eat "clean" and keep a perfect home while maintaining an environmentally conscious household and an aura of complete happiness are as unrealistic as ridiculous.
Processed foods have undeniably contributed significantly to our food systems. And it has other benefits, largely forgotten: it protects us from post-harvest losses and ensures the availability of food all year round.
Most consumers may not be aware that processing reduces waste and has made foods such as edible and palatable dairy products and wheat. These foods improve the quality of foods, eliminate potential innate toxins, and improve the bioavailability of nutrients. More importantly, the transformation adds nutrients and provides the population with foods that improve public health.
Rising rates of obesity
Studies have badociated increasing rates of obesity with the consumption of processed or ultra-processed foods. Although these observations are largely correct, most have not demonstrated, beyond a reasonable doubt, a clear causal connection between the two.
Ultra-processed foods can play a role in an unhealthy lifestyle, but can not be considered the main contributor. In fact, there exists in the United States a stronger badociation between obesity rates and income inequality than that between the rates of obesity and ultra-processed foods. Overly simplistic badyzes can lead to damaging conclusions that access to nutrition information, the level of food insecurity and cultural approaches to food consumption all contribute to consumer choice in terms of nutrition. food.
Food processors have certainly put on the market some terrible products, including hydrolysed margarine, baking soda and ready-to-eat products that contain a lot of sodium, with the goal of providing greater convenience to consumers. consumers. But they are now more sensitive to current market trends. Many new healthy products are available, such as probiotics containing kefir, yogurt and kefir, sea vegetables and herbal protein products. The trend suggests that food manufacturers listen to consumers.
To eat well, it is essential to return to basic principles: choose smaller portions, eat fruits and vegetables, eat whole grains, prepare a balanced portfolio of protein yourself and sometimes enjoy a donut – at the same time. Occasion, but not every day.
The dialogue on ultra-processed foods in recent years has stigmatized many food products and has made an entire sector of the food industry irresponsible. But many processed foods, ranging from cheese to cereals and canned foods, are healthy and provide the essential nutrients to time – and money – hungry consumers.
Processed foods are a viable way to improve nutrient profiles and nutrient intakes, and food manufacturers have made great strides in ensuring quality nutritious foods in recent years. So, let's stop discriminating from ultra-processed foods, and point out those who turn to them for reasons of time, convenience and affordability.
Sylvain Charlebois, Director, Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory, Professor of Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie University and Janet Music, Research Associate, Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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