(Newswire.net — February 12, 2016) — As many of us buy our groceries from the supermarket, it’s no surprise we’re somewhat uninformed about the lifecycle of our food. In fact, as we pop perfectly smooth, cellophane-wrapped broccolis into our trolleys, free from imperfections, we’d be forgiven for assuming they’ve required little more than a dusting down before they hit the supermarket shelves. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Unless you’re growing your own, vegetables are actually quite processed. Dispel the notion that processed means refined, sugary, or packaged. It does refer to something that happens to those types of products, but ‘processing’ actually refers to any activity that deliberately changes the food before it’s made available for us to eat. This means that our vegetables are processed too – at least to some extent.
All of our supermarket vegetables undergo ‘minimal processing’ by way of washing and packaging them or bagging salads. Some vegetables undergo more processing (such as beans and tomatoes, or frozen fruits and vegetables) in order to preserve and enhance nutrients, or to prolong the ‘freshness’ of food at its peak.
It’s worth mentioning, however, that processing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in lots of ways, processing vegetables (or even improving vegetables before they’ve been planted by mechanisms such as seed pelleting) is a crucial aspect of reliably providing food on a commercial scale. However, what is worth addressing is that we’re rarely aware of the fact that our food is processed. What ends up on your table is a long way removed from what’s been pulled from the earth – regardless of whether that was done by machine or hand, organic or non-organic, chemical-free or as nature intended.
So what really happens? Well, before seeds are planted in soil, they may have undergone some changes. These changes ensure that the crop produced is healthy and suitable to sell once fully grown. This is great for farmers, as it ensures that they’ll have a product the supermarkets want to stock. It’s also great for us as consumers, as it we’ll get precisely the kind of vegetable we’re used to cooking with (though recent months have seen a growing trend for consumers wanting wonky veg thanks to Jamie and Jimmy).
Then, vegetables growers tend to a crop depending on their preferred farming method. For some growers, this is a heavily mechanised operation and is added to with chemical treatments. For others, it’s a simple case of watch and wait. Of course, when our vegetables are pulled from the earth, they’re an awful lot muddier than they are when they reach our plates! This is where processing occurs. Producers wash dirt, debris and wildlife from the vegetables, with some blanching the crop or storing it in water to preserve freshness and flavour, whilst others go further and freeze the vegetable within a matter of hours.
After that, your vegetables are packaged in a variety of different materials: some to prevent bruising, others to prevent air oxidising the flesh of a vegetable and turning it brown, and some to simply transport them in the highest numbers possible. Once cleaned, packaged and ready to go, vegetables are transported across the country (or indeed, across the world) to your local supermarket.
Of course, this process changes depending on the farmer, location and consumer. So, whatever your feelings are on the subject, remember that buying vegetables ready- prepared is a personal choice, just as choosing to buy vegetables directly from a farmer is. Just be sure to use them safely.