ABOUT CONVENIENCE FOODS

INTRODUCTION

Convenience foods are foods that are processed and partly or totally prepared by a food manufacture, so they are either ready to eat or require minimal preparation by the consumer. Convenience foods are also called tertiary processed food. Some of the types of convenience foods include: preserved fruits and vegetables, nuts, processed deli meat and cheese and cans and jars of products, like soups and pasta sauces.

Convenience foods have become popular in recent years and people have gained some benefits in using or consuming convenience foods and these include:

  Consumers want meal preparations to be convenient, and convenience has two elements: quickness of preparation and simplicity of preparation. But often and after thought is minimizing or eliminating clean up.

  Adding value: meat and poultry companies, plagued for years with razor- thin margins, have migrated to added value foods to increase profits. By figuring out what matter to consumers, some of them transformed from suppliers of commodities to providers of value- added convenience. Formulas add chicken broth or a salt solution for moistness and flavor to address the two major issues consumers have when they cook chicken. In addition the ingredients added help to

Manage water activity and minimize microbial activity.

  Convenience foods have a long shelf life compared to fresh foods. For example, an apple can last for about 2 weeks, but once cut, it can spoil in minutes. Therefore, food manufactures have added some ingredients in such foods so that the meal preparations are more convenient to help manage shelf life and appearance.

   Some people choose convenience foods because they can’t spend much time in food preparation as well some people with little or culinary skills, including those who can’t afford to hire a cook are also tempted to use these foods.

   Convenience foods have gained popularity but at he same time it has downsides and these include:

   Obesity: most convenience foods such as junky foods are loaded with sugars, calories and fats that are a prime factor resulting in weight gain. Further obesity, is the starting point for issues that originate like diabetes, joint point and various heart aliments.

To many processed and refined foods in the diet may limit the intake of non starch polysaccharide that may rose the risk of constipation, haemorrhoids and hernias.

   Some nutrients may be lost during processing and may not be replaced. Depending on the degree of processing, many nutrients can be destroyed or removed. Peeling outer layers of fruits, vegetables and whole grains may remove plant nutrients and fiber. Some as heating or drying the food can destroy certain vitamins and minerals.

   Some people object to using processed and refined convenience foods on the grounds as they are not as nutritious as fresh foods and contain many additives which are naturally found in foods.

   Convenience foods are high in calories, fat and sugar and low in important nutrients. And consuming foods with such a nutrition value may lead to weight gain, obesity and other health problems.

   Convenience foods are expensive compared to homemade food as there is less spending on homemade foods compared to convenience foods.

   Convenience foods contain food additives and these can cause reaction in our bodies such as: digestive disorders: diarrhoea , Nervous disorders: hyperactivity, insomnia, respiratory problems such as asthma, rhinitis and skin problems such as hives, itching and rashes .

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, convenience foods have gained popularity of which these foods save cooking time, minimize the activity of microbial activity. And these foods on the other side have been objected because they contain food additives that can cause reactions to our bodies. And these foods are high in calories that may cause obesity.