Many food crops are consumed with a minimum of processing, but the trend in developed countries is toward more processing. For example, instead of buying lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and various greens at a local farmers market, consumers can now buy a pre-packaged salad (with added chemical preservatives) in a local hypermarket chain store. Processing food products "adds value" to the product, which essentially means that companies can charge more to consumers. The use of processed foods was pioneered in the United States, and is increasing in other parts of the world.Processing
Many food crops are consumed with a minimum of processing, but the trend in developed countries is toward more processing. For example, instead of buying lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and various greens at a local farmers market, consumers can now buy a pre-packaged salad (with added chemical preservatives) in a local hypermarket chain store. Processing food products "adds value" to the product, which essentially means that companies can charge more to consumers. The use of processed foods was pioneered in the United States, and is increasing in other parts of the world.