Canned and Frozen Foods and Vegetables - a Source of Delight and Nutrition - Essay Example

of the English of the Concerned 25 May Canned and Frozen Foods and Vegetables- A Source of Delight and Nutrition Inthe current times, people do prefer to opt for such foods that are convenient and that happen to be a rich source of nutrition. The other thing is that going by the existent technologies and processing facilities, the contemporary consumer does prefer ample choice and variety while purchasing food items. Besides, going by the augmenting concern for environment, the consumer today also happens to be environmentally conscious and prefers to have such food items that are processed and packed in a sustainable manner. Thereby, the thing that needs to be understood is that in the current times, when it comes to food, the consumer choices are governed and determined by a range of factors and priorities. In that context, it may sound strange, but canned and frozen foods and vegetables are a veritable source of nutrition, which satisfy a range of consumer choices and expectations. Though canned and frozen foods and vegetables happen to be processed foods, yet the good thing is that they provide people with the much needed nutrition, in a safe, convenient and cost effective manner, while complying with the environmental norms and criteria. The one amazing thing about canned and frozen foods and vegetables is that they have a high nutrition value and content (Belasco 57). It is a fact that fresh foods like fruits and vegetables do lose much nutrition during transit to the stores. In contrast, the canned and frozen foods and vegetables are processed when the food items are still fresh and thereby have a high nutrition value. The processing of fruits and vegetables resorts to an array of traditional activities like peeling and cutting and the subsequent boiling or freezing of the available fresh foods. Thereby, once the fresh fruits and vegetables are canned or frozen, their nutrition potential gets preserved and remains intact for a long period of time. The consumers can consume these canned and frozen foods while benefiting from their high nutrition value. Going by the hectic schedules and scarcity of time that the contemporary consumers have to contend with, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are indeed convenient and save on time (Belasco 70). Canned and frozen foods do save on time in the sense that they are cut, peeled and cooked in advance, and can thereby be readily consumed without resorting to any elaborate processing or cooking procedure. The same cannot be said of the fresh foods, vegetables and fruits. Besides, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are also convenient as they allow the consumers an access to the required foods, vegetables and fruits, all the year round, even during the off season. All that the consumers have to do is to select a pack of their favorite food item and cook and savor it while wasting minimal time and effort. The other good thing about canned and frozen food items, vegetables and fruits is that they fit into the budget of almost all types of consumer segments (Belasco 68). In other words, canned and frozen foods are a cost effective source of nutrition. Fresh produce, fruits and vegetables are available only during specific times in the year and thereby do command a high price. Hence, many a times consumers affiliated to middle class or lower socio-economic strata are not able to purchase fresh foods, vegetables and fruits. In contrast, canned and frozen foods are available all the year round and hence happen to be affordable and economically priced. Besides, the consumers can buy canned and frozen foods in bulk during the sales and can thereby save more money on them. Hence, canned and frozen foods are a healthy and cost effective source of nutrition. Canned and frozen foods and vegetables are a safe and contamination free source of nutrition (Belasco 55). The foods items like fruits and vegetables are canned or frozen, almost as soon as they get harvested, in consonance with the set food safety norms and criteria. Hence the heating or freezing of food during processing kills most of the bacteria and contaminants, thereby making the food safe for human consumption over a long period of time. Canned and frozen foods do happen to have a long shelf life because many germs and bacteria that could contaminate and spoil food get destroyed during the processing of food. Besides, canned and frozen foods happen to be tamper proof, as the consumer can easily identify tampered packages. Many consumers choose canned and frozen foods because they are processed and prepared in a sustainable and environment friendly manner (Belasco 63). Today, a majority of the canned and frozen foods do come in packaging that is environment friendly and sustainable. No doubt, sustainable processing and packaging of food is very important in the current times, when the consumers are getting greener and prefer to contain their carbon foot print. Most of the packaging materials used in the frozen and canned foods like steel cans are highly recyclable and can be cleaned, sanitized and reused while incurring minimal cost and effort. Thereby, the consumers who are concerned about the environment can readily use canned and frozen foods, fruits and vegetables, while being assured that their dietary choices will incur minimal impact on the environment. Besides, with the influx of many new food processing technologies, the canned and frozen food industry could be expected to get more sustainable. Hence, canned and frozen foods, vegetables and fruits are the modern civilizations answer to the need for cost effective, time efficient and safe culinary delights and nutrition. Canned and frozen foods owe much of their appeal and popularity to their ability to subscribe to a range of consumer preferences and concerns like affordable nutrition, clean and healthy food and the onus of being environmentally conscious. With further advances being evinced in the food processing technology, the popularity of the canned and frozen foods is expected to further augment. Hence, canned and frozen foods do indeed happen to be the food of the future. Works Cited Belasco, Warren. Food: The Key Concepts. New York: Berg, 2008. Print. Read More