From Shelf Life to Addiction: Why Is Our Food Processed?
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Walk into a supermarket today, and you’ll be surrounded by products we call food. But can we still call them that? Aren’t many of them better described as edible substances created in factories? What is food, really? And why is the majority of what we eat today ultra-processed?
A Brief History
Food processing is as old as humanity itself. Thousands of years ago, in the Stone Age, people used fire to heat their food, improving both flavor and digestibility. Later, techniques like drying, fermenting, and baking were developed—methods to make food tastier and longer-lasting. Nothing wrong with that.
Over the past million years, our food environment has changed drastically—and in recent decades, those changes have accelerated. In the Stone Age, we ate mainly vegetables, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, fish, and meat. With the agricultural revolution came dairy, grains, and livestock. The industrial revolution introduced convenience and new ingredients like refined grains (white rice), vegetable oils (e.g., sunflower oil), and refined sugars.
After World War II, things sped up even more. Around 1960, the first supermarkets appeared, quickly filling up with ultra-processed foods. In 1980, about 25% of our food budget was spent on ultra-processed or ‘convenience food’; by 2000, that number had nearly doubled. Today, a staggering 62% of the average Dutch person’s energy intake comes from ultra-processed food.
Our food environment and consumption patterns have changed dramatically—especially in the last 50 years. Yet our bodies still need the same things they did in the Stone Age. Our genes do evolve, but far more slowly than our environment. Experts call this an evolutionary mismatch.
So why is our food being processed more than ever? First, let’s look at how food is processed.
What kinds of processing are there?
There are processing methods where all nutrients are more or less retained, such as freezing, drying, or fermenting. But there are also methods in which many of the good nutrients are removed from the food — such as refining grains (removing the bran and germ), frying or high-heat treatment (which destroys vitamins), or pressing or extraction (where, for example, fibers are removed).
In addition, there are processes where substances are added: sugar, salt, fat, or additives. The average Dutch person consumes far too much of these. And although E-numbers are legally declared 'safe', more and more research is emerging that is questioning this. (More on that in a future Wise Bite.)
In short: ultra-processed food is food from which good nutrients have been removed and less good substances have been added. Doesn’t sound great. So why have we come to see it as normal?
Example: Ham
A good example of processed food is ham, or pork. Although pork? Supermarket ham is often made more attractive to the consumer in various ways.
To enhance the flavor, sugar, salt, and sometimes flavor enhancers such as sodium nitrite are added. These provide not only a savory, addictive taste but also the characteristic pink color.
In addition, binders and water are added to make the ham juicier and more tender, and smoking or the addition of smoke aroma gives it a recognizable smell and taste.
No surprise then that an average pack of ham often contains only 70% pork.
Emancipation
From the 1960s onward, the demand for convenience food increased. An important reason: more and more women started working outside the home. Traditional gender roles shifted, and there was simply less time to cook every day. Ready-made meals and quick products were therefore very welcome.
The emancipation wave created space for ultra-processed food: convenience, speed, and flexibility fit perfectly with the new lifestyle. It was a cultural and economic context in which UPFs could flourish.
Besides convenience, shelf life and food safety also play a role. Heating, for example, kills pathogens. Additionally, processing often makes products more attractive in terms of taste, smell, or texture. But… who really benefits from that?
Many products are designed to be addictive — for example, through the combination of sugar, salt, and fat, a mix that doesn’t occur naturally. Substances like MSG are also added, providing an intense taste experience and potentially influencing appetite. Some products are made lighter or crispier, so you eat them faster and resist them less. That leads to higher sales — something manufacturers are, of course, very happy about.
Economic motives also play a role: with cheap ingredients like glucose-fructose syrup or sunflower oil and smart additives, producers can make cheap, profitable products that are long-lasting and easy to transport worldwide.
A new normal - but not necessarily normal
Ultra-processed food has crept into our kitchens over the past decades. Although our bodies thrive on more natural food, we’ve become accustomed to supermarkets filled with UPFs. The fact that more than half of our energy intake comes from them is quite worrying.
The good news? Convenience and shelf life don’t have to come with junk. There are plenty of tasty products that are both long-lasting and nutritious. And with five minutes of effort, you can put a healthy meal on the table.
Take Aways:
Evolutionary mismatch: our food environment has changed extremely fast in the past 50 years, while our genes are still nearly the same as hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Food is processed for different reasons, such as food safety, shelf life, attractiveness, and profit maximization.
During processing, good nutrients are often removed and less healthy substances are added.
Not all processing is bad, and not all processed products are unhealthy.
