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Convenience food
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Convenience foods or tertiary processed foods are foods which are designed to save consumers time, reduce wastage from spoilage, and reduce financial costs using economies of scale. These foods require minimum preparation, typically just heating, and are packaged for a long shelf life with little loss of flavor and nutrients over time. They were developed specifically to preserve the oversupply of agricultural products in order to stabilize the food markets in developed countries.
Consumers are attracted to these products for their:
- Low financial cost. In addition to their low cost price, they negate the need to store fresh food and therefore the likelihood of wasteage is significantly lower.
- Low time cost. Convenience foods significantly reduce the time spent shopping for and preparing a meal.
- Variety. Due to packaging techniques such as canning and freezing, foods are available at all times of the year.
- Food safety. Packaging and processing techniques, such as canning, freezing, and irradiation, reduce spoilage and the presence of bacteria in the consumed products.
Convenience foods are often criticised. Reasons for criticism include:
- They are often high in fat and calorie content, and over consumption of convenience foods is often linked to obesity.
- Foods are sometimes subject to food irradiation, which has a negative public perception
- Preservatives are almost always used, which also have a negative public perception