Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know (Second Edition) is Now on Pre-Sale

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Local, Processed & Ultra-Processed Foods

Chapter 5. Contemporary Food Production: Eating Local to Ultra-Processed Foods

This chapter examines how food processing impacts human health, the environment, and sustainability, addressing traditional and contemporary preservation methods and techniques, like fermentation, canned and frozen foods. and plant-based meat. It compares conventional with organic agriculture and frozen and canned foods with fresh and exposes misinformation about eating local (food miles) and dietary carbon footprint, emphasizing the scientific consensus to consume more vegetables and fruit and other plant foods for best health. It highlights the preponderance of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in Western diets, often plastic-packaged with high levels of sugar, salt, fat, and calories that contribute to obesity and chronic diseases. Yet many nutrient-dense UPFs—like fortified cereals and plant-based meat—offer health benefits, underscoring the importance of balance and moderation to create healthy, sustainable diets. Finally, it examines genetic engineering in food production, combating disinformation about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that undermine their role in sustainability and food security. 

plant-based meat, canned food, organic, food processing myths, ultra-processed foods, GMOs (Ch 5)

  • Ultra-processed foods
  • Food processing
  • Local food myth
  • Organic, conventional farming
  • GMOs misinformation

core topics this chapter addresses

Guiding Questions

  • What exactly is food processing, and why do ultra-processed foods get such a bad rap? 
  • Are canned and frozen vegetables and fruits just as healthy and sustainable as fresh? 
  • What’s the difference between organic and conventional? 
  • Is eating local important for human health and the environment—and do food miles really cut your carbon footprint? 
  • OMG GMO!? Is non-GMO the way to go? 

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Delve into local and ultra-processed foods; use these insights in food industry analysis or media discussions on food safety and sourcing.

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Copyright © 2019-2025  P.K. Newby, LLC & Food Matters Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

  • Food and Nutrition
  • Table of Contents
  • Book Abstract
  • Chapter 25 Future of Food
  • Chapter 24 Healthy Diet
  • Chapter 23 Diet Longevity
  • Chapter 22 SDGs 4AR AI
  • Chapter 20 Milk, Dairy
  • Chapter 21 Seafood Facts
  • Chapter 19 Meat Eggs Myth
  • Chapter 17 Nuts Beans Soy
  • Chapter 16 Grains, Gluten
  • Chapter 15 Fruit and Veg
  • Chapter 14 Coffee Tea
  • Chapter 13 Alcohol Facts
  • Chapter 12 Protein Myths
  • Chapter 11 Fat Facts
  • Chapter 10 Carbs Sugar
  • Chapter 9 Nutrients
  • Chapter 8 Water Plastics
  • Chapter 7 Diet Drivers
  • Chapter 6 Diet Fads Myths
  • Chapter 5 Food Processing
  • Chapter 4 Big Food Costs
  • Chapter 3 Big Food Costs
  • Chapter 2 Diet Disease
  • Chapter 1 Food Nutrition

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