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Convenience food

Convenience foods: a food typically a complete meal , that has been pre-prepared
commercially and so requires minimum further preparation by the consumer.

Characteristics of convenience food:

Easy opening and convenient use

Attractive packaging designs

Greater visibility of products

Fast and easy filing for products.

Processing methods:
Processing of food refer to the processes used to turn raw agricultural products –
and in some cases products harvested from the wild – into consumable foods.
These processes are used to make foods safer and more palatable to human
consumers.

Three Stages of Food Processing

Food processing takes many different forms. Some foods require little or no
processing. Food processing methods fall into three categories: primary, secondary
and tertiary.
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Primary Food Processing

Primary food processing is the process of turning raw agricultural products into
foods that can be consumed. In some cases, the food is ready to be consumed once
primary processing is finished

Secondary Food Processing

Secondary food processing is the process of using ingredients produced through

primary food processing to create ready-to-eat foods

Tertiary Food Processing

Tertiary food processing is the large-scale manufacturing of ready-to-eat foods,

like frozen pizzas and packaged snacks. The term “processed food” typically refers
to food products manufactured through tertiary food processing.

Food Preservation and Processing

Food preservation is a key part of food processing. Preserving food is a form of
processing it, and many other forms of food processing require the food to be
preserved first.
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Methods of food preservation that anybody can do at home include:

Baking food in an oven to dry it out

Air-drying food

Potting

Blanching

Jellying

Freezing

Fermentation

Preserving in salt or sugar

Pickling

Preserving food in alcohol

Preserving food in olive oil

Canning

The goal of many of these food preservation methods is to completely block air
from reaching the food and causing a chemical reaction that results in spoilage.
This includes the moisture within the food evaporating and contact between food
tissues and oxygen causing oxidation.

There are also food preservation methods that can be done at home with pieces of
specialized equipment. These include:

Pressure canning

Freeze drying

Smoking

Vacuum sealing
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Dehydration

A few examples of these preservation methods in use are:

Smoking meats with a smoker

Using an at-home freeze dryer to freeze dry berries

Using a vacuum sealer to completely eliminate oxygen within a plastic storage bag

Some food preservation methods are reserved for those with access to industrial
food processing equipment. These include:

Irradiation

Pasteurization

Controlled organism use

Pulsed electrical field processing

Modified atmosphere preservation

High-pressure preservation

Different Types of Food Production

Beyond food preservation, there are many different forms of food production in
use today. Like food preservation, some can be practiced in home kitchens and
others require industrial equipment. Food production and food processing aren't the
same thing, but there are overlaps between them, and in some cases, a specific
process can be used to process food as well as produce it. Generally, “food
processing” refers to the processes used to change raw materials into food products
that can be eaten immediately or after minor preparation, while “food production”
refers to the specific processes used to make the food ready to eat.
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Put another way, cooking is a general term for food production. Food production
also covers the other steps involved in creating a meal from grocery products, like
slicing and marinating meat before grilling it.

Specific methods of food production include:

Boiling

Fermenting

Curing

Emulsification

Frying

Grilling

Steaming

Mixing

Slicing and cutting

Grinding

Advantages of Convenience foods:

1.Preparation time is reduced to a great extent.

2.No storing, buying or planning of ingredients.

3Can hardly get any leftovers.

4.Could have a variety of items especially for inexperienced cooks.

5.Faster presentation and easy cleaning up.

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6.Less spoilage and waste occur with packaged convenience foods.

7.Transportation of packaged foods is cheaper especially in concentrated form.

8.Cost efficient for mass production and distribution.

9.Ready to eat cereal and instant breakfast difficult to prepare at home because of
its expensive product technology used in preparation.

Disadvantages of Convenience foods:

1.May be less meat, fish, or cheese than you would include in homemade versions.

2.Cooking time is sometimes increased for thawing or longer baking time.

3.Harder to control fat, salt and sugar levels.

4.Cost per serving may be higher than homemade.

5.Convenience foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt,
and trans-fats.

6.They tend to lack freshness in fruits and vegetables.