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Archive for August, 2013

The myth of value in food.

August 28th, 2013 at 09:31 pm

When it come to food, manufacturers have somehow sold us the myth of value.

That more is better.

Myth 1. Bigger portion means better VALUE.
Does it?
If recommended portion for your dinner is 700 calories, and you get a massive 3,000, is there really any value in consuming excessive 2,300 calories?

What is the value for your health?

You might argue "I eat 1/3 of it and pack the rest to take home. That way I have 3 meals for the price of one."
Setting aside the fact that most people don't (or eat more if more is put in front of them), is that really value?
Even if you make it into 3 meals, you are not getting 3 times the food for price of one portion. You are paying for all the food you are getting -- or restaurants would not be able to make profit.
So you are not getting 3 meals for the price of one. You are getting 3 meals for the price of 3. But 2 of them will be stale.
(Not to mention that some foods taste like crap if reheated. Do you really want to eat re-heated burger?)

"All you can eat"... Don't even get me started on this one!
Unless there is impending starvation, should you ever eat all that you can?!

Cheaper price means value.
For whom? Profit margin on cheaper processed foods are close to 10x greater than on fresh produce.
So yes, it is a cheaper food, but the value in it is for the manufacturer.

To assign value correctly, we must look to the primary purpose of food, which is NUTRITION.

Of course, pleasure is an important component, but it is wrong to judge food on that feature first. But that is what advertisers are constantly convincing us to do.

Excessive processing and overuse of pesticides, cutting quality of the ingredients, adding fillers, sugars, oil... For years, food industry has been selling us the idea that all of it is done to give us "value". And we, as a society, have bought it.