CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE The Processed Food Fight 4 CHAPTER TWO The Surprising History of Processed Foods 14 CHAPTER THREE The Science behind Processed Foods 22 CHAPTER FOUR Facts about Processed Foods 28 CHAPTER FIVE Processed Foods and Your Life 36 Just the Facts 42 In the Kitchen 43 Stop and Think 44 Glossary 46 Learn More 47 Index 48 About the Author 48
CHAPTER ONE THE PROCESSED FOOD FIGHT I n 2010 photographer Sally Davies started a new art project She placed a fast-food meal from McDonald’s on a plate and took a photo of it She left the meal out overnight The next day she took another photo She repeated this process for six months The fast-food burger and fries remained almost unchanged They did not grow mold or rot even after months of being in open air Sally Davies Happy Meal Project serves as a reminder of the amount of processing fast food can undergo 5
Fresh food items such as romaine and arugula are minimally processed before being sold in grocery stores The food did not even smell Davies work became instantly famous People were shocked Why was the McDonald’s meal not decaying Scientists and consumers weighed in They guessed the fast-food meal was heavily processed McDonald’s defended their meal They reported it was made from healthful natural ingredients McDonald’s said the meal had 6
