What Is a Processed Food? (2024)

FAQs

What Is a Processed Food? ›

In short, processed foods are altered in some way before they reach your plate. For instance, they might be frozen, canned, baked, or dried. Processed foods include cheese, fresh bread, smoked and cured meats, salted nuts, frozen vegetables, tinned fruit, beer, and wine.

According to the Department of Agriculture, processed food are any raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged — anything done to t hem that alters their natural state.

foods that have been chemically processed and made solely from refined ingredients and artificial substances are generally known as "processed food."

Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: Fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat and grains. Processed culinary ingredients: Sugar, salt, butter, lard, oils, vinegar. Processed foods: Freshly made, unpackaged bread, tinned fruits and vegetables, salted nuts, ham, bacon, tinned fish and cheese.

Processed foods: When ingredients such as oil, sugar or salt are added to foods and they are packaged, the result is processed foods. Examples are simple bread, cheese, tofu, and canned tuna or beans. These foods have been altered, but not in a way that's detrimental to health.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is an easy way to work some heart-friendly plant protein into your day. But depending on whether it contains added hydrogenated oils and mono- and diglycerides, it can fall into the processed or ultra-processed bucket on the NOVA scale, explains the National Peanut Board.

While almost all grains have to be separated from their hull, cleaned, and cooked before eating – all forms of processing in the strictest sense of the word – we generally consider whole grains like brown rice, steel-cut oats, and quinoa to be “unprocessed.” A “lightly processed” whole grain would be something like ...

It depends on the specific item. Fresh pasta made at home with an old hand-crank pasta maker would be category one. Most dried pasta, however, would also be considered minimally processed and in the same category. Premade pastas ready for the microwave would be category four.

Pasta is also processed and by itself fits in a healthy diet. When pre-prepared pasta dishes add salt, fat, and other ingredients, they are ultra-processed. Plain cornflakes, which we consider healthy, are processed but not ultra-processed until frosted with sugar, colors and flavorings are added.