Why do you eat food? Is it because you enjoy it? Because you feel hungry? Or are there more subtle reasons such as to cheer you up when you're feeling down?

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Food for Thought

Why do you eat food? Is it because you enjoy it? Because you feel hungry? Or are there more subtle reasons such as to cheer you up when you’re feeling down?

In the past we would not have the luxury of such considerations, we had to eat to survive and we had to eat whatever was available. Today, we have a huge choice of food products, places to eat and methods of cooking.

Regarding food as a commercial commodity rather than a necessity has seen the development of a huge food industry and the idea of Food Technology.

Food Processing  

Developing new products today involves a lot of research, experimentation, testing and trailing. A small scale recipe for a chicken korma cannot simply be multiplied up and used on a production line to create tens of thousands of meals. Large scale machinery may affect food in a different way to a domestic cooker, causing meat to become tough or a sauce too runny. The changes that are needed may only be subtle but they can make the difference between a profitable new product and a costly failure.

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Processing foods can also involve preserving them and the latest techniques include accelerated freeze-drying, irradiation and the production of dried fruits that do not require soaking. Processed food has changed dramatically as the needs of consumers have altered and as advances in food technology.

Food Safety

Food safety is not a new phenomenon but its emphasis has definitely changed. In the past a lack of knowledge caused problems such as sour milk or inedible meat. However, today it is the scale of food production that has the potential to cause a food safety issue.

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