Nowadays, there has been an increase in the usage of ready-to-consume meals and processed foods. These food items contain a lot of substances that stop them from expiring quickly. There are both merits and demerits to consuming these products. I think that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.This essay will discuss both merits and demerits with relevant examples.
There are advantages to using processed or ready-made foods. One of the major merits is it saves time. If someone is using such items they need not cook or have to spend very little time. For example, instant noodles take only two minutes to be prepared. Whereas traditional cooking usually takes more than 30 minutes to finish. Thus, many hours are saved by using such items.
Another advantage is it saves money. Ready-made meals are cheaper when compared to traditional meals. For instance, a ready-made pizza costs around 20 dollars. However, cooking a pizza from scratch will cost more than 50 dollars. Hence, it helps in saving money.
There are demerits as well. One such is the usage of chemicals to extend the life item of ingredients. Such chemicals can be very harmful to human beings. For example, a recent study has indicated that the use of citric acid can cause cancer. Citric acid is the most common preservative that is used today. There are many more chemicals that are being used to extend the lifetime of the products. Which are very harmful to us and cause serious health issues.
To conclude, the usage of ready-made and processed food should be reduced as the biggest disadvantage is health issues. There is nothing which is more precious than our health. Therefore, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.