Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

They aren't going away, but I found it interesting that the effect
was as large as it seems to be (at least according to this author).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/b...oods-industry/

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mcfgnuw


--
Drew Lawson | "But the senator, while insisting he was not
| intoxicated, could not explain his nudity."

Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

They aren't going away, but I found it interesting that the effect
was as large as it seems to be (at least according to this author).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/b...oods-industry/

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mcfgnuw

I have watched this trend ebb and flow over the years.

I cannot understand why the time it takes to cook fresh food, in some cases
no more than prepared food, is such a problem to people. I cannot
understand how so many spend time and money going to the gym or jogging
instead of working in the garden. I know not everybody can have a garden
but so many who could don't try.

I insisted my children learn to cook and I taught them from scratch.
Starting about 13 they had to cook dinner once a week and were not allowed
to repeat the same dish all the time. By 17 they were reasonable cooks.
After some initial resistance ('who cares about cooking Dad I just want to
eat ') the penny dropped. If you have fresh ingredients and cook well then
you eat well and it doesn't cost the earth. Anyone can do it with a little
effort to learn how.

Now it is cool to cook. One child grows fresh veges in tubs because they
are in a rented house that cannot have a vege garden. They feed their
families and friends good food and are asked if they took cooking classes.
They might admit that they did but not the details.

I read that in some high-rise appartments they have built no kitchen or the
kitchen has been remodelled into some other use. This is because the
inhabitants eat out or take-away all the time because they don't have time
to shop or cook, because they have to work so hard to earn the money to eat
out all the time.

The move towards fresh food cooking has many fellow travellers, some of
these are sloganeering idiots.

"Don't use more than four (or some silly number of) ingredients" Meat and
three vege again - that will have them coming back for more.
"Don't use any ingredient your grandma didn't use" Well my grandma never
saw a zucchini, a capsicum or a chilli, and pasta was something those odd
people with funny accents down the road would eat.
"Don't ever eat this food group, you must always eat that food group".
Whatever happened to eating a suitable amount of a balanced diet?
"Fookyoo berries will make you live longer. Fermented tiger's milk will
extend your penis" And make me rich!
" We have a new study that will tell you why you are fat that contradicts
the old studies that tell you why you are fat, change your ways before it is
too late!" Oh wait isn't there an even newer study that contradicts the new
study?

It's a strange world where there are so many serious problems that seem to
have no solution but when the solution to the basic problem of good
nutrition is so obvious and easy many still won't do it.

--
David

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Corporate propaganda is their
protection against democracy

On 15/02/2015 3:52 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry


Well that can't come soon enough IMO.

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

Thank you, I did find it interesting. The first thing I found
interesting was the picture of all those cans of food. I don't know
American can labels but from those I could read there was canned
ravioli, lasagna and cheese something or other and I'm sure there was
that distinctive shape of cans of Spam in there.

I can't imagine buying any of those things. I guess I might if I was
homeless or a teenager going camping, but not to eat as a person who
owns a fully functioning kitchen or for either nourishment or because
they taste good.

They aren't going away, but I found it interesting that the effect
was as large as it seems to be (at least according to this author).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/b...oods-industry/

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mcfgnuw

Since the GFC, I suspect for the reading of some of my American based
blogs, there is an increased interest in frugality because of necessity
- although not always stated openly, people seem to still be doing it
tough.

Buying packaged food has never been frugal or even tasty or, IMO, worth
eating. It amazes me that it has taken so long for people to discover
the benefits of eating home cooked food. As a keen cooks since I became
and adult (and told by friends that I'm also a good cook) I'd say that
cooking can be a great hobby and gardening goes hand in hand with good
eating so its no wonder the packaged food industry is losing out.

The most disturbing thing about that article is the mention of eating on
the run and buying MacDonalds and other fast food stuff.

How can people not be organised enough to shop for food and get up early
enough to shower AND have breakafst? We dinosaurs do not understand that.

On 02/14/2015 08:52 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

They aren't going away, but I found it interesting that the effect
was as large as it seems to be (at least according to this author).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/b...oods-industry/

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mcfgnuw

Hi Drew,

Yipee!

More people home cooking is good. Unless they are all goes out
to eat or ordering in.

Somewhere I heard, but can not verify, that the Primal/Paleo
crowd (I am one of them) has really put the hurtin' on
candy bar sales too.

Home cooking "implies" they eat with someone, although not
all the time. Family/friends/loved ones/tribe is very
important to our health too. Those you are born to and
those you find.

Also, if home cookers do not reduce their carbs to under
toxic levels, home cooking will not help the number of
people being injured by it (T2 Diabetes). It will help
in a lot of other mattes though -- baby steps.

-T

On Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 8:52:36 AM UTC-8, Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

They aren't going away, but I found it interesting that the effect
was as large as it seems to be (at least according to this author).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/b...oods-industry/

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mcfgnuw


--
Drew Lawson | "But the senator, while insisting he was not
| intoxicated, could not explain his nudity."
"
Today's Sunday Review in the NY Times has article "Vitamins Hide the Low Quality of Our Food".

HB

On 15/02/2015 9:52 AM, David Hare-Scott wrote:

"Don't use any ingredient your grandma didn't use" Well my grandma
never saw a zucchini, a capsicum or a chilli, and pasta was something
those odd people with funny accents down the road would eat.

I went in search of one of my really ancient cook books because I've
seen this comment online abobut pasta before and meant to check it out
because I thought it was not right. Grandma would have called it
Macaroni. Recipes for Macaroni and cheese appear in cook books back in
the 19th C.

Fran Farmer wrote:
On 15/02/2015 9:52 AM, David Hare-Scott wrote:

"Don't use any ingredient your grandma didn't use" Well my grandma
never saw a zucchini, a capsicum or a chilli, and pasta was something
those odd people with funny accents down the road would eat.

I went in search of one of my really ancient cook books because I've
seen this comment online abobut pasta before and meant to check it out
because I thought it was not right. Grandma would have called it
Macaroni. Recipes for Macaroni and cheese appear in cook books back
in the 19th C.

Pasta is quite an old food. It was certainly eaten in Oz in the first half
of the 20th C and the Chinese imigrants in the goldfields in the 1850s
probably ate noodles. Pasta didn't become widespread though until after the
imigations following WW2 and it didn't reach every cupboard in suburbia
until the 1970s by my recollection.

As I suggested before she would have known of the existence of pasta as an
exotic food but my Gran never cooked it - didn't know how. She imigrated in
about 1905 from Germany and lost most of the cooking she learned there and
adopted the local overcooked meat (mainly lamb and beef), taters and
overboiled veg (sigh).

--
David

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Corporate propaganda is their
protection against democracy

In article
"David Hare-Scott" writes:

I cannot understand why the time it takes to cook fresh food, in some cases
no more than prepared food, is such a problem to people.

I can only speak for myself, and the answer would be ignorance. I
don't really know how to cook much. I know how to follow a recipe,
but I can't look in the fridge and think of what can be done with
what I see. Fortunately, I am also an exceedingly boring person,
so I am okay with eating a small number of dishes. (Leftovers from
roasting a 9 lb chicken can carry me pretty far.)

I cannot
understand how so many spend time and money going to the gym or jogging
instead of working in the garden. I know not everybody can have a garden
but so many who could don't try.

Well, it is currently 8F in my area, so I'm going to the gym later.
The garden will have to wait at least 6 weeks.

But lots of people find gardening to be dirty, and not the fun kind
of dirty.


--
Drew Lawson | Radioactive cats have
| 18 half-lives
|

In article
Fran Farmer writes:
On 15/02/2015 3:52 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry


Well that can't come soon enough IMO.

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

Thank you, I did find it interesting. The first thing I found
interesting was the picture of all those cans of food. I don't know
American can labels but from those I could read there was canned
ravioli, lasagna and cheese something or other and I'm sure there was
that distinctive shape of cans of Spam in there.

The near field is Chef Boyardee, canned pasta with very mild and
very sweet sauces. It is something many in the US grew up on,
and qualified as comfort food for my wife until she had to cut
things like that from her diet.

I loved it (especially the ravioli) as a kid. Now I have trouble
being in the same room as someone eating it.


The most disturbing thing about that article is the mention of eating on
the run and buying MacDonalds and other fast food stuff.

How can people not be organised enough to shop for food and get up early
enough to shower AND have breakafst? We dinosaurs do not understand that.

Unless I've cooked something with major left-over potential, it can
be a challenge for me to get out the door in the morning with
something for lunch. I used to end up with something-on-a-bun
several times a week. When I cut out the buns and fries, I had to
play more carefully. I still end up ar Chipotle about once a week
for lunch.


--
Drew Lawson | We were taking a vote when
| the ground came up and hit us.
| -- Cylon warrior

On 17/02/2015 3:54 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
In article
"David Hare-Scott" writes:

I cannot understand why the time it takes to cook fresh food, in some cases
no more than prepared food, is such a problem to people.

I can only speak for myself, and the answer would be ignorance. I
don't really know how to cook much. I know how to follow a recipe,
but I can't look in the fridge and think of what can be done with
what I see. Fortunately, I am also an exceedingly boring person,
so I am okay with eating a small number of dishes. (Leftovers from
roasting a 9 lb chicken can carry me pretty far.)

:-)) My response to that sort of comment is that if you can turn on an
oven, use a knife, have a set of saucepans and a casserole dish, can
stir with a wooden spoon, fill a pot with water or pour oil from a
bottle into a fry pan then you already have the physical skills for
being a cook. From there it's about your willingness to feed yourself
well so it helps if you love eating good food.

You can use recipe sites to cure your lack of inspiration. For example,
if you look in the fridge and see a chicken breast, some carrots and a
few mushrooms, go to one of the cooking sites (I use taste.com.au) and
put those 3 ingredients in and the site will come back with lots of
recipes. For example, when i plugged these 3 ingredients in, this
recipe, which I have decided I will now try, came back:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2267...table+rissoles

On 17/02/2015 4:03 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
In article
Fran Farmer writes:
On 15/02/2015 3:52 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
Headline:
Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry


Well that can't come soon enough IMO.

I thought some here might be interested. An article on how packaged
food profits are down, and attributing it to the assorted "healthy
eating" trends.

Thank you, I did find it interesting. The first thing I found
interesting was the picture of all those cans of food. I don't know
American can labels but from those I could read there was canned
ravioli, lasagna and cheese something or other and I'm sure there was
that distinctive shape of cans of Spam in there.

The near field is Chef Boyardee, canned pasta with very mild and
very sweet sauces. It is something many in the US grew up on,
and qualified as comfort food for my wife until she had to cut
things like that from her diet.


For me, comfort food was always cooked or prepared at home. Sausages
and mashed potato with peas, Pea and Ham soup with fresh bread, grated
apple when I was sick. I was sometimes given canned food when things
got overly busy at home but the only one of those I ever liked was baked
beans on toast. I never liked canned spaghetti so I don't know that
I'd be able to ever face any other form of canned pasta - I'm sitting
here knowing there is a slight upchuck response floating in the
background when I'm thinking of that canned spaghetti.

I loved it (especially the ravioli) as a kid. Now I have trouble
being in the same room as someone eating it.

:-)) I think I would too if I was ever in a room with someone eating
canned spahgetti.


The most disturbing thing about that article is the mention of eating on
the run and buying MacDonalds and other fast food stuff.

How can people not be organised enough to shop for food and get up early
enough to shower AND have breakafst? We dinosaurs do not understand that.

Unless I've cooked something with major left-over potential, it can
be a challenge for me to get out the door in the morning with
something for lunch. I used to end up with something-on-a-bun
several times a week. When I cut out the buns and fries, I had to
play more carefully. I still end up ar Chipotle about once a week
for lunch.


Is that because you don't include lunch foods into your shopping list?
I know a lot of people don't for a lot of their working lives.

In article
Fran Farmer writes:
On 17/02/2015 4:03 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:

Unless I've cooked something with major left-over potential, it can
be a challenge for me to get out the door in the morning with
something for lunch. I used to end up with something-on-a-bun
several times a week. When I cut out the buns and fries, I had to
play more carefully. I still end up ar Chipotle about once a week
for lunch.


Is that because you don't include lunch foods into your shopping list?
I know a lot of people don't for a lot of their working lives.

I'm not exactly sure what "lunch foods" are. I've cut out most
bread, so I don't make sandwiches. I could pack up the content of
a sandwich, but would need to do that in the evening. The morning
schedule is too hectic.

My favorite lunch is pot-roast leftovers, but I don't often think
to buy a roast. That use dto be my wife's meal to cook, but it no
longer fits her left-over preferences, so she doesn't volunteer
much. I can eat lasagne for a week, but since it makes her sugar
spike, I don't cook it as often as I used to.

I have lots of cookbooks that I should use, but trying something
unfamiliar when I only have about 2 hours left to the day after
work is not inviting.

--
Drew Lawson I had planned to be dead by now, but
the schedule slipped, they do that.
-- Casady

In article
Fran Farmer writes:
On 17/02/2015 3:54 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:

I can only speak for myself, and the answer would be ignorance. I
don't really know how to cook much. I know how to follow a recipe,
but I can't look in the fridge and think of what can be done with
what I see. Fortunately, I am also an exceedingly boring person,
so I am okay with eating a small number of dishes. (Leftovers from
roasting a 9 lb chicken can carry me pretty far.)

:-)) My response to that sort of comment is that if you can turn on an
oven, use a knife, have a set of saucepans and a casserole dish, can
stir with a wooden spoon, fill a pot with water or pour oil from a
bottle into a fry pan then you already have the physical skills for
being a cook.

There is some potential irony there in that my start on that skillset
was baking box-mix cakes. I'd come home after school, while my
parents were still at work, and bake a cake. Then eat a quarter
of an angel-food cake as a snack. Not exacty healthy habits, but
I learned to whip egg whites and what "fold" meant.

In college, I couldn't afford the mixes, so I learned a few more
things. One semester I think I lived mostly on coffee and spice
cake.

From there it's about your willingness to feed yourself
well so it helps if you love eating good food.

You can use recipe sites to cure your lack of inspiration. For example,
if you look in the fridge and see a chicken breast, some carrots and a
few mushrooms, go to one of the cooking sites

Well, if *I* look in fridge and see mushrooms, it means I need to
clean the fridge.

(I use taste.com.au) and
put those 3 ingredients in and the site will come back with lots of
recipes. For example, when i plugged these 3 ingredients in, this
recipe, which I have decided I will now try, came back:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2267...table+rissoles



--
Drew Lawson | What you own is your own kingdom
| What you do is your own glory
| What you love is your own power
| What you live is your own story

On 17/02/2015 9:26 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:
In article
Fran Farmer writes:
On 17/02/2015 4:03 AM, Drew Lawson wrote:

Unless I've cooked something with major left-over potential, it can
be a challenge for me to get out the door in the morning with
something for lunch. I used to end up with something-on-a-bun
several times a week. When I cut out the buns and fries, I had to
play more carefully. I still end up ar Chipotle about once a week
for lunch.


Is that because you don't include lunch foods into your shopping list?
I know a lot of people don't for a lot of their working lives.

I'm not exactly sure what "lunch foods" are.

TMWOT it is anything that is your preferred food at lunch. For me, in
summer that was often meat that I'd roast and so could use the cold meat
in my salads, or I'd buy sliced ham for the same purpose. That sort of
thing was what I liked in summer.

I've cut out most
bread, so I don't make sandwiches. I could pack up the content of
a sandwich, but would need to do that in the evening. The morning
schedule is too hectic.

I can understand why sandwich fixing in the morning would get old real
quick.

My favorite lunch is pot-roast leftovers, but I don't often think
to buy a roast.

:-)) There is a possible answer to your lunch problem: buy one
regularly so you can have it in your lunches perhaps?? If you can make a
packet angel cake you can make a pot roast.

When I was still working, if I wanted a hot lunch I used to do freezer
packs specifically for my lunches (my SO likes sandwiches but I was
never overly keen on them). I'd fill make a whole lot of disposable
containers full of my lunch food in the freezer and then grab one pack
as I left the house in the morning. These could be left over roast and
veg or soup or casserole or whatever I'd cooked a bulk lot of at some
time on the weekend. I learned to love my crock pot in winter.

That use dto be my wife's meal to cook, but it no
longer fits her left-over preferences, so she doesn't volunteer
much. I can eat lasagne for a week, but since it makes her sugar
spike, I don't cook it as often as I used to.

Could you cook it and, when cold, cut it up and put it in packs in the
freezer for your lunch for the coming week????

I have lots of cookbooks that I should use, but trying something
unfamiliar when I only have about 2 hours left to the day after
work is not inviting.

Wow. That sounds like one of those work/life balance situations that
could drive you bonkers in the long run.