Convenience food in the context of "Childhood obesity"

Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour to home cooking and complex industrial methods used in the making of convenience foods. Some food processing methods play important roles in reducing food waste and improving food preservation, thus reducing the total environmental impact of agriculture and improving food security.

Food Processing Levels (FPL) are defined according to physical and chemical changes occurring during food treatments. FPL are required in processed food classifications, such as the Nova classification, to categorise processed foods according to their FPL for different purposes.

A producer price index (PPI) is a price index that measures the average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output. Formerly known as the wholesale price index between 1902 and 1978, the index is made up of over 16,000 establishments providing approximately 64,000 price quotations that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) compiles each month to represent thousands of different goods and services.

Its importance is being reduced by the steady decline in manufactured goods as a share of spending. When manufacturers face increased production costs (input costs), businesses must reconsider their pricing approach by either:

An ultra-processed food (UPF) is a grouping of processed food characterized by relatively involved methods of production. There is no simple definition of UPF, but they are generally understood to be an industrial creation derived from natural food or synthesized from other organic compounds. The resulting products are designed to be highly profitable, convenient, and hyperpalatable, often through food additives such as preservatives, colourings, and flavourings. UPFs have often undergone processes such as moulding/extruding, hydrogenation, or frying.

Ultra-processed foods first became ubiquitous in the 1980s, though the term "ultra-processed food" gained prominence from a 2009 paper by Brazilian researchers as part of the Nova classification system. In the Nova system, UPFs include most bread and other mass-produced baked goods, frozen pizza, instant noodles, flavored yogurt, fruit and milk drinks, diet products, baby food, and most of what is considered junk food. The Nova definition considers ingredients, processing, and how products are marketed; nutritional content is not evaluated. As of 2024, research into the effects of UPFs is rapidly evolving.

Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, delicatessens, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on a tray. They can be purchased canned, pre-sliced (usually in vacuum packs), or they can be sliced to order, most often in delicatessens and charcuteries.

Lunch meats are processed meats designed for convenience. The preservatives added to extend the shelf life have been increasingly scrutinized due to potential links to certain diseases. In the US, Listeria infection is possible and has resulted in additional guidelines from the CDC for the elderly.

The Western pattern diet is a modern dietary pattern originating in the industrialized West which is generally characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red and processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, high-fat dairy products (such as butter), eggs, potato products, and corn products (including high-fructose corn syrup). Conversely, there are generally low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, and seeds. The nature of production also affects the nutrient profile, as in the example of industrially produced animal products versus pasture-raised animal products. Artificial dyes like Red 40 are also prioritized over natural ones.

Dietary pattern analysis focuses on overall diets (such as the Mediterranean diet) rather than individual foods or nutrients. Compared to a so-called "prudent pattern diet", which has higher proportions of "fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and poultry", the Western pattern diet is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and obesity.

The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars (mostly sucrose and fructose). In 2017, worldwide production of table sugar amounted to 185 million tonnes.

Sugar is used for soft drinks, sweetened beverages, convenience foods, fast food, candy, confectionery, baked products, and other sweetened foods. Sugarcane is used in the distillation of rum. Sugarcane produces several valuable byproducts that play a significant role in supporting economic growth.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) is the official measure of producer prices in the economy of the United States. It measures average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output. The PPI was known as the Wholesale Price Index, or WPI, up to 1978. It is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is one of the oldest economic time series compiled by the Federal government of the United States.

The origins of the index were in an 1891 U.S. Senate resolution authorizing the Senate Committee on Finance to investigate the effects of the tariff laws "upon the imports and exports, the growth, development, production, and prices of agricultural and manufactured articles at home and abroad".