20 Food's You'll Never Buy Again After Knowing How They Are Made

Discoverize・2 minutes read

Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, processed cheese, instant noodles, canned meat, marshmallows, margarine, soda, farmed shrimp, foie gras, imitation crab, pre-packaged salads, artificial food colorings, packaged fruit snacks, factory farmed eggs, and corn syrup all have health, ethical, and environmental concerns. Various processed foods present risks to health, animal welfare, and the environment due to their production methods and ingredients.

Insights

  • Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, processed cheese, instant noodles, canned meat products, and marshmallows contain various additives, preservatives, and low-quality ingredients that pose health risks and environmental concerns, emphasizing the importance of understanding food production processes and making informed choices.
  • Products like soda, farmed shrimp, foie gras, imitation crab, pre-packaged salads, artificial food colorings, packaged fruit snacks, factory farmed eggs, and corn syrup are linked to health issues, ethical dilemmas, and environmental impacts, highlighting the complex interconnectedness of food choices with personal health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • How are chicken nuggets made?

    Chicken nuggets are produced using mechanically separated meat, including cartilage and skin, mixed with fillers, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. This results in a product high in sodium and unhealthy fats, making them a less nutritious option compared to whole cuts of chicken.

  • What is processed cheese?

    Processed cheese is made by melting real cheese and combining it with emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, and artificial colors. This process results in a product with lower real cheese content, high sodium levels, and environmental concerns due to the additives used in its production.

  • What are instant noodles made of?

    Instant noodles are created by mixing wheat flour with water, salt, and alkaline agents, frying them in hot oil, and seasoning with high sodium and artificial flavorings. While convenient, instant noodles lack essential nutrients and can contribute to environmental issues like deforestation.

  • How is soda produced?

    Soda is made by combining carbonated water with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, additives, and caffeine. Consumption of soda has been linked to health problems like obesity, and the production and disposal of soda can contribute to environmental issues.

  • What is foie gras?

    Foie gras is a delicacy made by force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers. This practice raises ethical concerns due to the potential health issues it causes the animals and has led to the availability of alternative spreads for those seeking a more ethical choice.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

Unhealthy processed foods raise health concerns.

  • Chicken nuggets are made using mechanically separated meat, including cartilage and skin, mixed with fillers, preservatives, and artificial flavorings, resulting in high sodium and unhealthy fats.
  • Hot dogs are produced by grinding various animal parts, mixing them with water, starch, and additives, seasoning with salt, spices, and preservatives, and stuffing the mixture into casings, which can contain harmful chemicals like sodium nitrite.
  • Processed cheese is made by melting real cheese and combining it with emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, and artificial colors, resulting in lower real cheese content, high sodium levels, and environmental concerns.
  • Instant noodles are created by mixing wheat flour with water, salt, and alkaline agents, frying them in hot oil, and seasoning with high sodium and artificial flavorings, lacking in nutrients and contributing to environmental issues like deforestation.
  • Canned meat products contain low-quality meat mixed with water, salt, and additives like sodium nitrite, cooked, cooled, and canned, leading to health risks and environmental concerns from factory farming practices.
  • Marshmallows are made using gelatin derived from animal skin, bones, and connective tissues, raising ethical concerns, with alternatives like agar agar or carrageenan available for a more ethical choice.
  • Margarine is produced by hydrogenating vegetable oils, adding emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial colors, with concerns about trans fats and environmental impact from palm oil production.
  • Soda contains carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, additives, and caffeine, linked to health issues like obesity and environmental problems from production and disposal.
  • Farmed shrimp production involves harmful practices like overstocking ponds, antibiotic use, and destruction of mangrove forests, leading to water pollution, overfishing, and human rights abuses.
  • Foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers, causing health issues and ethical concerns, with alternative spreads available for a more ethical choice.

17:30

Food Industry: Health Risks and Environmental Impact

  • Imitation crab, made from minced white fish like Alaskan pollock, is shaped and colored to resemble crab meat using water, starch, egg whites, and additives like artificial flavors and colors.
  • Pre-packaged salads, while convenient, can pose food safety risks due to potential contamination during processing, leading to foodborne illnesses like E. coli and salmonella.
  • Artificial food colorings, derived from chemical compounds, have been linked to health issues like allergies and hyperactivity, with natural alternatives like beet juice or turmeric considered safer.
  • Packaged fruit snacks, often high in added sugars and artificial ingredients, can contribute to health problems like obesity and tooth decay, with environmental concerns due to single-use plastic packaging.
  • Factory farmed eggs, produced in crowded conditions, can lead to stress and disease among hens, with environmental impacts like water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Corn syrup, linked to health issues like obesity and diabetes, requires large amounts of water and pesticides for production, contributing to soil degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.