|Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry| |Written by
Sally Fallon| |Monday, 26 December 2005 21:15| This article is
based on a presentation given at the annual conference of
Consumer Health of Canada, March 2002. This article was updated
and references added in March, 2011. WE HAVE ALWAYS PROCESSED
OUR FOOD; this is an activity that is uniquely human. We cook
our foodâthat is one type of processing--as well as ferment,
grind, soak, chop and dry.Â All of these are types of food
processing. Traditional processing has two functions: to make
food more digestible and to preserve it for use during times
when food isnât readily available. Nutritious, long-lasing
processed foods including pemmican, hard sausage and old-
fashioned meat puddings and haggis, as well as grain products,
dairy products, picklesâeverything from wine and spirits to
lacto-fermented condiments. Farmers and artisansâbread makers,
cheese makers, distillers, millers and so forthâprocessed the
raw ingredients into delicious foods that retain