Telling that processed food is killing our planet is not any exaggeration. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening. While it is successfully killing us, it is also destroying our home. Fortunately, we can still make a right choice and get out of the vicious cycle.
Food packaging
The most obvious anti-ecological component of the processed foods is definitely its packaging. Even if you are very far from the topic of manufacturing of such goods, you can notice how much materials that cannot be biodegraded and, in many cases cannot even be recycled, are involved into packaging popular processed food whether it is chocolates, chips, granola or sausages. Indeed, even if the manufacturers of such food would be willing to change anything about these packages, it will be rather difficult for them to do it.
For example, many products require special gas mixtures to be present in their packages which are used for the sake of preserving them for a longer time. That is exactly what is happening to the most common product of the type such as potato chips. As you can see, this food has to be stored in such a package.
Even though many people believe glass is a good alternative to plastic, it is still not right. Unfortunately, there is not any exact procedure used for recycling this material as it can be either washed and reused or scattered into pieces.
The worst packages which are unfortunately especially typical for heavily processed foods are various multilayer packages made of several materials at a time. These are various Tetra Pack packages, paper covered with polymers as well as paper combined with metal and polymers. All of these composite materials are very challenging for recycling.
Other related problems
Still, this is only a part of the dangerous process for the natural environment. The production of such goods itself includes a lot of activities generating heat and waste, let alone transportation.
Needless to say, resigning from such food will be better for everyone. You will be able to maintain your health, budget and save our planet from the detrimental impact of such production.
Finally, processed food frequently gets spoilt because of its long expiration date. It might sound strange, yet it is the truth. People tend to buy a lot of such products during sales because this food seem to be suitable for storage forever while in reality it is rather easy to miss the moment when it is no longer eatable.