Not all bad Yabo/Plainpicture

With a deluge of recent headlines linking processed foods to obesity, chronic diseases and cancer, their status as society’s modern scourge seems assured. But are we wise to view all processed foods with equal disdain?

These foods range from the minimally processed – frozen vegetables, plain yogurt and dried fruit – to the ultra-processed – crisps, sauces, soft drinks and sausages. We think of this latter group as a product of modern society, and yet there are references to sausages, for example, in Homer’s Odyssey, and during Roman Emperor Nero’s rule in AD 54 to AD 68 there …