Fresh Food is always better than Frozen Food Essay

Fresh Food is always better than Frozen Food - Essay Example Over the years the market for frozen food has grown tremendously. Market research has revealed that many of the consumers use frozen food because they find the â€Å"Ready-to-Eat† deli lines a very convenient option because with the passage of time life is becoming very fast paced and going through the hassle of cooking food appears to be a waste of time when convenient food solutions are present for the consumers. But the important question here is how far consumers are willing to go for convenience? Would they disregard the fact that frozen food carries with it the potential of harmful bacteria and diseases which can result in serious illnesses? There has been a lot of debate over the health implications of frozen foods, many believe it to be a myth but some researchers have proven that if frozen food is not cooked at the optimum temperature then it can adversely affect the health of the consumers. According to experts frozen food is safe if it is made sure that it is stored below zero degrees centigrade at all times. Freezing food slows down the activity of the microorganisms present in the food but does not inhibit it altogether. Therefore, when the food is left to thaw the rate of activity of the microorganisms is much more than that of fresh food. Consequently, if frozen food is not cooked immediately it can be very harmful for the human body. Moreover, the enzymatic activity causes chemical reactions in food which are not halted by freezing. This enzymatic activity can cause health problems when frozen vegetables are eaten and are not particularly dangerous in terms of meat and fish. To ensure that frozen vegetables are safe to eat they first need to either be blanched or partially cooked for some time before frozen (United states Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service , 2-3). Our argument here is why go through so much hassle and stress regarding health when one can avoid it by using fresh food? When using fresh food one can be sure of the fact that all the ingredients used have been hand-picked by the consumer and that he has himself cooked them therefore the element of a lack of hygiene does not hold true while using fresh food. Listeria is the name of a pathogen which is not very commonly known to the masses. This pathogen causes severe food-poisoning and surprisingly patients infected by the Listeria pathogen are hospitalized the most compared to other food-poisoning pathogens such as the E.Coli bacteria, which the masses are more aware of but is milder when compared to Listeria. The major difference between Listeria other food-borne pathogens is that Listeria can throve in an atmosphere of low oxygen and low temperatures. Consequently, in frozen ready-to-eat meals the Listeria content is very high. The listeria content is particularly high in frozen food containing meat or poultry, therefore when people consume such a diet they are vulnerable to being exposed to a harmful pathogen such as Listeria which can affect the well-being of the individual by initially starting off as a mere flu and moving on to even a nervous system infection. People with low immunity need to be particularly careful when consuming products that are otherwise considered not very safe to eat such as frozen ready-to-eat meals. Moreover, people suffering from diseases such as AIDS,