At a very basic level, the big argument in favor of them is that processed foods are cheaper than unprocessed. And why would that be? Because at a very basic level, the government subsidizes processed food. The small and even not that small organic farms mostly do not receive government subsidies. A whopping $17 billion of the total $260 billion the government spent subsidizing agriculture went to just four common food additives: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soy oils. And those food additives are not going to your CSA, they are going to Frito-Lay.
There are hundreds of articles you can read about processed foods and its various outrageous government welfare subsidies. My favorite was about the 10 electric vehicles Frito-Lay added to its fleet (out of hundreds, if not thousands) to, as the article said, “pacify climate alarmists.” Yeah, the government paid for ’em.
And just let me say, I don’t really mind processed food so much, I mean, Cheetos? Yes, please. But tax money spent on subsidies like this is money not spent on education, healthcare, and private jet rides for the congress. There can be processed food. It’s just that we need some perspective on how it affects us, our health and our well-being.
The following article was not as anxiety provoking as it was thought provoking, so that’s good:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-ate-only-unprocessed-foods-for-a-year/2015/12/18/e78cd72a-979c-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html
I hate being so preachy.