Spend just a few minutes on social media and you’ll probably come across someone claiming that all processed foods are “toxic,” “unnatural,” or something you should avoid altogether.
But processed doesn’t automatically mean unhealthy.
Food processing covers a huge range of techniques, from washing and freezing vegetables to fermenting yoghurt, pasteurising milk, milling grains, preserving fish and manufacturing packaged foods.
Some highly processed foods are high in added sugar, saturated fat or sodium and are best enjoyed less often. However, other processed foods can make important contributions to a healthy, balanced diet.
Rather than fearing the word “processed,” it is more helpful to understand how food processing works and how different foods fit into your overall eating pattern.
What Is Food Processing?
Food processing refers to changes made to food after it has been harvested, produced or prepared.
Processing can be very simple, such as:
- Washing vegetables
- Freezing fruit
- Pasteurising milk
- Milling wheat into flour
- Rolling oats
- Roasting nuts
- Drying legumes
- Freezing seafood
- Canning tomatoes
These processes don’t automatically make food unhealthy.
In many cases, processing can:
- Improve food safety
- Extend shelf life
- Reduce food waste
- Make foods easier to prepare
- Improve digestibility
- Preserve nutrients
- Add important nutrients through fortification
In other words, food processing isn’t inherently good or bad. It depends on the type of processing, the food itself and how it fits into your overall diet.
Food Processing Has Been Around for Thousands of Years
Food processing isn’t a modern invention.
Humans have been processing food for thousands of years through techniques such as:
- Grinding grains into flour
- Fermenting foods
- Making yoghurt and cheese
- Drying herbs and fruits
- Pickling vegetables
- Cooking legumes
- Milling grains
- Preserving fish and meat
These techniques helped people make food safer, extend its shelf life and make it easier to eat and store.
Modern food processing has simply expanded the number of ways we can prepare, preserve and manufacture food.
Some Foods Require Processing Before We Eat Them
One common misconception is that “natural” automatically means better.
Many everyday foods need to be processed before they become suitable or practical to eat.
Wheat
Wheat doesn’t grow as flour.
After harvesting, wheat grains are cleaned and milled into flour.
That flour can then be used to make foods such as:
- Wholegrain bread
- Wholemeal wraps
- Pasta
- Breakfast cereals
Processing wheat into flour doesn’t automatically make the resulting food unhealthy. What matters is the type of product produced and its nutritional composition.
Choosing wholegrain versions can help increase your intake of fibre and wholegrains.
Oats
Rolled oats don’t naturally grow in a packet either!
Oats are harvested, cleaned, processed and rolled into flakes.
This processing makes them much easier and quicker to prepare while retaining their valuable nutrients, including fibre.
Instant oats undergo further processing to make them cook even more quickly. They can still be a nutritious choice, particularly when choosing varieties without large amounts of added sugar.
Milk
Pasteurisation is an important example of food processing that improves food safety.
Raw milk can contain harmful microorganisms. Pasteurisation uses controlled heat to reduce harmful bacteria while retaining the majority of milk’s nutritional value.
Milk can then be refrigerated and consumed safely.
Legumes
Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and dried beans are excellent sources of fibre, plant protein and other nutrients.
Processing and cooking make many legumes easier to digest and eat.
Some legumes require particular care. Raw or inadequately cooked kidney beans, for example, contain high levels of phytohaemagglutinin, a naturally occurring compound that can cause illness. Proper cooking destroys this toxin.
This is another example of how food preparation and processing can improve food safety.
Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes are nutritious, but canned tomatoes can be nutritious too.
Canning involves heating tomatoes and sealing them in cans, which extends their shelf life and reduces food waste.
Interestingly, heating tomatoes can increase the bioavailability of lycopene, meaning that the lycopene can become easier for the body to absorb.
Canned tomatoes can therefore be a convenient and nutritious addition to meals.
Frozen Fruit and Vegetables
Some people assume frozen produce is automatically less nutritious than fresh produce.
This isn’t necessarily the case.
Fruit and vegetables can be frozen relatively soon after harvesting, helping preserve nutrients and making them available for much longer.
Frozen vegetables and fruit can therefore be a convenient way to increase your intake of produce throughout the year.
Processing Can Also Add Nutrients
Food processing doesn’t always reduce nutritional value.
Sometimes nutrients are deliberately added during processing.
Fortified Breakfast Cereals
Some breakfast cereals are fortified with nutrients such as:
- Iron
- Folate
- B vitamins
Fortification can help people obtain important nutrients and has contributed to reducing nutrient deficiencies in populations.
However, not every breakfast cereal is nutritionally equivalent. Check the nutrition information and choose options that fit your dietary needs.
Iodised Salt
Iodine is essential for thyroid function and normal growth and development.
Iodised salt is one example of food fortification designed to help increase iodine intake.
In Australia, iodine fortification has also been used in the bread-making industry, with mandatory iodine fortification of non-organic salt used in bread-making introduced in 2009.
This is a good reminder that processing and fortification can sometimes have important public health benefits.
Calcium-Fortified Plant Milks
Some plant-based milks have nutrients such as calcium and vitamin B12 added during processing.
For people who don’t consume dairy, a fortified plant milk can therefore be a useful way to obtain nutrients that might otherwise be harder to obtain.
Check the label, as fortification varies between products.
Convenience Isn’t a Bad Thing
Life is busy.
Convenient foods can make it easier for people to prepare nutritious meals consistently.
Examples include:
- Frozen vegetables
- Canned beans and lentils
- Tinned tuna or salmon
- Microwave brown rice
- Wholegrain bread
- Frozen berries
- Plain yoghurt
- Cheese
- Peanut butter
- Hummus
These foods can be particularly useful for busy families, shift workers, students, older adults and people who have limited time, energy or cooking facilities.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean cooking everything from scratch.
Convenience is a legitimate part of practical nutrition.
What About Ultra-Processed Foods?
This is where conversations about processed food can become confusing.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are defined within food classification systems such as the NOVA system. They generally involve industrial formulations and multiple processing steps and often contain ingredients or additives that aren’t commonly used in home kitchens.
Examples can include:
- Soft drinks
- Confectionery
- Some packaged cakes and pastries
- Some savoury snack foods
- Some instant noodle products
- Some highly formulated snack products
However, it is important not to assume that every food classified as ultra-processed is nutritionally identical.
Some foods classified as ultra-processed can still provide useful nutrients, while others may be high in energy, sodium, saturated fat or added sugars and provide relatively little nutritional value.
There is also ongoing scientific debate about exactly how useful the UPF category is for making individual food choices because it groups together a very broad range of foods.
Research has consistently found associations between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and a range of poorer health outcomes. However, this doesn’t mean that every individual ultra-processed food causes poor health, or that avoiding every food in this category is necessary for good nutrition.
So what should you look at?
Instead of asking only “Is this processed?”, consider:
- Does it provide important nutrients?
- Does it contain fibre?
- Does it provide protein?
- Is it high in added sugar?
- Is it high in sodium?
- Is it high in saturated fat?
- Does it help me include fruit or vegetables?
- Does it make a nutritious meal easier to prepare?
- Does it fit into my overall eating pattern?
These questions provide much more useful information than the word “processed” alone.
A Balanced Diet Can Include Processed Foods
You don’t have to choose between a completely “natural” diet and an unhealthy diet.
A balanced eating pattern can include fresh, frozen, canned, dried, fermented and packaged foods.
For example:
Quick Breakfast
- Rolled oats
- Milk
- Frozen berries
- Chopped walnuts
Easy Lunch
- Wholegrain bread
- Tinned salmon
- Salad
- Avocado
Simple Dinner
- Microwave brown rice
- Frozen vegetables
- Rotisserie chicken
- Extra virgin olive oil
Easy Snack
- Wholegrain crackers
- Cheese
- Hummus
These meals contain processed foods, but they can still provide fibre, protein, wholegrains, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
Don’t Let Social Media Create Food Fear
Unfortunately, nutrition advice online often divides foods into “good” and “bad.”
This can create unnecessary fear and guilt around everyday foods.
Food is more complicated than a single label.
A healthy eating pattern can include:
- Fresh foods
- Frozen foods
- Canned foods
- Dried foods
- Fermented foods
- Packaged foods
- Homemade meals
- Convenience foods
- Meals eaten out
There is also room for foods that are chosen simply because you enjoy them.
No single food determines your health.
Your overall eating pattern, lifestyle, genetics, environment and many other factors all contribute to your health.
Take Home Message
Processed foods are not the enemy.
Many foods we eat every day — from wholegrain bread and rolled oats to milk, yoghurt, frozen vegetables, canned legumes and tinned fish — have undergone some form of processing.
Processing can make food safer, extend its shelf life, reduce waste, improve convenience and, in some cases, increase its nutritional value.
At the same time, some highly processed foods are best enjoyed less often, particularly when they are high in added sugar, sodium or saturated fat and provide relatively few beneficial nutrients.
Rather than fearing the word “processed,” look at the whole food, its nutritional value and how it fits into your overall eating pattern.
You don’t need to make everything from scratch to eat well.
A healthy diet can be practical, convenient, affordable and enjoyable.
How Feed Your Future Dietetics Can Help
Nutrition can feel confusing when social media is filled with conflicting messages and fear around everyday foods.
At Feed Your Future Dietetics, I help you cut through the myths with practical, evidence-based nutrition advice that fits your lifestyle, budget and health goals.
Whether you’re looking to improve your family’s nutrition, manage a health condition, support sports performance, or build a healthier relationship with food, personalised nutrition support can help you make changes without unnecessary food rules or restriction.
With over 10 years of experience supporting Australians to achieve their nutrition and health goals, Feed Your Future Dietetics was proudly voted one of the Best Dietitians in Canberra in 2025.
All consultations are available via Telehealth using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, meaning you can access personalised dietetic support from anywhere in Australia without the need to travel.
To learn more or book an appointment, contact:
ashleigh@feedyourfuturedietetics.com
References
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Food processing and food safety information.
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Iodine and iodine fortification in Australia.
Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition. 2019;22(5):936–941.
Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384.
Thompson AK, et al. Processing and nutritional composition of foods: implications for health and dietary quality.
