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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think processed and pre cooked food is way too common in this country?

437 replies

HotPotLove · 24/10/2025 10:11

Before you all start yelling at me, I know that there are of course millions of households that eat a healthy diet, cook from scratch all the time, carefully choose ingredients etc etc. But my feeling as a foreigner (have been living in the UK for almost a decade though) is that ultra processed food, pre cooked and ready meals etc are very much normalised here and part of most people every day life. It’s pretty obvious just by looking at the supermaket aisles really.
Curious to know if people are generally trying to stay away from these and make healthier choices or whether it is generally so embedded into our lives that we are not even noticing?
Second disclaimer is that I am not pointing any fingers, infact I often buy these myself but what makes me think about this is that I would have never bought these types of meals when living back in my own country (also less available than here overall)

OP posts:
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MTauditons · 24/10/2025 10:38

Yet another Brit-bashing thread ☹️

SoftPillow · 24/10/2025 10:37

I don’t disagree but I’m also sensitive to the fact that:

  • with both adults working (or one adult in a single household) there isn’t much time for home cooking. If you leave at 7am and get home with the kids at 6.30, and have homework, housework, bath and bed to do, you need something quick. Quick often means convenient. You can’t eat omelette or stir fry veg every night.
  • cash is tight, and home cooking requires equipment, time to buy fresh ingredients, it uses lots of electricity to slow cook and simmer gently etc
  • we are bombarded by adverts pushing this food onto us. And it often tastes great, it’s been designed to taste great so that we buy more. No one is trying to sell us leeks on prime time tv.

so yes, I don’t think you’re wrong but you are judging and not considering the realities of people’s lives.

Original poster
HotPotLove · 24/10/2025 10:36

BMW6 · 24/10/2025 10:30

I'm curious what countries DON'T have these foods commonly available?

I haven’t said that they don’t exist in other countries. I have said that are not as comminly used and therefore they are not as widely available and in such variety.

OP posts:
Original poster
HotPotLove · 24/10/2025 10:35

MrsSkylerWhite · 24/10/2025 10:20

A tomato sauce takes a lot of good quality tomatoes and herbs and at least a couple of hours of gas or electricity.

Show quote history

No. You can make a delicious plate of pasta with a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes and a few basil leaves. Olive oil is expensive but you buy it once and lasts for months. Overall it’s cheaper and healthier than a jar or a packet or pre cooked pasta.

OP posts:
BMW6 · 24/10/2025 10:30

I'm curious what countries DON'T have these foods commonly available?

Westfacing · 24/10/2025 10:25

Nothing wrong with the occasional ready meal.

Back when I was working 12 hours shifts, out the house for 14 hours, back home around 21.00, I used to keep a few M&S meals in the freezer, otherwise I'd end up eating toast or nothing as too tired to do anything else! So maybe about twice a week, so not too many.

But after while they all began to taste the same, they really did. So I started batch-cooking which was much better 😊

echt · 24/10/2025 10:20

Yet another thread about cooking from scratch.

MrsSkylerWhite · 24/10/2025 10:20

HotPotLove · 24/10/2025 10:18

@MrsSkylerWhite well it depends though (on the cost I mean). Cooking from scratch doesn’t always have to involve a big expensive piece of meat or fish. It can just be some pasta and tomato sauce that isn’t all pre packaged or out of a jar for example. Or a soup with beans and veg or a big salad with some eggs, nuts, vegetables etc. These are not time consuming or complex thinga to male, nor expensive. I think many people still think of a “proper” meal as a cut of meat with sauce and sides hence think it’d be more expensive to make from scratch?

A tomato sauce takes a lot of good quality tomatoes and herbs and at least a couple of hours of gas or electricity.

Original poster
HotPotLove · 24/10/2025 10:18

@MrsSkylerWhite well it depends though (on the cost I mean). Cooking from scratch doesn’t always have to involve a big expensive piece of meat or fish. It can just be some pasta and tomato sauce that isn’t all pre packaged or out of a jar for example. Or a soup with beans and veg or a big salad with some eggs, nuts, vegetables etc. These are not time consuming or complex thinga to male, nor expensive. I think many people still think of a “proper” meal as a cut of meat with sauce and sides hence think it’d be more expensive to make from scratch?

OP posts:
Tiredofwhataboutery · 24/10/2025 10:15

I think so, I try and keep it down but I’m a yellow sticker fan do often but ready meals for the freezer. I think it’s an area that has pretty hefty profit margins as paying a lot for a little meat/ heavy on carbs/ loads of sauce.

LadyKenya · 24/10/2025 10:15

Yes, I do think that there is a reliance on processed food, for many in this Country.

MrsSkylerWhite · 24/10/2025 10:12

You’re not wrong.
Too many people are time poor and cfs is often more expensive, though.