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

[HotPotLove]

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)

I’ve just come back from Georgia and was in Japan recently. What both had in common was it was very easy to eat well and healthily and cheaply. Lots of properly cooked food (not a meal pinged in a microwave by someone in a pub) and vegetables.

the fresh produce is cheaper and fresher.

we eat a lot of packaged crap (edited to clarify, there is a lot of it eaten in this country) And while there are obviously people who are time and physically poor,I know people in my own family who are neither, they just don’t know how to cook and don’t want to know.

In Italy it would be things like: veg and legumes soup at least a couple of times a week or a frittata with some vegetables (salad or boiled veg but then nicely cooked in a pan with garlic and olive oil for example) and fresh bread or a quick and easy pasta dish or some meat/fish with veg and fresh bread or sometimes it might be something super super quick like a big salad with some cured meat and cheese.
Eating habits also change a lot depending on regions.

I'm in Melbourne, but apart from my observation comparing a UK supermarket with Australian ones, I couldn't comment on what Aussies eat. Not a clue.

For myself I cook from scratch, though am not pure in that, for example, I use canned beans, not always soaking them.

My family are italian and I grew up in the u.k. You can't compare the two countries and how people cook, it's a cultural difference it's always been this way. Italians live for food and have long discussions about it too! I cook from scratch as my mum did and it's the healthy thing to do. But a lot of people can't do so or don't want to which is fine. Its all a question of whatever makes someone happy and no need to judge. But I have noticed that a lot of young Italians are now choosing easier cooking paths. There are now ready made soups in Italy I notice a lot use. Plus if you shop in an Italian supermarket you can get various meats that are all ready marinated and ready to pop in the oven, they taste delicious! Fresh pasta is also easy to buy in Italy and nothing like the fresh pasta here! So I think people do cheat in Italy but dont let on!

One thing I notice here in the UK from is that the Italian brands of ultra processed foods are generally the healthiest and lack the emulsifiers, unknown chemicals and poor quality oils of the British brands.

In UK supermarkets I buy Italian crackers and wraps that are basically just flour, water and salt and pesto that is made using evoo rather than sunflower oil and has just basil and pine nuts.

Last night we had steak cooked on the bbq and a big green salad (home grown avocados).

Sunday night home made seafood chowder served with (bought) garlic ciabatta bread.

Saturday night home made sweet and sour pork and steamed jasmine rice.

Friday night chops on the bbq, boiled little spuds (butter/sour cream).

Thursday last week was pork belly slices marinated in home made 5 spice/hoi sin sauce/chilli powder/little oil.

tonight is pork steak on the bbq with large green salad.

wedneday night might be a hogget roast depending if it’s thawed or not. Otherwise Home made quiche and green salad..

you can see we love salads. Sometime we will have a package coleslaw with our preferred mayonnaise too.

Earlier last week we had home coated snitzel as I bought a good deal on white mushrooms and the meat a few weeks back on special.

tomorrow night is now going to be home made fettuccine with salmon ian adaption of a Gabriel G dish, but without the asparagus. Our numbers have grown since menu planning a few days ago..

Do you own a pig farm?

We can't afford all that so our week meals are spaghetti Bolognese with turkey mince, chicken fajitas with chicken thighs, veggie chilli con carne x 2 to save money and time and probably toast for the other days. All low upf although DC have many allergies so we do use some subs or they'd waste away

I generally cook from scrath, but I work 12.5 hr shifts, sometimes 4 in a row. I havent got the time or energy to cook something if I have been in work since 7am and I dont come home untill 8pm and then have to be up at 5 am the next day for work. Its easier to just take with something I can heat up in a microwave like a ready meal. Otherwise by the time I get home walk my dog shower, cook food for the next day, I wouldnt have anytime to sit down and relax after being in my feet all day.

No. I buy most of it when on special and have a deep freezer.

Home made lasagne tonight and home made kebabs tomorrow night receipe courtesy of jamie oliver! The rest of the week everything i cook is from scratch. By Friday night I am fed up and usually it's risotto!

It's time not money that's short.
Busy both work full time plus kids activities.