THE DARK SIDE OF BUDGET FOOD

Consumers vs. manufacturers

Synopsis

Supermarkets carry many kinds of ham. How are they different? What's the manufacturing process? What's the real value of low-cost ham?

Ready-made meals are top sellers in the frozen section. They are convenient for consumers and manufacturers. Indeed, deep-freezing lets them save money by buying cheaply from far away, tweaking recipes, or discreetly reducing food weight.

Freezing has also popularized new products such as chocolate fondant, which is ready in seconds in the microwave and has become a bestseller.