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Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to

transform raw ingredients into food for consumption by

humans or animals. The food processing industry utilizes

these processes. Food processing often takes clean, harvested

or slaughtered and butchered components and uses these

to produce attractive and marketable food products.

Common food processing techniques include:

• Removal of unwanted outer layers, such as potato peeling or the skinning of peaches
• Chopping or slicing, of which examples include potato chips, diced carrot, or candied peel.
• Mincing and macerating
• Liquefaction, such as to produce fruit juice
• Emulsification
• Cooking, such as boiling, broiling, frying, steaming or grilling
• Mixing
• Addition of gas such as air entrainment for bread or gasification of soft drinks
• Proofing
• Spray drying

Benefits of food processing include toxin removal, preservation, improving flavour, easing marketing and distribution tasks, and increasing food consistency. In addition, it increases seasonal availability of many foods, enables transportation of delicate perishable foods across long distances, and makes many kinds of foods safe to eat by removing the micro-organisms. Modern supermarkets would not be feasible without modern food processing techniques, long voyages would not be possible, and military campaigns would be significantly more difficult and costly to execute.

Modern food processing also improves the quality of life for allergists, diabetics, and other people who cannot consume some common food elements. Food processing can also add extra nutrients.

Processed foods are less susceptible to early spoilage than fresh foods, and are better suited for long distance transportation from source to shelf. Fresh materials, such as fresh produce and raw meats, are more likely to harbour pathogenic micro-organisms (e.g. Salmonella) capable of causing serious illnesses.

In general, fresh food that has not been processed other than by washing and simple kitchen preparation, may be expected to contain a higher proportion of naturally occurring vitamins, fibre and minerals than the equivalent product processed by the food industry.

Food processing can lower the nutritional value of foods. Processed foods tend to include food additives, such as flavourings and texturizers, which may have little or no nutritive value, or be unhealthy. Some preservatives added or created during processing such as nitrites or sulphites may cause adverse health effects.

Processed foods often have a higher ratio of calories to other essential nutrients than unprocessed foods, a phenomenon referred to as "empty calories". Most junk foods are processed, and fit this category.

High quality and hygiene standards must be maintain ed to ensure consumer safety and failures to maintain adequate standards can have serious health consequences.