I can believe, have you seen the Micheal Moore book 'Fast Food Nation?
That's scary!... It's about the expansion of the fast food industry in the US, we will no doubt go the same way, in any one day I get 2-3 pizza/curry leaflets and greggs mc Ds and nandos are on every high street.
Convenience/microwavable food has exploded in the last 15yrs or so, if I can't have it in 5-8 mins forget it!
The product placements in programming means advertising is creeping into your subconscious even as you watch the soaps now. Busy parents may be getting lazy or time constraints may force a quicker meal. Is it just because the packaging looks so appealing or
The slogans used? We're being bombarded by mixed messages amd it is more than a little confusing.
I'm on a bit of a rampage against the tinned/packet/ready meals at the moment too. One of the best tips I got was to freeze herbs in butter and to used dried beans and pulses and soak what I needed overnight.
I buy whatever meat is on offer at the best price and in season veg to help keep costs down too.
One plus is knowing there's no VAT on fresh food, even though the price for veg at supermarkets has gone through the roof, local markets are much cheaper.