10 Frozen Meal With Some Of The Lowest Quality Ingredients - Tasting Table

"This Salisbury steak is a great example of how a frozen meal sometimes relies on low-cost, industrially processed fillers and extenders rather than on whole, quality ingredients. The steak patty consists of beef and pork, but not far behind them are textured soy protein concentrate and soy protein concentrate. These ingredients - which do have some inherent nutritious - function to inexpensively add bulk to the product rather than to add the flavor or texture of meat."

"The mashed/ mac & cheese part is made of enriched macaroni product, maltodextrin, and soybean oil, rather than whole grain pasta or natural cheeses; along with stabilizers like xanthan gum and guar gum to maintain texture in a frozen product. The roasted red potatoes are preserved with preservatives like disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate and contain dextrose, both of which are included to maintain color and improve texture, but not flavor. The gravy here uses modified starch instead of simply relying on meat drippings."

The Salisbury steak patty contains beef and pork but is bulked with textured soy protein concentrate and soy protein concentrate, which act as inexpensive fillers rather than flavorful meat. Soy proteins are isolates with reduced nutrient profiles compared with whole cuts. Caramel color is added purely for appearance. The mashed/macaroni and cheese component uses enriched macaroni, maltodextrin, soybean oil, and stabilizers such as xanthan and guar gums instead of whole-grain pasta or natural cheeses. Roasted red potatoes include preservatives like disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate and dextrose to preserve color and texture. The gravy relies on modified starch and numerous industrial flavorings and synthetic ingredients. Much of the meal consists of engineered substitutes rather than recognizable whole foods.

Read at Tasting Table