Bag salads have the advantage of saving time in the kitchen. But are they good for your health? Or at least, are they as nutritionally attractive as a fresh salad? Answers with food engineer Anthony Fardett.
A fresh green salad is sometimes a chore for people with busy schedules. You have to clean them, take them out, cut them. A bagged salad therefore acts as a godsend to skip all these steps. But are they good for your health?
Sache salad, why?
According to a survey conducted for a syndicate of plant product manufacturers by the firm Nielsen, 274 million bagged salads were sold in 2018. Which is 1.4% more than the previous year. This type of product was born in the 80s. This period begins Convenience-conscious spending. In this context, market gardeners in the west of France decided to offer salads packaged in packets and ready to eat. For them, it’s a way to dispose of things that are too small or defective. In 1983, the first conservation and feasibility tests were conducted. That same year, a market gardener in La Manche created his company to produce ready-to-use fresh vegetables. This is the starting point for growing success with customers.
No additives, no chemicals
In terms of their production, you should know that they are sorted, cut, pre-washed, then Soak in an antiseptic bath Formed chlorine products. Once dry, we put them in plastic. Then they are kept cold at a temperature of 1 to 4 degrees. At the nutritional level, a question arises: Are they good for health? First of all, you should know that these are not super-processed products, but slightly processed.
“This is important to emphasize because it means that it is not a product where we have added additives or other chemicals that could be harmful to our health, Anthony Ferdet says. Then, no specific scientific research has been done on these products, but with regard to the chlorine-containing disinfectants used for their cleaning, their rate does not present a risk, because the residues are less than in a glass faucet. water”
But loss of vitamins
About vitamins, “Bagged salad has a certain disadvantage compared to a fresh salad,” Continue expert. Except for vitamin C, for which the content is substantially the same in both types of salad (but less in the sachet salad). Another notable difference is, Fresh salad will enrich our gut microbiota, That is, our good bacteria that contribute to good health.
In any case, its salad consumption does not present a health risk. But it is clear that considering the nutritional value, a fresh green salad would be preferable.
Thanks to Anthony Fardette, agro-food engineer and doctor of human nutrition.
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