Why Is Food Preservation Essay

Food preservation is a technique used by humans since humans could hunt and harvest. Whether was purpose of preserving food was for a long voyage or sustainability through the harsh winters, keeping food edible was (and still is) a priority. Spoiled food often meant starvation for a community, back when grocery stores were not in existence and refrigerators weren’t invented yet. While humans have adapted and invented ways to better keep food fresh and plentiful, there are still historic ways of food preservation that are still used and are widely popular today. An example of this is drying, or food dehydration. Food dehydration is one of the best ways of food preservation, because it has a long shelf life, is easy to do, reduces waste and is cost beneficial. While dehydrating food may not be the best method to retain the taste or texture, it does keep food preserved for a long time. The goal of drying food is to remove the moisture from it in

Drying food out inhibits bacteria from growing so spoilage does not happen for upwards to ten years. That is why drying was so vital in so many places before other inventions like a refrigerator were made or the preservation method of canning was popularized. Many found its uses necessary for survival, as well as long journeys or cold winters where food was nearly impossible to find. Dehydrating food is traditionally done by using the sun or an oven, but inventions like a food dehydrator and other practical appliances like a microwave and toaster oven have made it much more faster and easier to dry out food. Finally, dehydrating food is cost beneficial and greener to do. It reduces food waste and saves money by buying food and dehydrating at home. Many foods can be dehydrated, so nothing has to completely go to waste. These are all reasons to support food dehydration as one of the best methods of food