When I was growing up, I spent a great deal of time at my grandmother's house. She owned and operated a greenhouse, and I learned a lot about plants and preservation of foods. In the true sense of the term, I learned to process food.
The first processed foods were developed in prehistory. To survive, food had to be be preserved. Meat and vegetables were dried or frozen. Roots were dug and set aside in a cool dry area. Some foods were even salted to extend preservation. It was necessary for survival.
Pressure Canner
More modern home preservation methods have developed. When I was growing up, I learned how to grow, prepare and process foods. I learned several methods; I learned how to process fruits and vegetables and can them. Vegetables were blanched and frozen. Meat could be either frozen or processed in a pressure canner to make sure they were safe.
Why is all of this interesting? They are processed foods. While some salt and sugar were used, they were pretty healthy processed foods.
The next question we should ask ourselves is why modern processing seems to require so many additives. Many people claim that the additives increase shelf life. Ok, that makes sense, but at what cost? Wouldn't it be better to have a couple of years less shelf life to add a couple of years to our own?
Personally, I think the corporate perception of taste plays a large role. Salt enhances flavors, so salt is added to food. Since so many foods contain excess sodium, we have learned to expect it. If it's not there, we can tell. Foods don't taste as good to us. The same goes for fat and sugar.
There is hope for those of us who depend on foods processed by manufacturers. The desire for more natural foods has been heard. Several of them have started offering foods prepared in a more healthy manner, and I applaud it.