Reconstructed not reconstituted foods - Investment in research to mimic natural products is that CSR or anti social?

 Reconstituted foods are common knowledge. Potato flakes used to make potato pancakes or egg powder used to make omelette is most common. Freeze drying food products only to reconstitute them by adding water is one of the great technological inventions to prolong the life of food substances. That is not the topic of this article. Reconstituted food is a common food industry/nutrition expression and so I had to call the subject of this article 'Reconstructed foods'.

In the recent years food  manufacturers have spent a great deal of money on research and technology to reconstruct food so as to make it look like it was made using a traditional natural process.

Milk

 If your child does not know about cows and buffalos and feels that milk is made in the factory, is that wrong? Long gone are the days when fresh milk was pasteurised and packed in bottles and sold. Today milk is made using milk powder and other ingredients with a variety of options in fat, SNF combinations. Many customers are aware of this and some new competitors are selling fresh milk at high prices while most dairies are producing milk in factories using milk powder ( shelf life of 18+ months) 

Potato Chips

When I mentioned that the big brands of perfectly shaped potato wafers are made from potato powder in factories and not by slicing potatoes, one of my good friends was quite surprised. The MNC's have spent so much money on developing the perfect shape to replicate the fried thin slice of potato using potato powder that it is really a great case in visual food design and engineering. While the many articles about how these chips were designed provide the rationale of strength etc, the real objective must have been also to keep it as close to the chip from a real potato so that customers don't know the difference and they don't know and by the time you are addicted and come to know of the difference, you don't care!  Potato chips design story

Corn Flakes 

Originally corn flakes were made with corn grits going under heavy rollers to make thin flakes. In India, I think Mohun Meakin still makes it this way. Most large brands make these flakes using flour ( except the classic variety which is consumed by the old)  and they could have provided them any shape, but they chose to shape them close to the original. The thickness and taste are quite different so customers can easily tell, except those who have never tried the thin flakes ! 

Pulpy Orange Juice

Using citric acid and other chemical ingredients to make orange juice is  common, however to add pulp made in a factory that resembles pulp from the actual fruit takes corporate innovation and R&D to another level. 

I find this type of food made in the factory that has the form of the traditional natural products is not good for society at large. To keep this short and since it is fairly obvious I have not gone in to the nutritional aspects or R&D spends to develop such foods. 

Did you know milk is made from powder? potato chips from potato powder? Corn flakes from corn flour + and the pulp in orange juice in a factory? Do you you know any other products that customers assume to be something and they are not? Do let me know. The passing off as natural products is the new investment in R&D