It was Napoleon who famously said “An army marches on its stomach.” And it is Napoleon whose insatiable hunger for conquests indirectly created the modern food processing industry. The commercial canning process was invented in 1810 to help feed the French army on its march through Europe. But unfortunately for Napoleon and his troops, the first can opener wasn’t patented until 1858 -- they were forced to hack early metal cans open with swords or bayonets or crush them with rocks. But by the late 1800s, canned beef, salmon, pork and beans and other foods were staples of the American diet.

The 1950s was a golden age for processed food. In 1953, C.A. Swanson & Sons revolutionized the convenience food industry by introducing the “TV Brand Frozen Dinner” turkey with cornbread stuffing, peas and sweet potatoes. Swanson sold the first TV dinner for 98 cents and hoped for first year sales of 5,000 units; instead, in the year following their introduction, more than 10 million TV dinners were sold, paving the way for subsequent products that run the gamut from frozen pizza to frozen gourmet meals from celebrity chefs.

That same year, the Ore-Ida Company, an NWFPA member, introduced the Tater Tot, another staple of the processed-food industry. Originally conceived as a way to use up byproducts of the French fry manufacturing process, Tater Tots quickly became one of the most successful innovations in food processing history.

Today, food processing is a major U.S. industry; each year, Americans spend more than $1 trillion on food. In the Pacific Northwest, food processing is the third-largest manufacturing sector, with annual revenues of $17 billion and more than 100,000 employees. In Oregon, Washington and Idaho, more than 300 companies can, freeze, process and add value to such commodities as potatoes, cranberries, stone fruits, cane berries, vegetables, poultry and seafood.

Food processing is a cornerstone of modern life, offering consumers significant benefits in convenience, nutrition and cost savings. Canning, freezing, drying and aseptic packaging reduce food waste, extend shelf life, and keep food wholesome long after it would normally spoil. Processed food enables busy families to serve nutritious meals quickly. And although canned foods are often assumed to be of low nutritional value (due to heating processes or the addition of preservatives), some canned foods are actually nutritionally superior to their natural form. For instance, canned tomatoes have a higher available lycopene content than fresh tomatoes.

Processed food includes fresh packed or frozen foods or juices. Because of constantly evolving processing technology, processed foods are healthier than ever before. The Northwest Food Processors Association invites you to explore this Website and learn more about the members who comprise this wide-ranging and growing industry.