Gareth Edwards: Pre-prepared food comes at a high price any way you slice it

They are a guilty pleasure for millions of us, the "lazy foods" which promise to take the hard work out of cooking. But, asks Gareth Edwards, are we getting value for money?

IT PROBABLY started long ago, with what is commonly referred to as the greatest invention of all time – sliced bread.

This revolution, which freed people from the hitherto unavoidable drudgery of chopping their own loaf, was such a great time-saver that it is surprising it took so long for the idea to filter out to other products.

But filter out it has, and now supermarket shelves are crammed with food options such as pre-grated cheese, pre-sliced lemons, pre-diced carrot or even a pre-boiled egg.

A new survey has suggested that Scots are the biggest purchasers of these "lazy foods" in the UK, although everywhere sales of such foods are up, perhaps as a result of our increasingly hectic lives.

But while there's no doubt they save time, are these "lazy options" really value for money? And could they even be having a negative effect on our health?

Sales of so-called "lazy food" are increasing.

A new survey showed UK consumers spend an average of 63 a year on food that is ready-grated, sliced and chopped, up 14 per cent in the past 12 months.

Scotland is listed as the "laziest" region, with consumers here spending an average of 74.39 a year. Certainly there is no shortage of these products on supermarket shelves in the Capital.

But are they worth the extra cost?

Probably the least favourite job in any kitchen, for example, is chopping onions, and so 1.42 for a 1kg bag of frozen diced onions might seem like a bargain. When you can get the same weight of unchopped onions for just 82p, it becomes a question of just how much you want to avoid the tearful task.

One of the biggest differences is in fresh fruit, with a pre-chopped pineapple costing 2.99, while a whole pineapple was 1.99. The same price difference could be seen for chopped versus a whole mango, but while preparing such fruit can be a fiddly, messy job, is it really worth paying an extra 1 to avoid it?

As a one-off when you are pushed for time, perhaps, but all those 1s and 60ps can soon add up if you do it every week.

There are some items though that, judging by our supermarket sweep, are a no-brainer for time-pressed cooks.

Ready-grated cheese, for instance, seems a must-buy. The price difference between a 500g bag of grated cheddar at Sainsbury's actually worked out slightly cheaper than buying a block of cheese the same size.

The price comparison website MySupermarket.com, which commissioned the initial shopping basket survey, predicts this kind of convenience food will only become more popular.

MySupermarket spokesman Jonny Steel said:

"Our research indicates sales of such products are up 14 per cent in the last 12 months alone, and we anticipate this will continue to grow as shoppers become ever more time-pressed."

In the non-stop ultra-fast modern world it is little wonder people are looking to save time wherever they can, but is there a danger that this lazy lifestyle choice is actually bad for our health?

Dawn Breslin, an Edinburgh-based author, TV presenter and lifestyle coach, said that the popularity of "lazy food" was a sign people were living faster lifestyles. And she warned that this kind of lifestyle can affect people's sense of fulfilment, and even their enjoyment of life.

"There is a certain art to cooking a meal, and a sense of fulfilment that comes from preparing the vegetables and putting everything together, and if we are simply heating up pre-prepared food, a lot of that is lost," she said.

"Cooking can be a very therapeutic activity, and is very relaxing for people if they take the time to appreciate and enjoy what they are doing."

Emma Conroy, a nutritionist from Edinburgh Nutrition, points out that buying pre-prepared fruit and veg is better than skipping it altogether, but warns it does not have the same nutritional value.

"I would rather people bought this kind of pre-prepared fruit and veg than didn't buy any, but people should be aware that the more this food has been sliced, the less nutrients it will have," she said.

"A whole piece of fruit is full of nutrients, but as soon as you start chopping it these are lost, so something like diced or chopped carrots would have a lot less nutrients than a whole carrot."

It seems "lazy foods" may not be the best thing since sliced bread after all – but as long as we continue to live faster lives, they look as though they are here to stay.