The History Of Processed Foods

The first evidence of processed foods came between 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago, when our ancestors Homo Habilis understood that food had to be manipulated before it is eaten. Pounding certain roots on the rock or making thin slices of meat helped the chewing process, making food easier to eat.

The later ancestors, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis, had smaller teeth, which is only possible in evolution if there is less chewing, due to food being processed thermally, or cooked.