"Steve Freides" > wrote
>
> I guess it depends on a lot of things, among them what sort of prepared
> foods you're talking about. There are certainly some cheap things out
> there. But in my part of the world, the difference between buying frozen,
> breaded fish and going to the seafood store and/or Whole Foods and buying
> fresh is considerable - just one example.
>
> -S-

So you pay $5 a pound for breadcrumbs that you can make yourself for
pennies. Yes, some prepared stuff does sell cheap because of the economy of
mass production, but it is often lower quality. Reading the ingredient
list is often like reading the inventory of a chemical plant. Canned fruit
is OK when that is all that is available, but a fresh peach is far superior
in flavor.

Most people could cut their food bill by 25% or more if they took the time
to prepare fresh foods and do a little extra work. Like buying a whole pork
loin for $1.99 instead of thin sliced pork in the meat case for $4.99.
Grating their own cheese.