system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 When a food is considered to be "processed," what does that actually mean?
gpt
Basically, every food you eat is processed, unless you grow and pick/slaughter it yourself.  These days, when people use the word "processed", they mean more along the lines of added preservatives, fillers, etc.


For example, if you go to the deli in the grocery store and want some turkey, all the turkey is going to be processed, since the animal has been killed, feathers plucked, meat taken off bone, then reassembled into the piece that is sliced.  Oftentimes, other things such as preservatives will be added to help with shelf life, flavors, etc.  "Fillers" are also used to help a small amount of meat become a larger piece to slice.


That's not to say that all turkey lunch meat would be like that.  There are some that have nothing added to it, other than the meat off the breast of the turkey.  These, however, are still considered processed.

TL;DR: all food you purchase from the grocery store is processed.  Unless you grow/slaughter and cut the meat off the animal yourself, it is considered processed.  But when people say a food is "processed", they more often than not referring to various preservatives, fillers, etc. that are added to the food that aren't naturally a part of the plant/animal.