In the US, there are plenty of canned tomato products -- sauce, crushed, puree, whole -- that are pretty much just tomatoes. I find that it's hard to beat canned tomatoes, because the fresh tomatoes available at the supermarket are cardboard. The canned sauces can be canned close to where they're picked, and thus don't have to be optimized for transportation and storage. And they're convenient.
Like the article says, the glass jar stuff is loaded with sugar.
Of course I still enjoy fresh tomatoes from my garden every summer, but am not too disappointed if I don't get enough to freeze or can.
Pretty much just tomatoes, and then loads of salt. I have to hunt around to find some that don’t have 20% of my daily sodium, per serving. It’s fine to eat 20% in one serving of a meal, but tomatoes are always accompanied by other stuff, including ingredients that are always salty, like cheese.
Let's also keep in mind that the folks who are notoriously exposed to sugar also happen to be poor, and those folks may not have the time to prepare meals that they otherwise could if they weren't poor. I grew up in a relatively poor family (five boys, single mom most of the time), and my mom spent a lot of her time struggling with her own issues. She can still cook a mean lasagna, but those dinners were tempered by macaroni and hotdog slices (which I love, btw, and still make). Ketchup (edit: and single packaged cheese) on toast? Yes please!
I make my own tomato sauce. Super easy and freezes well. Tastes better too. There’s also plenty of non-sugary options at the supermarket if you’re pressed for time.
Where do you get good tasting tomatoes though? It’d become increasingly hard and expensive pursuit in the US for example, not sure where you get yours.
I don’t understand this comment at all. Unless you only buy pre-packaged foods, it’s easy to avoid sugary foods at the grocery store. And even pre-packaged foods have nutrition labels.
It’s not a lack of choices; it’s either consumers are unaware or (more likely) knowingly prefer sweeter options. Unless you are of the position those in charge should dictate food choices, the only option is greater consumer education.
I don't think your comment and the parent's comment are at odds.
I agree with your assertion that consumer education is a much more effective and reasonable long term solution than government intervention (I used my own words, please correct me if I've misinterpreted). Likewise, I agree with the commenter whose comment you can't relate with: it really isn't helping that so much food is "fortified" with sugar (used my own words again).
I am totally guessing (as in I could be completely wrong) that the reason this viewpoint doesn't resonate with you is because you are one of the people who has educated themselves about nutrition, and imo even more importantly, it sounds like you may have been introduced to healthy eating (and food preparation) habits early on. I apologize if any of these assumptions are flat out incorrect regarding your upbringing, but I don't think they are too far fetched in any case (i.e. while it may not be true for you, it is reasonable that it may be true for others).
It's not just education about food that makes a difference, it also matters a lot being exposed to healthy eating and food preparation habits.
Both of you can be right in this case without any actual disagreement.
Fair enough, and I am a foodie and scientist to boot. By habit, I almost turn the container over to look at the nutrition label; others probably look at thing’s differently.
