Locavore. Domevore. Heirloom. Organic. Artisanal. Wholegrain. Homemade. Grass-fed.
Heinz. Pepperidge Farms. Hellman's. Kraft. Fritos. Peter Pan. Oreos. Premium. Cheerios.
Those seem so opposed, don't they? One is all virtuous and sanctimonious, the other so commercial and devoid of any nutritional value at all.
When it comes to practicalities and survival, though, neither are bad choices, just different.
There's nutritional value and sustenance in Oreos. Fritos. Premium saltines.
Even though it is possible to make everything from scratch, and the homemade is often far superior to the brand name, sometimes just being able to buy it already prepared is good.
We don't always have time to make everything from scratch, using locally sourced ingredients and well-rehearsed techniques.
Sure I can make my own poptarts and toaster strudels. They're actually very easy to do, using either pie crust (an oil based crust so it's sturdier than a delicate and flaky crust) or sheets of puff pastry. A dollop (about a tablespoon) of filling, seal the edges (I have a poptart cutter/sealer)
Par-bake it and freeze. When you're ready to eat the, unwrap one or two, pop them in the toaster at the frozen food setting, and voila! A home made tasty, tasty pop tart or toaster strudel. Mix up a little powdered sugar and milk for the icing, if needed.
I can make my own yogurt, butter, cheeses, sausages, marshmallows, granola, granola bars, bread, sliced lunch meats, potato chips, tortillas, and more.
I could.
But if you look, there are plenty of wholesome, tasty foods that are commercially made. Mayonnaise, saltines, potato chips, cheeses, sausages, yogurt, butter, granola...
Why not buy it, already made up and ready for you to eat?
Read the labels, make your choices. Commercially prepared foods are not all evil.
I'd avoid foods that contain sweeteners that aren't supposed to be sweet, or foods that have any ingredients that don't belong in them - who in their right mind adulterates peanut butter with soy oil?
Commercially prepared foods also have a longer shelf life due to the process by which they are preserved. Unless you have access to a home can sealer for sealing your own canned goods and a pressure canner you won't achieve the same quality as commercial canned goods.
Nor do most of us have access to the kitchens and labs used to create and test recipes to get the right blend and balance that we've come to appreciate in our food, nor do we have access to the same quantity and quality of ingredients.
I'm all for honesty in listing ingredients - and I do mean all ingredients - because of allergies and portion controls and special dietary needs and such. There's no need to list quantities or technique;, in my experience it's the technique that matters more than the ingredients do. Surprising, isn't it? Most people aren't going to try to duplicate the recipe anyway when it's so much easier just to buy it pre-made. The few who do try would try even without an ingredient list.
Commercial food producers aren't out to kill off their customer base. They'd go out of business if there was no one to buy their food.
Really.
I make a lot of my own things for several reasons:
I prefer my recipes to theirs.
I can't find commercial products that aren't contaminated with allergens (soy in peanut butter, corn products or by products in wheat bread).
I can't afford the commercial product.
I can't find the commercial product anymore.
But if it's affordable, and not contaminated with ingredients that don't belong in it, commercial food producers sometimes get it right. When they can make a food I could make and they can do it cheaper and better than I can, I will buy the commercial food.
I know there are those who will talk about food miles and environmental costs, and I've come to realize that as long as I live and consume, I will extract an environmental cost. I can make up for it by planting large canopy trees, by reducing my foot print, by being responsible, but in the end, that footprint will still be there. So I choose when and how to "place my feet" as it were - using fair trade ingredients, weighing the cost of fresh vs canned or frozen, considering not just my personal use of an item, but the global impact it may have - maybe it does travel a thousand miles or more to get to me, but in that travel, it supports all these other people and weighed in the balance of all things, a February tomato isn't always such a crime against the environment.
Maybe some food is produced in unsound conditions - policing our food supply is a Good Thing. Eliminating commercially produced food is not necessarily a Good Thing. Being a good customer means tracking what the producers do and letting them know when they are doing unethical and unsafe things, causing harm. And buying from those producers who do it right.
If you buy pre-made food, regardless of the label attached to it, it's commercial food - from Amy's to Yves Veggie Cuisine. Unless you grow and make it all yourself, you're buying from someone.
That means practical survivalism can include commercially produced foods and still be environmentally sound and suitable for survival - everyday survival clear out to apocalyptic doomsdayer survival.
There's no need to apologize for a pantry of commercially produced foods.