Food processing is any deliberate change in a food that happens before it is available for us to eat.• Food processing is not new. It dates back to pre-historic times when food was sun-dried, preserved with salt and/or cooked.• Modern processing was developed over the centuries with canning and pasteurisation advancing the micro-biological safety of food.• Food processing can be very simple, e.g. preparing, freezing or drying food to preserve nutrients and freshness.• It can also be complex, e.g. formulating a frozen meal with the right balance of nutrients and ingredients.