At what point does food cease to be prepared and begin to become processed?

Technically this. But I think what most people mean by "processed" is that there are either non-food additives or that it's a prepared food that's not particularly wholesome or nutritious. It's basically just a synonym for junk food at this point.

Processing is a term that means to turn something into something else buy using a process, hence the name. Technically, that includes cooking.

Coloquially, processing is used to denote a long and complicated process, generally one that includes addition of additives. I guess that you could describe processed as anything that goes through a process too long or difficult for a single human to do on their own with hand tools.

neat...

My litmus test is 'could I make it?'
So anything processed is anything that I couldn't make, if I were provided the raw ingredients and equipment. (Not accounting for skill of course)

I always thought processed meant that there were preservatives, dyes, etc added to the product before it went out to the customer.

But "additives" is poorly defined too. Yeast is an additive in dough. At what point does a substance go from "ingredient" to "additive"?

You thought wrong.

"Additives" despite being a broad word usually means thing that are added to shelf stabilize food, or refine it in some way for manufacturing. Chemicals, etc.

If I was making lesagunia at home, the raw things I'd add are going to be "ingredients", if it was mass manufactured and needed extra junk tossed in to stabilize the food for shelf life, freezing, etc, etc, those are the "additives"

To me processed food is the preservative filled garbage made in a factory shat out by mechanical nipples onto a conveyor belt before reaching a supermarket.

What about pickling or salting? Those are done to shelf stabilize.

You're just being purposefully obtuse now.
"Additive" is not an exact term and may have inconsistent uses, accept it.

Accept my dick in your ass, I demand consistent terminology.

This thread is just an illustration of why the non-GMO crowd always sounds like psuedoscience retard babbys even if they may have the slightest point.

Man, you must really hate spoken language then with how many definitions the word Fuck has

Could we accept that processed foods use chemicals, not found in nature, that are created in labs with with or without the objective goal to assist in flavor, color, shelf life, etc.

Don't be rude

There is also the issue that manufactures add shit and later filter it out so it doesn't show up on the list of ingredients.

I think beer gets cleared that way.

Food is processed, rather than prepared, when it has undergone admixture or chemical alteration but is still used for the same culinary purpose.

It's like you don't know how to read a textbook.

>Could we accept that processed foods use chemicals, not found in nature
No, we can't. bread is processed food. Yes, even 'artisanal sourdough spelt bread'

Generally speaking if the ingredient is required for the production of food or is a spice/herb it's not an additive.

Itt autism.

If you can't say what's in the ingredients, then it's processed/thread.

When 30% of the original plant's fiber is lost or there are any additives

a smoothie is processed retard