There's something that's been around for thousands of years, making your trips to the grocery store cheaper and keeping people from starving every winter. This invention that helps us in many ways is food preservatives. Most people associate food preservatives with terrible chemicals that should be avoided, and while many of those used today are known to cause health problems, there are many benefits that some people may not reap. aware of what food preservatives offer us. Before there were so many food preservatives, things were different in the traditional home. People did not have enough food in the winter because crops and unpreserved meat spoiled. When people expected their food to go bad, they ate it all so that nothing would go to waste. Additionally, as winter approached, many farmers killed all their animals because it was not economically wise to keep them through the winter. The animals would have to be fed and kept warm, but the grass would not be available for them to eat, the water sources where they normally drink would be frozen, and they would not produce as much food as they normally do, such as milk. or eggs. Additionally, animals that moved heavy farm equipment, such as horses or oxen, were not as necessary when there was no farming to be done. People first figured out how to make food last longer a long time ago. As early as 1000 BC the Chinese had figured out how to use salt, spices and smoking. The Incas discovered how to freeze-dry things around the 15th century. This helped them always have 3 to 7 years of food available for their warriors. Nicolas Appert (pictured) was a French chef who in January 1810 discovered how to preserve food in an airtight container... in the middle of paper... it seems almost new. of food preservation." Early methods of food preservation. Np, nd Web. November 8, 2013. "Food additives." Food additives. Np, n.d. Web. November 8, 2013. .French, Alicia. "The 10 Food Facts scarier." Food Recipes RSS. Np, October 21, 2011. Web. November 8, 2013. "Food Preservation in the Middle Ages." Food Preservation in the Middle Ages. Np, nd Web. November 8, 2013. .Pancholi, Rahul. "Join to Academia.edu and share your research with the world." Food preservatives. Np, April 12, 2012. Web. November 8. 2013. .