Is Powdered Food “Processed”? Here’s the Real Story.

When “powdered” doesn’t mean “processed.”

When we shared that our next products would be powdered “just-add-water” formulations, a few of you asked an important question:

• “Isn’t that less healthy?”
• “Doesn’t that make it processed food?”

Fair questions, and ones that came up at this year’s Food | Ag | Ideas (FAI) Week, an annual gathering that brings together founders, investors, and changemakers across food, agriculture, and innovation.

While we were debuting our new brand (hooray!), we also got to listen in on some powerful conversations. One speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a preventive cardiologist and fellow food maker, offered a framing that stuck with us.

She explained that calling something “processed” doesn’t tell the whole story. She prefers the term “ultra formulated.”

What Does “Ultra Formulated” Mean?

In food innovation, formulation isn’t inherently negative, it’s about intention.

Some foods are formulated for mass consumption; think bright-colored snacks designed to keep you reaching for more. They rely on flavor extremes, artificial colors that mimic nutrient density, and what scientists call “vanishing caloric density”, meaning they dissolve quickly, so you feel like you haven’t eaten much at all.

Those foods are engineered to perform, not to nourish.

How Taking Stock Formulates Differently

Other foods, like our Prebiotic Sipping Broths, are formulated with intention and purpose.

Our goal isn’t to manipulate appetite or chase novelty. It’s to make something functional, supportive, and genuinely delicious.

If you start by asking, “What is this product formulated to do?” the difference becomes clear. Ours are designed to bring whole-food nourishment into modern life, an evolution of homemade broth.

From Whole Ingredients to Functional Convenience

By adding prebiotic fiber, coconut milk powder, and trace minerals, we’ve built on the foundation of traditional bone broth to create something more functional:

• A daily ritual that supports gut comfort
• Hydration and protein intake in a single cup
• Convenience without compromise

We start with whole ingredients and use time-tested food techniques, drying and grinding, to make them shelf-stable and easy to use.

This is modern convenience for the thoughtful eater.

Designed to Work With Your Body, Not Against It

Our Prebiotic Sipping Broths have been intentionally designed to take nourishment further, using whole ingredients that support your body’s natural systems.

No shortcuts. No synthetic tricks. Just real food designed for real life.

A Note of Gratitude

Thank you for always asking the hard questions.

Your curiosity helps us stay transparent, thoughtful, and true to what Taking Stock Foods stands for:

Simple nourishment that supports real life.