There is something that has been around for thousands of years that makes your trips to the grocery store cheaper and keeps people from starving every winter. This invention that helps us in many ways is that of food preservatives. Most people associate food preservatives with terrible chemicals that should be avoided, and while many of those in use today are known to cause health problems, there are many benefits that some people may not know about. -be not. 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 winter because unpreserved crops and meat deteriorated. When people expected the food to be about to spoil, they ate it whole so as not to waste anything. Additionally, as winter approached, many farmers killed all of their animals because it did not make economic sense to keep them over the winter. The animals would have to be fed and kept warm, but grass would not be available for them, the water sources where they usually drink would be frozen, and they would not produce as much food as they normally produce, such as milk. . or eggs. Additionally, animals that moved heavy farm equipment, such as horses or oxen, were not needed as much 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 BCE, the Chinese had figured out how to use salt, spices, and smoking. The Incas discovered how to freeze-dry objects around the 15th century. This helped them always have 3-7 years of food for their warriors. Nicolas Appert (pictured) was a French chef who discovered in January 1810 how to store food in an airtight place...in the middle of a sheet of paper......the urger-looks almost new />. “First methods of food preservation.” First methods of food preservation. Np, and Web. November 8, 2013. “Food additives.” Food additives. Np, and Web. November 8, 2013. .French, Alicia. “The top 10 of the Scariest Food Facts." Food Recipes RSS. Np, October 21, 2011. Web. November 8, 2013. "Food Preservation in the Middle Ages." Food Preservation in the Middle Ages. Np, and Web. November 8, 2013. .Pancholi, Rahul. “Join Academia.edu and share your research with the world.” Food Preservatives, April 12, 2012. Web.. 2013. .