Preservatives. Good or Bad?

So far this summer, I have been babysitting for many families.  Each family feeds their growing children different types of foods, meals, calories, and so forth.  It is interesting to see the different types of food there is for children.  I've noticed that all the types of food have different messages they are communicating to customers on them how their food is healthier than others.  One that really stood out to me so far was pre-packaged apple slices.

The reason they stood out to me was because on the it states, "Only 30 calories per bag."  Its a small bag with about 6-8 slices in it.  Apples are fresh fruits that when purchased, only last a little while before going bad.  If they food is pre-packaged, it mus have some sort of preservative in it to keep it from spoiling.  

The first thing I thought was, the 30 calories might attract the parents because they are on a diet and watching calories, but growing children shouldn't need to be that cautious.  They're growing and need as much nutrition as they can get.  

My second thought was, even if the company is communicating that it's only 30 calories per bag, are the preservatives they are using to keep the apples from spoiling healthy? None usually are.  It usually isn't healthy, especially for children. 

It's always a better and healthier choice to go with a fresh fruit, or an food for that matter, because it will have little to no preservatives and have a better nutritional value.  Parents should be choosing food products that are healthy for their growing children, not their own diet. 

It is just interesting to see how all families and parents are different from each other and your own.  To me, I will always go with a fresh, healthier food item, even if it's more expensive, because it'll be more nutritional and better for your health in the long run.