> why Americans buy these kind of (expensive) processed and branded food products (1) as other commenters have mentioned, these products tend to be remarkably

> why Americans buy these kind of (expensive) processed and branded food products (1) as other commenters have mentioned, these products tend to be remarkably cheap in money (~$0.50/serving) and are shelf-stable (2) the USA has a rather poor culture around food preparation, in my experience--especially in poor households. When money and especially time/effort are in short supply, boxed meals (or fast food, etc) are absolutely essential, especially when juggling multiple jobs/kids/whatnot. Shelf-stable is an added bonus, allowing these to be stockpiled when on sale. Further, boxed mac (or canned soup, etc) are things that can be trusted to a child to make while unsupervised: again, a huge force-multiplier for busy households (parent taking kid 1 to sport, kid 2 alone at home, or kids 1&2 home alone while parent at work, etc) Even when time and other resources are available, many Americans simply aren't very interested in preparing their own food, especially not if they're a single-person household. After a day of work, with nobody to share the bounty of cooking with, it's difficult to argue putting the time/effort/creativity into a meal vs. 15 mins over the stove with some premade stuff. I say all this as someone who adores cooking, and finds it remarkably good stress-relief. I have a partner I can share dishes (and responsibility) with, and we love a variety of cuisines and being capable of making our own healthy food--but even so we also both love being able to make boxed mac for lunch every now and again. It's simple, and a hell of a lot cheaper than eating out.