I think you are right - the proverbial "THEY" are messing with our food. NONE of it is natural anymore. When I was a kid I don't think I ate anything much WITH a preservative in it whereas now you're hard pressed to find something that isn't primarily chemical. I've seen ice cream bars now that never melt! I daily see tomatoes and cucumbers and all other type of veggies and fruits that are exact clones of each other. Where are the tomatoes that are all different sizes and shapes with delicious flavour?
I've had bread that doesn't get hard or go moldy, fast food that doesn't spoil, and veggies in the fridge that last for months! My kids wonder why the veggies from my garden go bad so fast ... I tell them it's because it is REAL FOOD and real food goes BAD!
Food is now very different from what I ate as a kid. Guess we're now living the "chemical life" as nothing is real anymore. Genetic modification - UGH!!