That is a fair analysis of the situation. Producing better produce is the better path forwards and it is where we should be going. But in taking short cuts there are the four horsemen of flavor - Salt, Fats, Carbs and Sugar. A little is good, too much is bad.

As for fresh produce, I used to work in food manufacturing and there was company pitching their new sterile, vacuum packed fruit range. The idea was that the fruit would be ripened and sealed up at the farm. Their pitch was "fresher than fresh". The idea was that they could stop the ripening process in a fashion similar to how NASA stores their produce for long hauls. Overall it was... ok but there is a reason why it never really went anywhere.