  In this paper I formulate Minimal Requirements for Candidate Predictions in
quantum field theories, inspired by viewing the standard model as an effective
field theory. I then survey standard effective field theory regularization
procedures, to see if the vacuum expectation value of energy density
($\langle\rho\rangle$) is a quantity that meets these requirements. The verdict
is negative, leading to the conclusion that $\langle\rho\rangle$ is not a
physically significant quantity in the standard model. Rigorous extensions of
flat space quantum field theory eliminate $\langle\rho\rangle$ from their
conceptual framework, indicating that it lacks physical significance in the
framework of quantum field theory more broadly. This result has consequences
for problems in cosmology and quantum gravity, as it suggests that the correct
solution to the cosmological constant problem involves a revision of the vacuum
concept within quantum field theory.
