Food Provenance Flashcards
What are two of the ways crops can be grown?
Intensively
Organically
What methods are used in intensive farming and why?
Large mechanical equipment-used to save time and cut down on production costs
Artificial (chemical) fertilisers-supplies nutrients for crops to grow
Pesticides-protects crops and controls pests
What are some concerns about intensive farming?
They can harm wildlife, damage the environment (eg by polluting rivers), and some think they have a harmful effect on human health too
What methods are used in organic farming?
Farmers add manure and compost instead of artificial fertilisers
Crop rotation-growing crops then leaving land fallow to make sure soil is fertile every year
Introducing pests natural predators
Biological pesticides
Spraying crops with hot water
What are the advantages with organic farming?
It reduces the amount of chemical pesticides going onto the land, so it’s less harmful to the environment
Fewer non renewable resources are used than in intensive farming, so it is more sustainable
It appeals to consumers who are concerned about the use of artificial chemicals and their damage to the environment
What are the disadvantages with organic farming?
Organic farming tends to produce a lower yield
There are higher production costs, which means higher prices in supermarkets
What is a genetically modified food?
A genetically modified food is one that has had its genes altered to give it useful characteristics, such as improving its growth or changing its colour
What are the advantages with genetically modified foods?
Crops can be made to grow quicker
Producers can get higher yields of crops for the same amount of seed and fertiliser
This makes food cheaper to produce so it’s also cheaper for the consumer to buy
Crops can be altered to have a longer shelf life and this means less food is wasted
Crops can be made to ripen earlier than normal, so fresh foods can be available for consumers early in the year
Crops can be modified to contain extra nutrients which can improve in nutrition in poor countries. For example golden rice has been genetically modified to contain carotene which provides vitamin A
What are the disadvantages with genetically modified foods?
GM foods haven’t been around for long so their long term health effects aren’t known
There are concerns that modify genes could get out into the wider environment and cause problems
GM producers can’t sell their food everywhere-the European Union restricts the import of some GM foods
What are some of the restrictions with GM foods in the European Union?
All GM foods must undergo strict safety assessments and can only be sold if no health risks have been identified
All foods that are GM or contain more than 1% GM ingredients must be clearly labelled
However, meat and dairy products from animals fed on GM feed are not labelled
What are some of the advantages with factory farmed animals?
Animals may be kept inside in warm sheds, so they don’t waste much energy moving or keeping themselves warm.
That means that more of their energy goes into producing meat or eggs for food and this maximises food production
Factory farm food is generally cheaper than free range
What are the disadvantages with factory farm animals?
People are becoming more concerned that intensively reared animals don’t live very nice lives and this means they are more likely to suffer from nasty diseases, they behave less naturally and can be killed at a young age
Some people believe that meat from factory farmed animals doesn’t taste as nice as meat from free range animals
What are the advantages with free range animals?
Free range food comes from animals that have more space to live than factory farmed animals and this means they usually have nicer lives because of the higher standard of welfare
What are the disadvantages with free range animals?
Less food can be produced by rearing animals in free range conditions. They use up energy moving around, so they take longer to grow.
The extra large needed also adds to the cost. Business products more expensive and they might be beyond some peoples budgets
What is the Red Tractor symbol?
The Red Tractor symbol can be found on any UK meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables and cereal products- to use the logo, producers have to meet standards on food safety, welfare, traceability and environmental protection
What is the RSPCA assured symbol?
The symbol can be found on eggs, dairy, fish and meat-to get the logo, producers have to follow strict RSPCA welfare standards. These standards are higher than legal requirements
What is trawling?
It is a very common method of fishing
Trawlers are fishing boats that catch fish using nets and large trawlers may process fish on board
There are different methods-some drag a net through the open sea, and others along the surface of the sea bed
Dredging is like bottom trawling but use a metal basket instead of a net
What is fish farming?
Large numbers of fish are raised in tanks or enclosures in rivers and lakes or in cages in the sea
As with factory farmed land animals, there is overcrowding and this means the fish are more likely to suffer from diseases
What is an alternative fishing method?
Long line fishing use a fishing line with baited hooks secured between 2 buoys
Fewer fish are caught and there’s less chance of catching unwanted fish.
What are fishing quotas?
Quotas are set by governments to help endangered species of fish. They limit the amount and size of fish that can be caught
What are some methods to conserve fish stocks and make them more sustainable?
Alternative fishing methods
Fishing quotas
Regulating net size
What are some reasons for wasting food at home?
Food has spoiled
Confusion over best before dates and other date marks
Too much food was cooked, an edible leftovers out frozen or reused
Preparing food incorrectly-for example, peeling vegetables too thickly
What are some reasons for producers and retailers wasting food?
Retailers will reject food from producers if it is damaged or spoiled during transport
Imperfect food is often rejected by retailers too and the producer cannot sell it so it gets wasted
To avoid running out of stock and disappointing their customers, supermarkets stock more than they can sell. The unsold stock gets binned, including stuff that is still safe to eat, like bread
Offers from supermarkets encourage people to buy more than they can use or store
Larger packs of food are better value for money but again, it’s more than people need
What are five ways we can reduce waste?
Correctly store food and pay attention to use by dates
Use up the contents of your fridge before buying more food
Use leftovers in meals a day after or freeze them for another time
Use the whole food. For example, bones can be used for stocks and peelings can be made into compost
Donate unwanted food to food banks
What are some materials we use to package food?
Plastic-transparent, lightweight and can be shaped to the food
Glass-transparent, heat-resistant, gives food a long shelf life and is reusable
Metal-heat-resistant and gives food a long shelf-life
Paper- lightweight, can be printed on and is biodegradable
How does suitable packaging reduce food waste?
Protects food from being damaged while it’s being transported, displayed and stored
Preserves the food and stops contamination from bacteria or pests
What does basic processing of fruit and vegetables consist of?
Pits (stones) are removed fruit e.g peaches and cherries
Fruits are squeezed for fruit juices or dried e.g grapes are sundried to make raisins
Fruits and vegetables are washed with water to remove dirt, insects and chemical sprays
Fruits and vegetables are sorted into different sizes and shapes and may be peeled
What are basic processing of meat/poultry?
Some meats (e.g beef) are hung at 4°C and dried to make them more tender and improve flavour
Feathers and internal organs of poultry are removed
The wings and legs of poultry are tied (trussed) so it cooks evenly
Meat is chopped, sliced or cut
Mnemonic for flour
Gross harry reads too many comics and cooking guides because she realised dogs talk
Primary processing of wheat
In the UK, wheat is planted in September and is grown for 11 months
In the UK, wheat is harvested in the following August
Grains are removed from the plant
The harvested wheat grains are transported to the mill
The wheat grains are cleaned and conditioned
The wheat is blended with other types of wheat-the process is called gristing
The wheat grains are milled-a series of heavy rollers breaks down the grains. This is called breaking
The fragments of wheat grain are sieving and reductions
The bran, wheatgerm and endosperm are separated out. They can be blended to make different types of flour
The different flours are packaged and transported to the bakeries
Definition of primary food processing
Primary processing is the preparation of raw foods so they’re either ready to be eaten or cooked immediately
What are the different types of flour?
Wholemeal flour-100% of the grain is used, nothing is taken out
Wheatmeal (Brown) flour- about 85% of the grain is used, so some of the bran and germ are removed
White flour- about 70% of the grain is used (only the endosperm is used)
Why is milk heat treated?
To destroy pathogenic bacteria
