Food provenance Flashcards
Explain the food supply chain?
All your food begins its journey on a farm.This is known as the agricultural sector.
Food is then transported to a factory to go through primary and secondary processing. Food may then be stored here for some time before it is required in the retail sector.
From storage, food enters the distribution sector. This is where it is transported to the shops to be sold.
The retail sector is where food is sold to you, the consumer. The retail sector does not only include large supermarkets, but also small corner shops and local farmers’ markets.
Your fork is the final step for the food that started off life on the farm.
What is food provenance?
Food provenance means:
knowing where food was grown, caught or raised
knowing how food was produced
knowing how food was transported
How food is first grown caught or raised?
Food that is grown
An apple orchard
A wide variety of foods can be grown within the United Kingdom, examples of these include:
apples – which are grown in orchards (eg Bramley apples in County Armagh)
potatoes and carrots – which are grown in fields (eg Comber Earlies in County Down)
lettuce – which is often grown in polytunnels
In the UK we have the ideal soil and weather conditions suited to these crops, while crops like bananas or pineapples require a much hotter climate.
Farmers go through many steps in order to produce the best crops they can
Preparing the soil to ensure it is ready to grow crops.
Sowing seeds, this must be done at the correct time of year to get the best crop.
The area must be kept watered and free from weeds and pests which could damage the crops.
Crops are harvested when they are ready, and are inspected to ensure they are of a high standard.
Food that is caught
Fish market
Foods that are caught within the UK are fish and shellfish.
In terms of ports, the boats which constitute the sea fishing industry in Northern Ireland are mainly located in the three County Down fishing villages of Portavogie, Kilkeel and Ardglass.
Fish which can be caught in UK waters include:
mackerel
haddock
mussels
scallops
tuna
There are a number of methods which can be used to catch fish, these include:
Trawling – a method where boats go out to sea and release nets which are pulled along the seabed, catching fish as they go.
Line caught – where a fishing rod, line and bait is used to catch fish.
Pots – used to catch lobster or crab, they are placed on the seabed and collected at a later date.
These are traditional fishing methods. However, wild fish numbers are decreasing. As a result, sometimes fish are intensively farmed. This means that they are kept in big pens. Fish that are farmed include salmon and rope-grown mussels.
Food that is reared
Cows grazing in a field
Farming is a massive part of the economy throughout the UK. It is one of Northern Ireland’s most important industries.
There are two main types of farming, intensive and organic.
Intensive is usually a large scale operation where the farmer is relying on it for his income. Organic is usually on a much smaller scale where the animals and environment are the priority.
Animals that are reared for food include:
cows – for their meat and milk
sheep
pigs
chickens – for their meat and eggs
A battery chicken farm
Animals can be reared indoors or outdoors.
Chickens farmed intensively indoors
This is often known as battery hen farming.
Chickens are reared in large numbers indoors to produce a high income for the farmer.
A free range chicken
Free range chickens
Chickens are allowed to roam outside during daylight hours and are given much more space.
Animal welfare is the top priority.
Quality assurance
There are a number of quality assurance schemes in place to help consumers recognise that they are buying a top quality product, where the animal has been reared in the best conditions possible. These schemes assure the consumer of the quality of the product. They also help to promote high standards within the food industry.
Examples include the Northern Ireland Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and the Bord Bia Quality Mark. When consumers see meat on the supermarket shelves with these logos, they can be confident that the animal was reared in conditions of a high standard, that the animal’s welfare was always of top priority and that no unnatural substances were used.
What is the primary and secondary processing of milk?
The processing of milk starts on the farm. The farmer milks the cows two to three times daily.
Milk is then transported from the farm to the factory to be processed.
The milk is then pasteurised. This means that it is heated to a high temperature to kill bacteria, it is then cooled again.
The cream is then separated from the milk. It is added back into the milk depending on what type of milk is required – skimmed, semi-skimmed or full fat.
The final step is homogenisation. This ensures the cream (or fat) is evenly distributed through the milk which will now have a smooth consistency and is ready to be sold.
Why is food processed?
Food processing refers to the stages raw ingredients go through in order to become something we can eat.
Food production refers to the three-part production of food – input, process and output.
Why do we process food?
Food processing must happen for a number of reasons, these include:
making food safe to eat by killing harmful bacteria
making food look and taste its best by adding colour after processing
making foods become available that are out of season, like frozen raspberries and strawberries
making foods easier to prepare, this is important for people who live busy lifestyles
making foods have a longer shelf life by adding preservatives
What is food production?
The process of making a smoothie is a good example of food production – there is the input of ingredients followed by the process of blending them to create the final output.
Explain the term seasonal foods.
Seasonality is when a particular food is ripe/ready to harvest/ready to
eat at a particular time of year/in a particular season.
Example-Summer-Strawberries
What is intensive farming?
a system of production using large amounts of labour and capital relative to land use (high input/high output).
What is Organic farming?
a system where artificial fertilisers are not allowed to be used, soil fertility is built through crop rotation, and inorganic pesticide use is severely restricted. It is a form of extensive farming.Predators and biological pesticides are used and manure and compost is used over fertilisers.
What are Genetically modified foods?
Food that has its genes altered to give it useful characteristics
-Example of these features:
Pest resistance:
Bigger yield
Faster growth
Ripening controlled
Disadvantages of GM foods
long term health effects unknown
concerns of genes escaping and causing problems
cant sell in the eu
What does the red tractor label show
food safety welfare traceability environmental protection
What does the RSPCA assured symbol mean
Farmers had followed strict RSPCA animal welfare standard which are higher than tlegal requirements
What is a sustainable method
One that doesnt damage the environment or use up finite resources
What is processing and production?
Food processing refers to the stages raw ingredients go through in order to become something we can eat.
Food production refers to the three-part production of food – input, process and output.
How can individuals reduce food wastage
Plan meals and portion sizes
Correctly store food
Use contents of fridge before buying more food
Donating unwanted food
Using everypart of the food eg bones for stocks
