Ingredients of the Food System Flashcards
What is Agriculture?
The production of food and goods through farming.
What is Biodiversity
The variety of organisms living in an ecosystem.
What is Domestic Biodiversity?
refers to the diversity among organisms cultivated for human use, in contrast to wild biodiversity
What is Built environment?
Human-made surroundings, including homes, schools, stores, neighborhoods, cities, and the roads and railways that connect them.
What is a Calorie?
A measure of energy. Dietary calories refer to the amount of energy available in food or the amount of energy the body uses. People expend calories during breathing, pumping blood, digesting food, exercise and other activities; excess calories are generally stored as fat.
What is Climate?
The temperature, precipitation, humidity and other weather conditions over a long period of time. Climate is a major factor in what crops can be grown in a region.
What is Climate change?
A significant, lasting change in temperature, precipitation, humidity or other measures of climate. The term often refers to the current trend toward higher average global temperatures (global warming) alongside increased frequency and severity of droughts, heat waves, flooding, hurricanes and other weather events.
What is Concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)?
Concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)
A large industrial food animal production facility. A CAFO might at any one time be raising hundreds of dairy cattle, thousands of hogs or hundreds of thousands of chickens4 in crowded indoor spaces. Large beef CAFOs house thousands of cattle in outdoor feedlots.
What is Dietary Nutrient?
Materials obtained through food that are used by the body for energy, growth and maintenance (in this curriculum, dietary nutrients refer to those consumed by humans). These include water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
What is Ecosystem?
A community of organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment
What is Equity?
Justice, fairness or freedom from bias.
What is Field to plate?
The span of activities from food production through consumption.
What is Food environment?
External factors that influence dietary choices. These could include the influence of family and
friends, food advertising, the cost of food and physical access to food stores.
What is Food Processing?
The practices used by food industries to transform raw plant and animal materials, such as grains,
produce, meat and dairy, into products for consumers.
Examples include freezing vegetables,
milling wheat into flour and frying potato chips. Slaughtering animals is sometimes considered a
form of food processing.
What is Food safety?
The science and practice of protecting the food supply from contamination by disease-causing
organisms, harmful chemicals and other threats to health.
What is Food security?
Consistent and dependable access to adequate, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy
life.1 For a region to be food secure, it must have an adequate, stable supply of food even during
drought and other difficult conditions; and its people must be able to locate and afford food, even in
the presence of an abundant supply.
What is a Foodborne illness?
Illness caused by eating foods contaminated by pathogens, poisonous chemicals or other harmful
substances
What is Freshwater?
Naturally-occurring water that is not salty, as opposed to seawater. Freshwater sources include
ponds, lakes, streams and underground aquifers.
What are Greenhouse gases (GHGs)?
Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The accumulation of these gases causes global warming, an increase in average global temperatures. Greenhouse gases from human activities and natural processes include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). See climate and
climate change.
What is Industrial food animal production (IFAP)?
Industrial food animal production (IFAP)
A model of breeding, feeding, raising and processing animals and animal products for food. It is characterized by housing large numbers of animals under confinement in densely packed, highly specialized facilities. Animals receive specially formulated grain-based feeds that often contain growth-promoting drugs.
What is Local Food?
Food that was produced within roughly 100 to 250 miles of where the consumer lives, or food that
is sold directly from a farmer to a consumer or nearby retailer.14 The term is not strictly defined.
What is a Nutrient?
A substance used by an organism for energy, growth or maintenance. Plants, for example, require nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other chemicals—in addition to water and sunlight—in order to grow and survive.
What is Nutrient-dense?
Containing a large amount of certain key dietary nutrients—typically protein, fiber and a range of essential vitamins and minerals—relative to the amount of calories. Vegetables are generally considered the most nutrient-dense foods because they offer the most key vitamins and minerals per calorie.
What is Nutrient-poor?
Containing a large amount of calories relative to the amount of protein, vitamins and certain other key dietary nutrients. Foods generally considered nutrient-poor include cakes, cookies, candy, soft drinks, chips, ice cream and other products made with large amounts of sugars, fats, oils or refined grains.
