6. Food Provenance

• Food miles - the distance that food travels from its point of origin to your table
• The vehicles that are used to transport food releases CO2 gas, which contributes towards global warming and climate change.
• Carbon footprint - the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a product.
• Sustainable food - food that will continue to be available for many years to come.
• Fish can be made more sustainable by:

  • Restricting catch sizes
  • Having a minimum size for fish
  • Having more species of fish
  • Allowing younger fish to escape so they can reproduce later
• Traceability - the ability to track any food
• Types of farming methods:

  • Barn-reared animals
  • Organic foods
  • Free-range farming
  • Hydroponic farming
  • Fish farming
  • Genetically modified foods
• Barn-reared animals:

  • Access to natural light from windows
  • Live in a lower density of animals
• Organic foods:

  • Grown naturally without any chemical/synthetic treatments
  • Rely on natural compost/manure as fertilisers
  • This isn't proven to be 'more nutritious' - it's a lifestyle choice
• Free-range farming:

  • Allows animals to have access to outdoor areas
  • Hens that are free-range produce more nutritious eggs
  • Animals that are free-range also give a better meat quality
  • Free-range farming is a more ethical choice
• Hydroponic farming:

  • Production of food using specially developed, nutrient-rich liquids instead of soil, and is done in a greenhouse
  • Expensive method which is only used for high-value crops
• Fish farming:

  • Demand increases, stock decreases (due to overfishing)
  • Hatcheries release young fish into the wild
  • Some fish farms are on land
• Genetically modified foods (GM):

  • GM foods are produced to be more resistant to plant disease, insect pesticides, and viruses
  • DNA in the product is changed to get a desired characteristic
  • A higher yield could be achieved
  • Concerns: possibilities for new strains of microorganisms, potential risks in the long-term for humans
• Climate change affects the production of food
• Livestock, especially cows, produce methane gas, which is much more dangerous than CO2
• Fairtrade - a foundation that pays a realistic income to farmers in developing countries; ensures a fair price for goods, and invests in the locality for better working conditions.
• Red Tractor - logo that tells the consumer that the food has been produced, processed, and packed to Red Tractor's standards; good hygiene and safety, animal health and welfare have been upheld, and that pesticides have been used responsibly.
• Primary processing - converting raw foods into foods that can be eaten immediately.
• Secondary processing - converting primary processed foods into other food products
• Homogenised milk - When milk is forced through tiny holes in a machine. This breaks up fat and disperses it, so it will not form as a layer.
• Different type of processed milk:

  • Pasteurisation - 63 to 65 degrees Celsius, removes germs and extends shelf life
  • Skimmed - pasteurised milk that has had all/most of the fat removed
  • Semi-skimmed - pasteurised with some of the fat removed
  • Ultra-Heat Treated (UHT) - long life milk, has a shelf life of 6 months
  • Sterilised - has a longer shelf life, is homogenised, has a slight caramel flavour
  • Dried - has the water evaporated off, doesn’t refrigeration, leaves a powder which you can add water to
• Canned:

  • Evaporated - milk that has no water in, which is canned
  • Condensed - evaporated milk that has not been sterilised, is very thick, and is canned
• Secondary processing:

  • Can be used to process milk into other dairy products
  • Cream - the fat from milk is used
  • Butter - cream is churned to make butter
  • Cheese - milk in it’s solid form
  • Yoghurt - milk that has a bacteria culture added to it
• Wheat:

  • Each grain of wheat is made up of different layers that have different functions and contain different nutrients
  • Parts of a grain of wheat:
  • Hairs of brush (top)
  • Bran (solid outer colour)
  • Endosperm (hexagonal pattern)
  • Germ (centre, looks like a nucleus)
• Primary processing of wheat:

  • Wheat is made into a flour by milling
  • Grains are crushed & washed, then sieved to produce flour
  • To get white flour, the bran is removed by further crushing
• Secondary processing of wheat:

  • Flour can be further processed to make it into other products such as pasta or bread
• Four main types of food preservation:

  • High temperature
  • Low temperature
  • Drying
  • Chemical
• High temperature:

  • Canning: heated to 121 degrees Celsius
  • Irradiation: X-Rays are passed through the food
  • Pasteurisation: Heating to 71 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds then rapidly cooling to 10 degrees Celsius
  • Sterilisation: Heated to 104 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes/ to 115 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes
  • Ultra-Heat Treatment: Heated to 140 degrees Celsius for 5 seconds then put into an airtight container
• Low temperature:

  • Freezing: Between -18 to -29 degrees Celsius
  • Chilling: extends shelf life
  • Cold storage (CA): extends shelf life in a CO2 atmosphere
• Drying:

  • Sunlight - Allows moisture to evaporate from food
  • Oven drying - Dry foods slowly
  • Accelerated Freeze drying
• Chemical:

  • Vinegar - preserves
  • Sugar - preserves fruit
  • Salt - preserves meat and fish
  • Smoking
  • Vacuum packaging - Oxygen is removed from a sealed package