Food provenance unit 1

• Food provenance


  The origin of produce
• Importance of food provenance


  • Protects the environment
  • Increases food security
  • Develops a more sustainable food system
  • Improves animal welfare
  • Enables consumers to engage with producers directly
• Food can either be grown, reared or caught
• Examples of food that can be grown


  • Cereals (e.g. wheat, barley)
  • Fruit (e.g. apples)
  • Vegetables (e.g. carrots, potatoes)
  • Herbs (e.g. parsley, chives)
  • Oilseeds (e.g. rapeseed)
• Examples of food that can be reared

  • Poultry (e.g. chicken, turkey)
  • Beef and veal
  • Pork
  • Goat and kid
  • Mutton and lamb
  • Game (e.g. rabbit, venison)
• Examples of food that can be caught


  • Fish
  • Shellfish (e.g. crab, prawns)
• Crop production in the UK


  • The UK produces approximately two-thirds of the food needed to feed the population
  • Food that cannot be produced is imported
• Crops grown in the UK


  • Vegetables (e.g. carrots, parsnips)
  • Fruits (e.g. strawberries, apples)
  • Potatoes
  • Wheat
  • Barley
• Crops imported to the UK


  • Bananas
  • Pineapples
  • Grapes
  • Passion fruit
  • Rice
• Steps involved in crop production


  1. Preparing soil

  2. Sowing seeds/seedlings

  3. Watering

  4. Fertilising

  5. Weeding

  6. Protecting from pests

  7. Harvesting

  8. Separation and inspection

  9. Storage
• Northern Ireland's weather conditions make it perfect for crop growing (e.g. potatoes)
• Common places for growing crops


  • Fields
  • Polytunnels
  • Orchards
• Benefits of buying locally grown food


  • Fresher and more nutritious
  • Cheaper when in season
  • Reduces food miles and environmental impact
  • Supports the local economy
  • Allows consumers to know how the food was produced
• Over 320 pesticides can be routinely used in non-organic farming and are often present in non-organic food
• Pesticides


  Chemicals sprayed on crops to destroy pests, ensuring high yield of quality crops
• Fertilisers


  Substances used to improve the quality of the soil, increasing yield and helping with intensive farming
• Organic farming


  • Bans the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, replacing them with more 'natural' methods such as manure
  • Produces food in ways that minimise harm to the environment or animals
  • Tends to be more expensive as the yield is lower than intensively produced food
• Intensive farming


  A large scale operation that priorities profitability and efficiency
• Characteristics of intensive farming


  • High yield of crops
  • Use of chemical pesticides
  • Use of chemical fertilisers
• Characteristics of organic farming


  • Crop rotation linked to seasons
  • Hand weeding and natural pest control
  • Use of manure and composting to enrich soil
  • Animals are given space to move freely
• Fertiliser


  Any natural or chemical substance used to make soil more fertile
• Pest control


  Methods used to prevent or reduce pests (e.g. insects or rodents) that could cause harm to the crops
• Pesticide


  A substance that destroys pests
• Primary industry


  An industry that harvests raw materials from nature, including agriculture and fishing
• Yield


  The produce of a crop
• Different types of fish


  • Oily fish (e.g. mackerel, salmon)
  • White fish (e.g. cod, haddock, plaice, sea bass)
  • Shellfish (e.g. crab, prawns, mussels, scallops)
• Traditional fishing methods


  • Pots and creels
  • Line caught
  • Trawling
  • Dredging
  • Jigging
• Sustainability issues associated with fishing


  • Overfishing can impact fish stocks and the marine environment
  • MSC certified fisheries are encouraged to develop new ways to conserve the marine environment for future generations
• Sustainable fishing practices


  Practices designed to maintain fish stocks and establish a healthy marine ecosystem for the future
• Aquafarming (fish farming)


  The raising of fish in fish farms using cages, pens, tanks or pods
• Salmon is farmed in Northern Ireland using open cages and net pens