Topic 5 --> Food Provenance

    Cards (100)

    • Food provenance is about where and how ingredients are grown, reared and caught
    • What are examples of grown foods?
      Fruits, vegetables and cereals
    • The two methods of farming used to farm grown foods are intensive farming and organic farming
    • The goal of intensive farming is to use methods that produce the highest possible yield.
    • What are the common features of intensive farming?
      • Large mechanical equipment --> saves time + reduces production costs
      • Artificial fertilisers --> provide nutrients for crops
      • Pesticides --> control pests and protect crops
    • What are the concerns about using fertilisers and pesticides?
      They are harmful to wildlife and can damage the environment by polluting rivers, some people also think they are harmful to humans
    • Organic food is grown naturally without the use of fertilisers/pesticides, but this makes it more expensive
    • What are the features of organic farming?
      • Add organic matter (manure/compost) instead of fertilisers
      • Crop rotation + leaving land fallow --> ensures soil remains fertile
      • Alternative pest control --> introducing natural predators, biological pesticides, spraying crops with hot water
    • What are the advantages of organic farming?
      • Reduces amount of chemical pesticides used --> less harmful to environment
      • Less non-renewable resources used --> more sustainable
      • Appeals to consumers who are concerned about environment/use of artificial chemicals
    • What are the disadvantages of organic farming?
      • Lower yield
      • Higher production cost --> higher prices
    • A Genetically Modified (GM) Food is one that has had its genes altered to give it useful characteristics.
    • How are GM foods produced?
      • inserting a desirable gene from another plant/animal/bacterium into the plant you want to improve
      • Plant modified seeds
    • What are the advantages of GM foods?
      • Crops can grow quicker
      • Higher yield of crops
      • Food is cheaper to produce --> cheaper prices
      • Longer shelf life --> less wastage
      • Ripen earlier --> fresh foods available earlier
      • Contain extra nutrients --> improves nutrition
    • What are the disadvantages of GM foods?
      • Have not been around for long --> long term effects not yet known
      • Concerns that modified genes could get into wider environment + cause problems
      • GM producers can't sell food everywhere as some countries/regions restrict it
    • Some consumers think we shouldn't genetically modify food because it's not natural.
    • What are the EU regulations surrounding GM foods?
      • must undergo strict safety assessments
      • can only be sold if no associated health risks
      • must be clearly labelled as GM unless meat/dairy products from animals fed on GM feed
    • Reared animals are animals raised by humans specifically for their meat and any other food products they produce
    • Intensively farmed animals are often kept in cages that are very crowded with other animals - they don't have a lot of space to move.
    • What are some of the features of intensive farming of animals?
      • Kept in warm sheds --> don't waste much energy moving or keeping warm so more energy goes into producing meat - maximises food production
      • Fed growth hormones/force-fed --> speeds up growth - quicker and cheaper to produce meat
    • Intensive farming is generally cheaper than free-range since its more efficient, but it isn't as ethical, and people are getting more concerned about the welfare of the animals.
    • Battery cages for hens were banned in the EU in 2012, and new enriched cages with more space and nesting areas were introduced. some people still argue that these standards are still too low
    • Free-range food comes from animals that have lots of space to roam around, aren't given growth hormones and generally have nicer lives.
    • What are the disadvantages of free-range farming?
      • Animals use up energy moving around --> take longer to grow
      • extra land needed --> increases cost
    • The two main labels added to foods to show welfare standards are:
      • Red tractor --> the producer meets standards of food safety, hygiene, animal welfare and environmental protection
      • RSPCA assured --> on eggs, fish and meat that follow strict RSPCA welfare standards
    • The two main methods of obtaining fish are trawling (catching fish) and fish farming (rearing fish)
    • In trawling, boats called trawlers catch the fish using nets. Some boats drag the net through the sea and some along the surface of the seabed.
    • In fish farming, large numbers of fish are raised in tanks/enclosures in rivers, lakes or the sea. This is an intensive farming method - there is overcrowding and many fish die from disease.
    • What happens when fish are caught?
      • washed and gutted in the boats before brought to shore
      • chilled by being packed with ice or salted to prevent spoilage
      • transported to fishmongers/supermarkets
    • What are the concerns about current fishing practices?
      • Bottom trawling is destructive --> nets that drag along seabed destroy coral
      • Trawlers can catch unwanted animals in nets
      • Overfishing --> more fish caught than can be naturally replaced
    • What is sustainable fishing?
      • fishing responsibly
      • to conserve fish stocks
      • and prevent overfishing (when more fish are caught than can be replaced)
    • What are sustainable fishing practices?
      • Alternative fishing methods --> longline fishing uses a line with baited hooks secured between buoys - reduces chance of catching unwanted fish + fewer fish caught
      • Fishing quotas --> quotas set by governments help endangered species by limiting numbers that can be caught
      • Regulating net size --> holes have to be a certain size so smaller, unwanted fish can escape
    • Why do households commonly waste food?
      • Food has spoiled
      • overcooked/burnt
      • wasn't covered/stored correctly
      • wasn't kept at right temperature
      • has passed use-by date.
    • Why do shops/retailers commonly waste food?
      • reject anything damaged/spoiled during transport
      • imperfect food often not sold, so is not accepted by retailers
      • stock more than can sell to avoid running out - unsold stock gets wasted
      • offers encourage consumers to buy more than they can use/store
    • How can food wastage be reduced?
      • Plan meals + portion sizes
      • only buy ingredients that you will use
      • store food correctly
      • check use-by dates
      • freeze left overs to be used another time
      • use whole food --> e.g. bones for stock, peelings for compost
      • donate unwanted food to food banks
    • The different packagings that can be used for food are plastic, glass, metal and paper
    • Plastic packaging is good because it is transparent, lightweight and can be shaped to the food
    • Glass packaging is good because it is transparent, heat resistant, gives food a long shelf-life and is reusable
    • Metal packaging is good because it is heat-resistant and gives a long shelf-life
    • Paper packaging is good because it is lightweight, can be printed on and is biodegradable
    • choosing suitable packaging is important because:
      • protects food from being damaged
      • preserves food and stops contamination