Food production and processing (11-14 Years)

Food production and processing ensures that food is edible and safe.

The safe production and processing of food is vitally important for health. A series of assurance standards are used to ensure the safe production and quality of different foods, such as Red Tractor, LEAF marque, Lion mark, and RSPCA Assured.

Pupils should be able to describe how a range of food commodities are produced and processed safely, highlighting different food assurance standards.

This area covers:

• the safe production and processing of key food commodities;
• food certification and assurance schemes.

• All food needs to be processed before they can be eaten, even if they are picked and washed. For a simple introduction and a stimulus for further discussion, use the Can I eat it? presentation. Ask the pupils to explain how the food given as examples are processed to make them safe to eat and edible.
• Ask the pupils to describe the consequences of food not produced or processed safely.
• For more detailed information about the different ways food commodities are produced and processed so that they are safe to eat, show the Safe production and processing of food presentation.

For more information about the production and processing of key food commodities, go to the Food commodities area.

• The decisions consumers make when choosing food are varied and can include personal preference, availability and cost. Some consumers also want to know the provenance of food and be reassured that it has been produced to high standards of hygiene and animal welfare. Quality assurance schemes are used across food production to assess and highlight these standards. Use the Food assurance schemes presentation to explain the various schemes and then task the pupils to complete the Food assurance worksheet.
• Good animal welfare is an important part of quality assurance standards. To highlight this, ask the pupils to complete the Animal welfare worksheet.
• The British Lion mark is an established quality assurance scheme that relates to egg production. The Egg labelling worksheet encourages pupils to find out more about the safety of eggs and also provides information about eggs themselves.
• The Red Tractor logo guarantees that food has been produced to a high standard and that animals have been cared for well. To find out more about Red Tractor, ask the pupils to complete the What is missing? – Red Tractor activity.
• Other quality assurance standards include the Soil Association, RSPCA Assured, LEAF Marque and the Marine Stewardship Council. Ask the pupils to research these standards and to prepare a short presentation about each.
• To encourage the pupils to investigate quality assurance schemes further and the products available in their local supermarket, challenge them to complete the Quality assurance scheme recipe challenge.

Reviewed 3.12.23