New
New
Food production and supply chains
I can explain what a supply chain is and how this impacts the food we eat.
Lesson 3 of 12
New
New
- Year 8
Food production and supply chains
I can explain what a supply chain is and how this impacts the food we eat.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Supermarkets are the main way that people shop for food.
- Many supermarkets in the UK are global companies and operate in different countries around the world.
- Supermarkets sell many different goods and food items which all have their own complex supply chains.
Keywords
Supply chain - all of the stages involved in producing goods, transporting them and selling them to customers
Import - goods and services brought in from another country
Export - goods and services sold to another country
Processing - making changes to a food’s natural state, e.g. cooking beans in tomato sauce and preserving them in tins
Raw materials - things that can be grown or dug out of the ground and processed or used in the manufacture of goods
Common misconception
Supply chains start at the manufacturing stage.
Supply chains start when raw materials have been taken from the earth.
Bring in a variety of packaging from food items to see where they have come from. Could set this as a homework for students too.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where do most people in the UK buy their weekly shop?
Where do most people in the UK buy their weekly shop?
greengrocer
butchers
Q2.What is a "supply chain"?
What is a "supply chain"?
The process of making food from raw materials
The transportation of food from one country to another
A type of food processing method
Q3.Match the key words.
Match the key words.
Q4.What does the term 'food miles' mean?
What does the term 'food miles' mean?
The number of miles a food product is processed
The time it takes for food to reach a supermarket
The distance food is shipped within the same country
Q5.Food with more food miles has __________ of an impact on the environment.
Food with more food miles has __________ of an impact on the environment.
less
no
Q6.Why is the supply chain important for food production?
Why is the supply chain important for food production?
It ensures food is grown in large quantities
It prevents food from being exported
It focuses only on packaging food for delivery
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.A describes all of the stages involved in producing goods, transporting them and selling them to customers. (2 words)
A describes all of the stages involved in producing goods, transporting them and selling them to customers. (2 words)
Q2.What word is defined as "goods and services brought in from another country"?
What word is defined as "goods and services brought in from another country"?
export
processing
Q3.Raw are things that can be grown or dug out of the ground and processed or used to manufacture goods.
Raw are things that can be grown or dug out of the ground and processed or used to manufacture goods.
Q4.Food with more food __________ has a greater impact on the environment.
Food with more food __________ has a greater impact on the environment.
emissions
chains
