Processing our food
I can explain why and how our food is processed.
Processing our food
I can explain why and how our food is processed.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Food is processed at home and on a large scale to make it edible and safe.
- Food is processed at home or in restaurants to prepare dishes for people, such as peeling, filleting, cooking, freezing.
- Food is processed on a large scale to provide food for many people, and provide convenience and variety.
- Around 40% of food waste is from food production and processing, and 60% from the home.
Keywords
Processing - a series of stages (steps) in making a food, object or product
Large scale - involving a lot of activity and people over a large area, often making many things
Food waste - food that is thrown away or lost from production to consumption
Common misconception
Food processing does not happen at home to prepare and cook food, only at a factory.
Food processing steps are used in the home to prepare and cook food, such as peeling, slicing, grating, mixing and baking.
To help you plan your year 5 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Processing our food, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Processing our food, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 cooking and nutrition lessons from the Food production unit, dive into the full primary cooking and nutrition curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the food to the stages of production:
cattle reared, processed and meat prepared
hens reared, eggs laid and collected
dairy cows milked, heated and chilled
Q2.What is happening here?

Q3.Our food is __________, __________, and caught.
Q4.Which of these are usually in season in the UK summer?
Q5.What percentage of food waste happens at home in the UK?
Q6.Food is about the initial stages making our food.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? Food processing does not happen at home to prepare and cook food, only at a factory.
Q2.Match the following food processing stages:
remove dirt, insects and bacteria
remove the bones in fish
mixing and stretching bread dough
cook food so it is safe to eat, like lamb chops
Q3.Put these food processing stages in the home in the correct order:
Q4.True or false? Food processed on a large scale provides food for many people, gives convenience and adds variety to the diet.
Q5.Match the following information about food waste in the UK:
restaurants
food production, processing and retail
the home