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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can explain why and how our food is processed.

      Key learning points

      1. Food is processed at home and on a large scale to make it edible and safe.
      2. Food is processed at home or in restaurants to prepare dishes for people, such as peeling, filleting, cooking, freezing.
      3. Food is processed on a large scale to provide food for many people, and provide convenience and variety.
      4. 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.

      Teacher tip

      Bring food processing to life by allowing pupils to wash, peel, slice and cook different fruit, vegetables and cheeses. They could create their own food processing production line, with each pupil being responsbile for one stage in making a sandwich.

      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.
      Match the food to the stages of production:

      Correct Answer:beef,cattle reared, processed and meat prepared

      cattle reared, processed and meat prepared

      Correct Answer:eggs,hens reared, eggs laid and collected

      hens reared, eggs laid and collected

      Correct Answer:milk,dairy cows milked, heated and chilled

      dairy cows milked, heated and chilled

      Q2.
      What is happening here?

      An image in a quiz
      A dairy cow is being fed.
      A dairy cow is being given medicine.
      Correct answer: A dairy cow is being milked.
      A dairy cow is being given extra water.

      Q3.
      Our food is __________, __________, and caught.

      sold
      Correct answer: grown
      made
      Correct answer: reared

      Q4.
      Which of these are usually in season in the UK summer?

      pears
      Correct answer: strawberries
      apples
      rhubarb
      Correct answer: raspberries

      Q5.
      What percentage of food waste happens at home in the UK?

      20%
      40%
      Correct answer: 60%
      80%

      Q6.
      Food is about the initial stages making our food.

      Correct Answer: production

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      True or false? Food processing does not happen at home to prepare and cook food, only at a factory.

      true
      Correct answer: false

      Q2.
      Match the following food processing stages:

      Correct Answer:washing,remove dirt, insects and bacteria

      remove dirt, insects and bacteria

      Correct Answer:filleting,remove the bones in fish

      remove the bones in fish

      Correct Answer:kneading,mixing and stretching bread dough

      mixing and stretching bread dough

      Correct Answer:grilling,cook food so it is safe to eat, like lamb chops

      cook food so it is safe to eat, like lamb chops

      Q3.
      Put these food processing stages in the home in the correct order:

      1 - wash the vegetables
      2 - peel the vegetables
      3 - slice the vegetables
      4 - stir-fry the vegetables
      5 - serve the stir-fried vegetables

      Q4.
      True or false? Food processed on a large scale provides food for many people, gives convenience and adds variety to the diet.

      Correct answer: true
      false

      Q5.
      Match the following information about food waste in the UK:

      Correct Answer:10% of food waste in the UK is from,restaurants

      restaurants

      Correct Answer:30% of food waste in the UK is from,food production, processing and retail

      food production, processing and retail

      Correct Answer:60% of food waste in the UK is from,the home

      the home

      Q6.
      Put these food processing stages in the correct order:

      1 - the wheat grains are milled into flour
      2 - flour, yeast and water are mixed to a dough
      3 - the dough is kneaded
      4 - the dough is shaped
      5 - the dough is baked, cooled and packaged

      To help you plan your 5 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Processing our food, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...