Food processing

Part ofHealth and wellbeingFood and health

What is food processing?

Food processing is when one type of food is used to make other foods.

In this article you can learn:

  • the importance of food processing
  • types of food processing
  • how tomatoes, grains and potatoes are processed

This resource is suitable for Health and Wellbeing for primary school learners.

Video - Food processing

In this video, the Great Spoon explains the importance of food processing and different methods of food processing.

Find out how food processing turns simple ingredients into a wide variety of foods and drinks.

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How are tomatoes processed?

Different tomato based food products: ketchup, sundried tomatoes, a tomato, chopped tomatoes and pasta sauce

Pasta sauce, ketchup and sundried tomatoes all look very different, but they have something in common…tomatoes!

Tomatoes follow different journeys to end up as each of these foods.

For example, they are cooked and mixed with lots of other ingredients, like garlic, to make a tasty pasta sauce.

Different tomato based food products: ketchup, sundried tomatoes, a tomato, chopped tomatoes and pasta sauce
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How are grains processed?

Wheat grains

In the UK, we eat a lot of grains like rye, maize, oats, barley and wheat.

  • Some grains are used to make breakfast cereals
  • Some grains are ground into flour. This flour can be used to make bread, pasta and cakes. Cakes also contain lots of sugar so you should enjoy them in moderation.
  • Other grains are used to feed animals
Wheat grains
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How are potatoes processed?

Potatoes

Potatoes can be processed to make roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, chips and even crisps.

Potatoes
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Test your knowledge

Try this short quiz about food processing.

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Challenge

We process foods to give us lots of variation in what we are eating and to make raw foods stay fresher for longer.

Can you think of any foods that last longer because they have been processed? What ingredients are in them?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • tinned foods
  • dried foods
  • frozen vegetables
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