Food Processing, Fortification and Additives
How raw food becomes a food product: primary and secondary processing, why foods are fortified with extra nutrients, and the additives used in food and what each one does.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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From farm to food
Most of the food we eat has been changed from its raw state before it reaches the plate. Wheat is milled into flour, milk is heated to make it safe, and flour is baked into bread. Food companies also add nutrients and other substances for a reason. This module looks at food processing, fortification and additives.
Processing vocabulary
Learn these four terms before you study food production.
Primary vs secondary
Food is often changed in two stages, one after the other.
Know the why
A top answer explains why each step is done. Fortification puts nutrients into a food to improve health, such as adding iron and vitamins to white flour. Additives are put in for a reason too, so a strong answer names the job an additive does rather than just saying an additive is present.
Match the product
- milling wheat
- baking flour
- souring milk
- pressing milk curds
- makes flour
- makes bread
- makes yoghurt
- makes cheese
Match the additive
- a preservative
- a colouring
- a flavouring
- an emulsifier
- makes food last longer
- improves the appearance
- improves the taste
- helps oil and water mix
Name the process
White flour has iron and vitamins added to it by law. What is this an example of?
- Fortification.
- Pasteurisation.
- Secondary processing.
- Preserving.
Why use additives
Select the TWO true reasons additives are put into food.
- To make food last longer.
- To improve the colour, taste or texture.
- To make food spoil faster.
- To make food more expensive on purpose.
Wheat to bread
Put the stages of turning wheat into fortified bread in order, earliest first.
- Wheat is grown and harvested
- The wheat is milled into flour
- Nutrients are added to the flour
- The flour is baked into bread
Complete the facts
Milling wheat into flour is an example of _____ processing. Baking flour into bread is _____ processing. A _____ is added to make food last longer. A _____ improves the colour of a food. An _____ helps oil and water mix together.
Count the nutrients
White flour is fortified with 4 named nutrients and breakfast cereal is fortified with 2 named nutrients. Add these together to find the total number of fortified nutrients. What is the total?
Find the additives
Tap the TWO of these that are types of food additive.
- preservative
- emulsifier
- milling
- harvest
Classify the step
Read each step and choose what kind of food production it is.
- Wheat grains are ground down into plain flour
- Flour, water and yeast are baked together into a loaf
- A colour is stirred into a drink to make it look brighter
Explain food production
Explain the difference between primary and secondary processing, and explain why foods are fortified and why additives are used.
- Explain primary and secondary processing with an example of each
- Explain what fortification is and why it is done
- Give two reasons additives are added to food