Lesson Overview |
The development of different food processing techniques has sometimes improved and sometimes degraded the quality of food. Food processing offers important benefits to businesses and citizens, including a more varied food supply and foods with a longer shelf life. Certain aspects of food processing, however, raise concerns over nutritional quality, worker health, and food safety. Students will learn how food is processed and explore the positive and negative impacts of food processing techniques.
|
Warm-up activity
|
For better and for worse, nearly all food in the U.S. is processed in some way. Divide into groups of four and give each a box of four to five food items. The choice of foods is not as important as making sure each box contains foods that fall along a continuum from unprocessed to highly processed. Suggested items include fresh produce, milk, pasta, breakfast cereal, and soda. Have each group line up the foods from least processed (on the left) to most processed (on the right). As a class, discuss:
|
Level 12 Guided Question: Why and how are foods processed?
Stay in your table groups and distribute copies of the Food Processing primer. Assign each group one of the following sections:
◼ Preservation and Food Safety
◼ Variety and Convenience
◼ Nutrition
◼ Meat Processing and Worker Health
◼ Food Packaging
Each group read its section and discuss: What food processing methods are described? What does this tell us about why food is processed? Have each group choose a representative to present their responses to the class. Summarize presentations on the board and highlight food processing techniques, such as preservation (e.g., freezing, canning), pasteurization, enrichment, and fortification. Post your answers on your Google account on the "Public Comment" section.
◼ Preservation and Food Safety
◼ Variety and Convenience
◼ Nutrition
◼ Meat Processing and Worker Health
◼ Food Packaging
Each group read its section and discuss: What food processing methods are described? What does this tell us about why food is processed? Have each group choose a representative to present their responses to the class. Summarize presentations on the board and highlight food processing techniques, such as preservation (e.g., freezing, canning), pasteurization, enrichment, and fortification. Post your answers on your Google account on the "Public Comment" section.
Level 12 Investigation: Food Processing Pros and Cons
To do this assignment you will need to read the Food Processing primer (click on the button below :
Choose which section you would like to join Pro, Con, and Both. The class will be divided into smaller groups. Distribute one set of Food Processing Cards to each group and one Food Processing Handout to each student (read the primer for references). Have groups discuss each statement and decide whether it reflects a pro, con—or both—of food processing and why. Ask students to analyze each statement from the following perspectives:
- Manufacturing company
- Food chain worker
- Retailer (e.g., grocer)
- Citizens
Record your responses on the Food Processing Handout. Each group should take its Food Processing Cards and tape them to the appropriate sections on the board. Students are to explain their choices. During this discussion, have students record any new ideas on their handouts. Ask:
- Based on the reading from the previous activity, are there other pros or cons of certain processing techniques that are missing from this list?
- Do the pros of food processing outweigh the cons ?
- How might we address some of the cons?
Level 12 Videos: Food Processing
|
|
Level 12 Elaborate: Recipe Rewrite
You will research and write recipes to replace processed store-bought items. For example, you could write their own recipe for a vegetable stir-fry dish rather than a boxed version of the same dish. Reflect on whether this process was challenging and whether it was easier to make the less-processed dish (in terms of time, ingredient cost and availability, etc.).
Level 12 Review: Food Span Infographic
Download a copy of the FoodSpan Infographic. Identify parts that represent food processing. Ask: Do these accurately represent what we learned about food processing? What could we add to make the infographic more accurate? Working individually or as a class, have students draw their own versions, create a collage, or add images to the existing infographic. Post photos of students’ work on your Google Classroom account.
|
|
Level 12 Summary: Unit Test
You will conduct a research project on one technological advance in food processing (e.g., enrichment, canning, freeze-drying, pasteurization). Explore what problem the invention addressed, analyze the invention’s benefits and costs, and take a stance on whether its introduction has led to a net societal benefit. Your instructor will give you access to your Google classroom so that you will be able to post your research on a Google doc.