Food industry

Essentially, the food industry involves the commercial movement of food from field to fork. It is the complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population. Only subsistence farmers, those who survive on what they grow, can be considered outside of the scope of the modern food industry. Food industry is not a formally defined term, however, it is usually used in a broadly inclusive way to cover all aspects of food production and sale – from farming and food production, packaging and distribution, to retail and catering.

The modern food industry is the result of technological and cultural changes that have occurred over the last 150 years. Traditionally, over thousands of years, food production was centred around two activities:

1) labour-intensive agricultural activities (the farming of grain, produce and livestock);

2) personal food preparation (where individuals and families acquire raw and minimally processed ingredients, and prepare them for their own consumption).

A significant percentage of the population was directly involved in farming, and in the process, many people actually fed themselves, from field to table. By contrast, the modern food industry relies far more on technology, particularly on mechanization and biochemistry, than on human and animal labour. In this way, food is raised, manipulated, preserved and moved around, resulting in a food industry that is to a great degree global in nature, with food and related resources travelling great distances.

The food industry includes:

• Regulation: local, regional, national and international rules and regulations for food production and sale, including food quality and food safety, and industry lobbying activities
• Education: academic, vocational, consultancy
• Research and development: food technology
• Financial services: insurance, credit
• Manufacturing: agrichemicals, seed, farm machinery and supplies, agricultural construction, etc.
• Agriculture: raising of crops and livestock, seafood
• Food processing: preparation of fresh products for market, manufacture of prepared food products
• Marketing: promotion of generic products (e.g. milk board), new products, public opinion, through advertising, packaging, public relations, etc
• Wholesale and distribution: warehousing, transportation, logistics
• Retail: supermarket chains and independent food stores, direct-to-consumer, restaurant, food services

Under the umbrella of the food industry, there exists a wide range of interesting job opportunities in all areas of the food chain. The chain starts with agriculture and the production of raw materials passes through manufacturing distribution and selling and ends after the consumer has eaten the food. Students should therefore be in no doubt that while nothing is guaranteed a career in the food industry offers better opportunities for employment than practically any other industry.

3.Answer the questions.

1.What does the food industry involve?

2.What does the term food industry cover?

3.What activities did food production include in the past?

4.What does the modern food industry rely on?

5.What does the food industry include?

6.Does the food industry offer good opportunities for employment? What are they?

4.Study the scheme. Form all possible food chains to show the way food comes from farm to consumer.

e.g. 1) farming → raw materials → ingredients → food processing → storage and distribution → retailers →consumers

2)......

5.Remember the following words:

turnover – обіг;

employ – наймати, давати роботу;

item – одиниця продукції;

enterprise – підприємство;

access – доступ;

convenience food – продукти-напівфабрикати;

instant snack – готова закуска;

to expand – розширюватися, розвиватися;

application – застосування;

advanced – сучасний, передовий;

to respond – відповідати;

profitability – рентабельність.

6.Read and translate the text.