What means the word food

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about food for all organisms. For food for humans, see Human food. For other uses, see Food (disambiguation).

«Foodstuffs» redirects here. For the New Zealand grocery company, see Foodstuffs (company).

Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. Different species of animals have different feeding behaviours that satisfy the needs of their metabolisms that have evolved to fill a specific ecological niche within specific geographical contexts.

Omnivorous humans are highly adaptable and have adapted to obtain food in many different ecosystems. The majority of the food energy required is supplied by the industrial food industry, which produces food with intensive agriculture and distributes it through complex food processing and food distribution systems. This system of conventional agriculture relies heavily on fossil fuels, which means that the food and agricultural system is one of the major contributors to climate change, accountable for as much as 37% of total greenhouse gas emissions.^[1]

The food system has significant impacts on a wide range of other social and political issues including: sustainability, biological diversity, economics, population growth, water supply, and food security. Food safety and security are monitored by international agencies like the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council.

Definition and classification

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support and energy to an organism.^[2][3] It can be raw, processed or formulated and is consumed orally by animals for growth, health or pleasure. Food is mainly composed of water, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. Minerals (e.g. salts) and organic substances (e.g. vitamins) can also be found in food.^[4] Plants, algae and some microorganisms use photosynthesis to make their own food molecules.^[5] Water is found in many foods and has been defined as a food by itself.^[6] Water and fiber have low energy densities, or calories, while fat is the most energy dense component.^[3] Some inorganic (non-food) elements are also essential for plant and animal functioning.^[7]

Human food can be classified in various ways, either by related content or by how the food is processed.^[8] The number and composition of food groups can vary. Most systems include four basic groups that describe their origin and relative nutritional function: Vegetables and Fruit, Cereals and Bread, Dairy, and Meat.^[9] Studies that look into diet quality group food into whole grains/cereals, refined grains/cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, eggs, dairy products, fish, red meat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages.^[10][11][12] The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization use a system with nineteen food classifications: cereals, roots, pulses and nuts, milk, eggs, fish and shellfish, meat, insects, vegetables, fruits, fats and oils, sweets and sugars, spices and condiments, beverages, foods for nutritional uses, food additives, composite dishes and savoury snacks.^[13]

Food sources

In a given ecosystem, food forms a web of interlocking chains with primary producers at the bottom and apex predators at the top.^[14] Other aspects of the web include detrovores (that eat detritis) and decomposers (that break down dead organisms).^[14] Primary producers include algae, plants, bacteria and protists that acquire their energy from sunlight.^[15] Primary consumers are the herbivores that consume the plants, and secondary consumers are the carnivores that consume those herbivores. Some organisms, including most mammals and birds, diet consists of both animals and plants, and they are considered omnivores.^[16] The chain ends with the apex predators, the animals that have no known predators in its ecosystem.^[17] Humans are considered apex predators.^[18]

Humans are omnivores, finding sustenance in vegetables, fruits, cooked meat, milk, eggs, mushrooms and seaweed.^[16] Cereal grain is a staple food that provides more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop.^[19] Corn (maize), wheat, and rice account for 87% of all grain production worldwide.^[20][21][22] Just over half of the world’s crops are used to feed humans (55 percent), with 36 percent grown as animal feed and 9 percent for biofuels.^[23] Fungi and bacteria are also used in the preparation of fermented foods like bread, wine, cheese and yogurt.^[24]

Sunlight and soil

Photosynthesis is the ultimate source of energy and food for nearly all life on earth.^[25] It is the main food source for plants, algae and certain bacteria.^[26] Without this, all organisms which depend on these organisms further up the food chain would be unable to exist, from coral to lions.^[27] Energy from the sun is absorbed and used to transform water and carbon dioxide in the air or soil into oxygen and glucose. The oxygen is then released, and the glucose stored as an energy reserve.^[28]

Plants also absorb important nutrients and minerals from the air, water and soil.^[29] Carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are absorbed from the air or water and are the basic nutrients needed for plant survival.^[30] The three main nutrients absorbed from the soil for plant growth are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, with other important nutrients including calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron boron, chlorine, manganese, zinc, copper molybdenum and nickel.^[30]

Plants

Plants as a food source are divided into seeds, fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and nuts.^[31] Where plants fall within these categories can vary, with botanically described fruits such as the tomato, squash, pepper and eggplant or seeds like peas commonly considered vegetables.^[32] Food is a fruit if the part eaten is derived from the reproductive tissue, so seeds, nuts and grains are technically fruit.^[33][34] From a culinary perspective, fruits are generally considered the remains of botanically described fruits after grains, nuts, seeds and fruits used as vegetables are removed.^[35] Grains can be defined as seeds that humans eat or harvest, with cereal grains (oats, wheat, rice, corn, barley, rye, sorghum and millet) belonging to the Poaceae (grass) family^[36] and pulses coming from the Fabaceae (legume) family.^[37] Whole grains are foods that contain all the elements of the original seed (bran, germ, and endosperm).^[38] Nuts are dry fruits, distinguishable by their woody shell.^[35]

Fleshy fruits (distinguishable from dry fruits like grain, seeds and nuts) can be further classified as stone fruits (cherries and peaches), pome fruits (apples, pears), berries (blackberry, strawberry), citrus (oranges, lemon), melons (watermelon, cantaloupe), Mediterranean fruits (grapes, fig), tropical fruits (banana, pineapple).^[35] Vegetables refer to any other part of the plant that can be eaten, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, bark or the entire plant itself.^[39] These include root vegetables (potatoes and carrots), bulbs (onion family), flowers (cauliflower and broccoli), leaf vegetables (spinach and lettuce) and stem vegetables (celery and asparagus).^[40][39]

Plants have high carbohydrate, protein and lipid content, with carbohydrates mainly in the form of starch, fructose, glucose and other sugars.^[31] Most vitamins are found from plant sources, with exceptions of vitamin D and vitamin B₁₂. Minerals are also plentiful, although the presence of phytates can prevent their release.^[31] Fruit can consist of up to 90% water, contain high levels of simple sugars that contribute to their sweet taste, and have a high vitamin C content.^[31][35] Compared to fleshy fruit (excepting Bananas) vegetables are high in starch,^[41] potassium, dietary fiber, folate and vitamins and low in fat and calories.^[42] Grains are more starch based^[31] and nuts have a high protein, fibre, vitamin E and B content.^[35] Seeds are a good source of food for animals because they are abundant and contain fibre and healthful fats, such as omega-3 fats.^[43][44]

Animals that only eat plants are called herbivores, with those that mostly just eat fruits known as frugivores,^[45] leaves, while shoot eaters are folivores (pandas) and wood eaters termed xylophages (termites).^[46] Frugivores include a diverse range of species from annelids to elephants, chimpanzees and many birds.^[47][48][49] About 182 fish consume seeds or fruit.^[50] Animals (domesticated and wild) use as many types of grasses that have adapted to different locations as their main source of nutrients.^[51]

Humans only eat about 200 out of the worlds 400 000 plant species, despite at least half of them being edible.^[52] Most human plant-based food comes from maize, rice, and wheat.^[52] Plants can be processed into breads, pasta, cereals, juices and jams or raw ingredients such as sugar, herbs, spices and oils can be extracted.^[31] Oilseeds are pressed to produce rich oils—⁣sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed (including canola oil) and sesame.^[53]

Many plants and animals have coevolved in such a way that the fruit is a good source of nutrition to the animal who then excretes the seeds some distance away, allowing greater dispersal.^[54] Even seed predation can be mutually beneficial, as some seeds can survive the digestion process.^[55][56] Insects are major eaters of seeds,^[43] with ants being the only real seed dispersers.^[57] Birds, although being major dispersers,^[58] only rarely eat seeds as a source of food and can be identified by their thick beak that is used to crack open the seed coat.^[59] Mammals eat a more diverse range of seeds, as they are able to crush harder and larger seeds with their teeth.^[60]

Animals

Animals are used as food either directly or indirectly. This includes meat, eggs, shellfish and dairy products like milk and cheese.^[61] They are an important source of protein and are considered complete proteins for human consumption as they contain all the essential amino acids that the human body needs.^[62] One 4-ounce (110 g) steak, chicken breast or pork chop contains about 30 grams of protein. One large egg has 7 grams of protein. A 4-ounce (110 g) serving of cheese has about 15 grams of protein. And 1 cup of milk has about 8 grams of protein.^[62] Other nutrients found in animal products include calories, fat, essential vitamins (including B12) and minerals (including zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium).^[62]

Food products produced by animals include milk produced by mammary glands, which in many cultures is drunk or processed into dairy products (cheese, butter, etc.). Eggs laid by birds and other animals are eaten and bees produce honey, a reduced nectar from flowers that is used as a popular sweetener in many cultures. Some cultures consume blood, such as in blood sausage, as a thickener for sauces, or in a cured, salted form for times of food scarcity, and others use blood in stews such as jugged hare.^[63]

Taste

Animals, specifically humans, typically have five different types of tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. The differing tastes are important for distinguishing between foods that are nutritionally beneficial and those which may contain harmful toxins.^[64] As animals have evolved, the tastes that provide the most energy are the most pleasant to eat while others are not enjoyable,^[65] although humans in particular can acquire a preference for some substances which are initially unenjoyable.^[64] Water, while important for survival, has no taste.^[66]

Sweetness is almost always caused by a type of simple sugar such as glucose or fructose, or disaccharides such as sucrose, a molecule combining glucose and fructose.^[67] Sourness is caused by acids, such as vinegar in alcoholic beverages. Sour foods include citrus, specifically lemons and limes. Sour is evolutionarily significant as it can signal a food that may have gone rancid due to bacteria.^[68] Saltiness is the taste of alkali metal ions such as sodium and potassium. It is found in almost every food in low to moderate proportions to enhance flavor. Bitter taste is a sensation considered unpleasant characterised by having a sharp, pungent taste. Unsweetened dark chocolate, caffeine, lemon rind, and some types of fruit are known to be bitter. Umami, commonly described as savory, is a marker of proteins and characteristic of broths and cooked meats.^[69] Foods that have a strong umami flavor include cheese, meat and mushrooms.^[70]

While most animals taste buds are located in their mouth, some insects taste receptors are located on their legs and some fish have taste buds along their entire body.^[71][72] Dogs, cats and birds have relatively few taste buds (chickens have about 30),^[73] adult humans have between 2000 and 4000,^[74] while catfish can have more than a million.^[72] Herbivores generally have more than carnivores as they need to tell which plants may be poisonous.^[73] Not all mammals share the same tastes: some rodents can taste starch, cats cannot taste sweetness, and several carnivores (including hyenas, dolphins, and sea lions) have lost the ability to sense up to four of the five taste modalities found in humans.^[75]

Digestion

Food is broken into nutrient components through digestive process.^[76] Proper digestion consists of mechanical processes (chewing, peristalsis) and chemical processes (digestive enzymes and microorganisms).^[77][78] The digestive systems of herbivores and carnivores are very different as plant matter is harder to digest. Carnivores mouths are designed for tearing and biting compared to the grinding action found in herbivores.^[79] Herbivores however have comparatively longer digestive tracts and larger stomachs to aid in digesting the cellulose in plants.^[80][81]

See also

• Trophic cascade

References

Further reading

• Collingham, E.M. (2011). The Taste of War: World War Two and the Battle for Food
• Katz, Solomon (2003). The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Scribner
• Mobbs, Michael (2012). Sustainable Food Sydney: NewSouth Publishing, ISBN 978-1-920705-54-1
• Nestle, Marion (2007). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, University Presses of California, revised and expanded edition, ISBN 0-520-25403-1
• The Future of Food (2015). A panel discussion at the 2015 Digital Life Design (DLD) Annual Conference. «How can we grow and enjoy food, closer to home, further into the future? MIT Media Lab’s Kevin Slavin hosts a conversation with food artist, educator, and entrepreneur Emilie Baltz, professor Caleb Harper from MIT Media Lab’s CityFarm project, the Barbarian Group’s Benjamin Palmer, and Andras Forgacs, the co-founder and CEO of Modern Meadow, who is growing ‘victimless’ meat in a lab. The discussion addresses issues of sustainable urban farming, ecosystems, technology, food supply chains and their broad environmental and humanitarian implications, and how these changes in food production may change what people may find delicious … and the other way around.» Posted on the official YouTube Channel of DLD

External links

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Food is what people and animals eat to live. Every organism needs energy to carry on with the process of living which comes from food. Food usually comes from animals and plants. It is eaten by living things to provide energy and nutrition.^[1] Food contains the nutrition that people and animals need to be healthy. The consumption of food is normally enjoyable to humans.

It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, water and minerals.^[2] Liquids used for energy and nutrition are often called «drinks». If someone cannot afford food they go hungry.

Food for humans is mostly made through farming or gardening. It includes animal and vegetable sources. Some people refuse to eat food from animal origin, like meat, eggs, and products with milk in them. Not eating meat is called vegetarianism. Not eating or using any animal products is called veganism.

Food produced by farmers or gardeners can be changed by industrial processes (the food industry). Processed food usually contains several natural ingredients and food additives (such as preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers). For example, bread is processed food.

Food processing at home is done in the kitchen, by the cook. The cook sometimes uses a cookbook. Examples of cooking utensils are pressure cookers, pots, and frying pans.

Food can also be prepared and served in restaurants or refectory (in particular for children in school).

The utensils used may be a plate, knife, fork, chopsticks, spoon, bowl, or spork.

Many people do not grow their own food. They have to buy food that was grown by someone else. People buy most of their food in shops or markets. But some people still grow most or all of their own food.

People may buy food and take it home to cook it. They may buy food that is ready to eat from a street vendor or a restaurant.

Other countries have their own way of eating food. An example of an ethnic food is Mexican food.

Production of food [change | change source]

Originally, people got food as hunter-gatherers. The agricultural revolution changed that. Farmers grew crops including those invented and improved by selective breeding.^[3] These improvements, for example the invention of maize, allowed feeding more people, and further improvements gave it a better taste.

Food shortage has been a big problem throughout history. Many people do not have enough money to buy the food that they need. Bad weather or other problems sometimes destroy the growing food in one part of the world. When people do not have enough food, we say that they are hungry. If they do not eat enough food for a long time, they will become sick and die from starvation. In areas where many people do not have enough food, we say that there is famine there.

Food and water can make people sick if it is contaminated by microorganisms, bad metals, or chemicals.

If people do not eat the right foods, they can become sick.

• If people do not eat enough protein, they get the disease called kwashiorkor.
• If they do not eat enough vitamin B1 (thiamine), they get the disease called beriberi.
• If they do not eat enough vitamin C, they get the disease called scurvy.
• If children do not eat enough vitamin D, they get the disease called rickets.

People may often have a variety of eating disorders that cause them to either eat too much, or not be able to eat certain things or amounts. Common diseases like Coeliac disease or food allergies cause people to experience ill effects from consuming certain foods that are normally safe. If people eat too much food, they can become overweight or obese. This causes numerous health problems. On the other hand, eating too little food, from lack of access or anorexia could cause malnutrition. Therefore, people have to balance the amount, the nutrition, and the type of food to be healthy.

Food in religions[change | change source]

Many cultures or religions have food taboos. That means they have rules what people should not eat, or how the food has to be prepared. Examples of religious food rules are the Kashrut of Judaism and the Halal of Islam, that say that pig meat cannot be eaten. In Hinduism, eating beef is not allowed. Some Christians are vegetarian (someone who does not eat meat) because of their religious beliefs. For example, Seventh-day Adventist Church recommends vegetarianism.

In addition, sometime beliefs do not relate to the religion but belong to the culture. For example, some people pay respect to Guān Yīn mothergod and those followers will not consume «beef» as they believe that her father has a shape of the cow.

References[change | change source]

еда, питание, пища, продовольствие, корм, съестные припасы, провизия

существительное ↓

Словосочетания

a farmer who grows his own food — фермер, который питается тем, что вырастил сам  
the absorption of iron from food — поглощение железа из пищи  
slop the food onto the plate — плеснуть еду на тарелку  
broken food — объедки, оставшиеся на столе  
fast-food chain — сеть ресторанов быстрого обслуживания  
chary in one’s food — разборчивый в еде  
delicious food — бесподобная еда  
food that fills — сытная пища  
coarse food — грубая пища  
exotic food — экзотическая пища  
fine food — хорошая еда  
finger food — пища, которую едят руками  

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

foodful  — изобильный, плодородный, богатый
foodless  — без пищи, голодный, бесплодный, бедный

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): food
мн. ч.(plural): foods

Noun	1.	food — any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue substance — a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; «shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man» vitellus, yolk — nutritive material of an ovum stored for the nutrition of an embryo (especially the yellow mass of a bird or reptile egg) solid food, food — any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment; «food and drink» comfort food — food that is simply prepared and gives a sense of wellbeing; typically food with a high sugar or carbohydrate content that is associated with childhood or with home cooking fare — the food and drink that are regularly served or consumed water — a liquid necessary for the life of most animals and plants; «he asked for a drink of water» soul food — food traditionally eaten by African-Americans in the South micronutrient — a substance needed only in small amounts for normal body function (e.g., vitamins or minerals) chyme — a semiliquid mass of partially digested food that passes from the stomach through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum culture medium, medium — (bacteriology) a nutrient substance (solid or liquid) that is used to cultivate micro-organisms
	2.	food — any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment; «food and drink» food, nutrient — any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue leftovers — food remaining from a previous meal; «he had leftovers for dinner last night» fresh food, fresh foods — food that is not preserved by canning or dehydration or freezing or smoking convenience food — any packaged dish or food that can be prepared quickly and easily as by thawing or heating chocolate — a food made from roasted ground cacao beans baked goods — foods (like breads and cakes and pastries) that are cooked in an oven loaf — a quantity of food (other than bread) formed in a particular shape; «meat loaf»; «sugar loaf»; «a loaf of cheese» meat — the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food alimentary paste, pasta — shaped and dried dough made from flour and water and sometimes egg health food — any natural or prepared food popularly believed to promote good health junk food — food that tastes good but is high in calories having little nutritional value breakfast food — any food (especially cereal) usually served for breakfast coconut, coconut meat — the edible white meat of a coconut; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries dika bread — somewhat astringent paste prepared by grinding and heating seeds of the African wild mango; a staple food of some African peoples fish — the flesh of fish used as food; «in Japan most fish is eaten raw»; «after the scare about foot-and-mouth disease a lot of people started eating fish instead of meat»; «they have a chef who specializes in fish» seafood — edible fish (broadly including freshwater fish) or shellfish or roe etc butter — an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use cheese — a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk slop — (usually plural) weak or watery unappetizing food or drink; «he lived on the thin slops that food kitchens provided» solid — matter that is solid at room temperature and pressure
	3.	food — anything that provides mental stimulus for thinking pabulum — insipid intellectual nourishment

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

food

noun nourishment, cooking, provisions, fare, board, commons, table, eats (slang), stores, feed, diet, meat, bread, menu, tuck (informal), tucker (Austral. & N.Z. informal), rations, nutrition, cuisine, tack (informal), refreshment, scoff (slang), nibbles, grub (slang), foodstuffs, subsistence, kai (N.Z. informal), larder, chow (informal), sustenance, nosh (slang), daily bread, victuals, edibles, comestibles, provender, nosebag (slang), pabulum (rare), nutriment, vittles (obsolete or dialect), viands, aliment, eatables (slang), survival rations, F%D (S.M.S.) Enjoy your food!

food for thought mental nourishment, mental stimulation, food for the mind His speech offers much food for thought.

Quotations
«We lived for days on nothing but food and water» [W.C. Fields]
«Food first, then morality» [Bertolt Brecht The Threepenny Opera]
«Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are» [Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Physiologie du Gout]
«There is not one kind of food for all men. You must and you will feed those faculties which you exercise. The laborer whose body is weary does not require the same food with the scholar whose brain is weary» [Henry David Thoreau letter to Harrison Blake]
«After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives» [Oscar Wilde]
«There is no love sincerer than the love of food» [George Bernard Shaw Man and Superman]
«Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly» [M.F.K. Fisher An Alphabet for Gourmets]
«On the Continent people have good food; in England people have good table manners» [George Mikes How to be an Alien]
«[If the people have no bread] let them eat cake» [Marie-Antoinette]
«Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God» Bible: St. Matthew

Proverbs
«Half a loaf is better than no bread»
«You cannot have your cake and eat it»
«What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander»
«An apple a day keeps the doctor away»

see apples, beans and other pulses, biscuits, breads, cakes and pastries, cheeses, desserts and sweet dishes, herbs, spices, and seasonings, mushrooms and other edible fungi, nuts, potatoes, rice and other cereals, sauces, seafood, types and cuts of meat, types of curry, types of fruit, types of meal, types of pasta, types of pastry, vegetables

Savoury dishes

angels-on-horseback, avgolemono, baked beans, beef bourguinon or boeuf bourguignonne, beef stroganoff, bhaji, blanquette de veau, blintz, Bombay duck, bouchée, brawn, bredie, bridie or Forfar bridie, broth, bruschetta, bubble and squeak, burgoo, burrito, calzone, Caesar salad, canapé, casserole, cassoulet, cauliflower cheese, cheeseburger, chicken Kiev, chilli con carne, chips, chop suey, chow mein, clam chowder, club sandwich, cock-a-leekie or cockie-leekie, coddle, consommé, corn chowder, Cornish pasty, cottage pie, coulibiaca or koulibiaca, couscous, crêpe, croquette, crostini, croute, crowdie, Cullen skink, curry, curry puff, daube, devils-on-horseback, dolmades, doner kebab, eggs Benedict, enchilada, escargot, faggot, fajitas, falafel, fish and chips or (Scot.) fish supper, fish cake, fish finger, flan, foo yong, fondue, forcemeat, frankfurter, French toast, fricassee, fry or fry-up, galantine, game chips, gefilte fish or gefüllte fish, goulash, guacamole, haggis, hamburger, hash, hominy grits or grits, hotchpotch, hotpot, hummus, houmus, or humous, jambalaya, jugged hare, Irish stew, kebab, kedgeree, keftedes, kishke, knish, kofta, kromesky, laksa, Lancashire hotpot, lasagne, laver bread, lobscouse, lobster Newburg, lobster thermidor, macaroni cheese, madrilène, manicotti, matelote or matelotte, meat loaf, minestrone, mirepoix, mixed grill, mock turtle soup, moussaka, mousse, mulligatawny, nachos, nasi goreng, navarin, olla podrida, omelette or (esp. U.S.) omelet, open sandwich, osso bucco, paella, pakora, palm-oil chop, pastitsio, pakora, paté, patty, pease pudding, pepper pot, pie, pilau, pilaf, pilaff, pilao, or pilaw, pirogi, pirozhki, pizza, ploughman’s lunch, polenta, porridge, pot-au-feu, pot pie, pot roast, pottage, prairie oyster, prawn cracker, quenelle, quiche, quiche lorraine, Quorn (trademark), ragout, raita, ramekin, ratatouille, ravioli, red pudding, rijsttafel, risotto, rissole, roast, rojak, roulade, salad, salade niçoise, salmagundi or salmagundy, salmi or salmis, salpicon, samosa, sandwich, sarmie (S. African), sashimi, satay, sauerbraten, sauerkraut, sausage roll, scaloppine or scaloppini, scampi, schnitzel, Scotch broth, Scotch egg, Scotch pie or mutton pie, scouse, scrambled eggs, shepherd’s pie, shish kebab, skirlie, smorgasbord, smørrebrød, soba, sosatie, soufflé, soup, souvlakia, Spanish rice, spanokopita, spring roll, steak-and-kidney pie, steak-and-kidney pudding, steak pie, steak tartare, stew, stir-fry, stottie, succotash, suet pudding, surf ‘n’ turf, sukiyaki, sushi, taco, tagine, tamale, taramasalata, tartlet, teriyaki, thali, timbale, toad-in-the-hole, toast, tofu, tomalley, tortilla, tyropitta, tzatziki or tsatsiki, udon, veggieburger or vegeburger, vichyssoise, vol-au-vent, Waldorf salad, Welsh rabbit or rarebit, white pudding, won ton, Yorkshire pudding

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

food

noun

1. Something fit to be eaten:

aliment, bread, comestible, diet, edible, esculent, fare, foodstuff, meat, nourishment, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, pap, provender, provision (used in plural), sustenance, victual.

2. That which sustains the mind or spirit:

The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Promoted to Headline (H2) on 4/10/09: Michael Pollan has it right about ‘food safety’ yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = ‘Michael Pollan has it right about ‘food safety’ ‘; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =’ Article: «Food safety.» ❋ Unknown (2009)

First low carb won’t of itself change any of those emotional issues 90+ % obese/overweight people have with food (while I believe food is to be enjoyed, the whole concept of “comfort food” is a dangerous one for many people) What low carb does (and low fat doesn’t) is give people some breathing space without physical hunger – which is a golden chance to deal with those other problems. ❋ Unknown (2007)

A spokesman for Carl’s Jr., responding to the food quality issue at Casa, said something to the effect “people don’t go there for the food”…not a good thing for the parent company to say! ❋ Unknown (2005)

_ If people with no money had all the food they needed, that meant _food itself had no value in the marketplace_. ❋ Unknown (2003)

These cram it, not with lectures on political economy, books on international law, or any thing of that sort, but with food much more to its taste — the very best honey, and a kind of _royal food_, which I suppose it is considered high treason for a subject to touch. ❋ Emily Mayer Higgins (N/A)

He prepared some thick pieces of cardboard and printed on each card, in large letters, such words as _Bone_, _Food_, _Out_, &c. He first gave the dog food in a saucer on the card _food_, and then he placed an empty saucer on a blank card. ❋ Various (N/A)

Herald’s College, in return for a part of the proceeds of that bill, which was drawn _to pay for the food of the soldiers who drove the convicts, who produced the food_. ❋ Various (N/A)

Because, from their very birth, they have an _abundance_ of _good_ food; not only of _food_, but of _rich_ food. ❋ William Cobbett (1799)

If you like our work over at The Shorty Awards for food … we’ve got 41 votes and Tyler Florence is currently in the lead with 335 votes, so please please take a minute to Tweet: «I nominate @cupcakeblog for a Shorty Award in #food because …» and fill in the blank! ❋ Unknown (2010)

Section 201 (f) provides the definition of food: «The term ´food´ means (1) articles used for food or drink for man or other animals, (2) chewing gum, and (3) articles used for components of any such article.» ❋ Unknown (2008)

* they decide to go to the food court to get something to eat and 10min later Joe comes back with a lot of food* Julie — Joe! ❋ Unknown (2010)

56 While alcohol cannot be classed as a food, it is believed by some authorities to contain _food value_ and, in the hands of the physician, to be a substance capable of rendering an actual service in the treatment of certain diseases. ❋ Francis M. Walters (N/A)

The question remains, however, what we’d choose given the choice between our food and **your food**. ❋ Unknown (2007)

Even the term food stamps is antiquated—people now use plastic cards that resemble credit cards, thus alleviating any stigma connected to welfare. ❋ Warren Kozak (2012)

The term food desert has been around for decades, but blew up after the early 1990s, when academics and officials from the Scottish government toured a public housing complex in the town of Paisley, says Steven Cummins, lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London. ❋ Unknown (2011)

The term «food celebrity» encompasses a wide variety of professionals, from TV personalities to accomplished chefs. ❋ The Huffington Post News Editors (2012)

Gingrich is the one that used the term ‘food stamp president.’ ❋ ALIYAH SHAHID (2011)

woman: [Im ugly]
My boyfriend dumped me
My job sucks
Everyone hates me
Im on my period
I have [acne]
I scare little kids
Food: [Im here for you] babe!! ❋ Boominspeakers (2012)

[hungry]…..[need] food…. ❋ Fungie (2004)

Hey want some food?
Oh. It has [too many] [calories] [for me]. ❋ Your Mom (2006)

i [dumped] him for food ❋ Dasauceboss (2011)

Yeah [blud] you got [the food] [init] G ❋ Gjdjdnd (2017)

1) Mmm, this pizza is some [good food].
2) Bantha [Poodoo]!
3) That’s certainly [food for thought]. ❋ Toba (2004)

«Yo, if you FOOD, you on the [menu], that mean you gettin [cooked up] [cut up] and served up» ❋ Jiimmee (2009)

If you get some food, here’s an idea: Try eating it instead of throwing it at someone. Maybe then all of [the work] put into preparing your lunch for your [greedy] ass wouldn’t be [in vain]. ❋ You Want To Know Who Wrote This That Badly? (2006)

«[Raz] is a [real food] guy»
«How food is [the weather] today?!» ❋ Wildcard Sam (2014)

Guy 1: [Would you rather] date Megan Fox, or have endless supply of food?
Guy 2: Megan Fox .. [LOL jk], food ftw.
Guy: I’m hungry.
Girl: [Eat some food]!
Guy: Good idea make me a sandwich bitch.
Girl: I’m gonna go eat some yummy food.
Stomach: YAY!
Tastebuds: YUM! ❋ Im Fucking Hungry (2010)

Many words in Russian have several meanings. The term «food», used in various spheres of public life in accordance with its connotations, is no exception. So, what is food?

A synonym for the word «food»

Although the grammatical structure of the term initially assumes a process or action (nutrition as the absorption of food), the explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language state that food is primarily food, food. Most often the term is used in this sense in texts on medical subjects with such adjectives as «strengthened», «healthy», «correct». Here you can also include the phrase «baby food», which denotes a set of specialized products suitable for feeding children from infancy to three years. As a rule, children’s milk mixes, granulated teas, meat and vegetable purees, as well as sour-milk products cooked according to special technologies, are not eaten by adults.

Systems approach

In a broader sense, nutrition is a system of absorbing foods with certain rules, restrictions, and order. An excellent example is the diet, which implies the presence of structured principles for the selection, preparation and consumption of food. Some diets are based on a simple system of rules: to limit the amount of sweet in the diet, less often to drink spirits, cook mainly on steam and in the oven. Other diets describe scheduled meals for a week, a month or even for an indefinite period (an excellent example of temporary uncertainty — the famous Ducane diet). There are also such systems that require unconditional submission to the rules throughout life or the maximum possible period. These include vegetarianism of all varieties, veganism and raw diet.

Organizational issue

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question about what is food, since, in addition to the above values, the term can denote the organization of food supply. An elementary example is the phrase «catering», by which one understands the complex structure of networks of restaurants, cafes, canteens, pizzerias and other institutions that assume the absorption of food on their territory. An interesting neologism in Russian is the term «fast food» — it’s almost a literal translation of the English term «fast food». Within the logical categories, social and fast food are correlated as general and private. It is noteworthy that fast food eventually turns into a separate school of cooking: there are dishes that are prepared only in cafes and fast food restaurants.

When it’s not about food

The meaning of the word under consideration is not only direct, but also portable. In specialized vocabulary, food is energy or fuel, on which the equipment operates. The parallel between the meanings is obvious: how a person can not live and act normally without food, and the cable, engine or any technically complex device can not function without power.

Different points of view

Not all scientists understand the meaning of the word «food» in the same way. Some linguists and philologists say that this word can denote any edible products, while others are sure that only ready-to-eat meals can feed the person, and not raw ingredients, theoretically too, are food. Moreover, real food should give the consumer the maximum of useful substances necessary to keep his body in good shape and to ensure the normal functioning of all organs and systems. Of course, any viewpoints have a right to exist; It is quite possible that an innovative approach to the meaning of the term will soon enter into the texts of the explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language.

Last Updated:
14 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

For other uses, see Food (disambiguation).

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Food is any substance^[1] consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.

Historically, people secured food through two methods: hunting and gathering, and agriculture. Today, most of the food energy consumed by the world population is supplied by the food industry, which is operated by multinational corporations that use intensive farming and industrial agriculture to maximize system output.

Food safety and food security are monitored by agencies like the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity, climate change, nutritional economics, population growth, water supply, and access to food.

The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), recognizing the «right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food», as well as the «fundamental right to be free from hunger».

Food sources

Almost all foods are of plant or animal origin. Cereal grain is a staple food that provides more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop. Maize, wheat, and rice — in all of their varieties — account for 87% of all grain production worldwide.^[2]

Other foods not from animal or plant sources include various edible fungi, especially mushrooms. Fungi and ambient bacteria are used in the preparation of fermented and pickled foods like leavened bread, alcoholic drinks, cheese, pickles, kombucha, and yogurt. Another example is blue-green algae such as Spirulina.^[3] Inorganic substances such as baking soda and cream of tartar are also used to chemically alter an ingredient.

Plants

See also: Herbs and spices

Many plants or plant parts are eaten as food. There are around 2,000 plant species which are cultivated for food, and many have several distinct cultivars.^[4]

Seeds of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans, because they contain the nutrients necessary for the plant’s initial growth, including many healthy fats, such as Omega fats. In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds include cereals (maize, wheat, rice, et cetera), legumes (beans, peas, lentils, et cetera), and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils — sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed (including canola oil), sesame, et cetera.^[5]

Seeds are typically high in unsaturated fats and, in moderation, are considered a health food, although not all seeds are edible. Large seeds, such as those from a lemon, pose a choking hazard, while seeds from apples and cherries contain a poison (cyanide).

Fruits are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants have evolved fruits that are attractive as a food source to animals, so that animals will eat the fruits and excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most cultures. Some botanical fruits, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, and eggplants, are eaten as vegetables.^[6] (For more information, see list of fruits.)

Vegetables are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include root vegetables (potatoes and carrots), leaf vegetables (spinach and lettuce), stem vegetables (bamboo shoots and asparagus), and inflorescence vegetables (globe artichokes and broccoli).^[7]

Animals

Animals are used as food either directly or indirectly by the products they produce. Meat is an example of a direct product taken from an animal, which comes from muscle systems or from organs. Food products produced by animals include milk produced by mammary glands, which in many cultures is drunk or processed into dairy products (cheese, butter, et cetera). In addition, birds and other animals lay eggs, which are often eaten, and bees produce honey, a reduced nectar from flowers, which is a popular sweetener in many cultures. Some cultures consume blood, sometimes in the form of blood sausage, as a thickener for sauces, or in a cured, salted form for times of food scarcity, and others use blood in stews such as civet.^[8]

Some cultures and people do not consume meat or animal food products for cultural, dietary, health, ethical, or ideological reasons. Vegetarians do not consume meat. Vegans do not consume any foods that are or contain ingredients from an animal source.

Production

Traditionally, food was obtained through agriculture. With increasing concern in agribusiness over multinational corporations owning the world food supply through patents on genetically modified food, there has been a growing trend toward sustainable agricultural practices. This approach, partly fueled by consumer demand, encourages biodiversity, local self-reliance and organic farming methods.^[9] Major influences on food production include international organizations (e.g. the World Trade Organization and Common Agricultural Policy), national government policy (or law), and war.^[10]

In popular culture, the mass production of food, specifically meats such as chicken and beef, has come under fire from various documentaries, most recently Food, Inc, documenting the mass slaughter and poor treatment of animals, often for easier revenues from large corporations. Along with a current trend towards environmentalism, people in Western culture have had an increasing trend towards the use of herbal supplements, foods for a specific group of person (such as dieters, women, or athletes), functional foods (fortified foods, such as omega-3 eggs), and a more ethnically diverse diet.^[11]

Cuisine preparation

Many cultures have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions using various spices or a combination of flavors unique to that culture, which evolves over time. Other differences include preferences (hot or cold, spicy, etc.) and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods, and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by way of food, not just by consumption. Some popular types of ethnic foods include Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, American, Cajun, Thai, and Indian cuisine. Various cultures throughout the world study the dietary analysis of food habits. While evolutionarily speaking, as opposed to culturally, humans are omnivores, religion and social constructs such as morality, activism, or environmentalism will often affect which foods they will consume. Food is eaten and typically enjoyed through the sense of taste, the perception of flavor from eating and drinking. Certain tastes are more enjoyable than others, for evolutionary purposes.

Taste perception

Animals, specifically humans, have five different types of tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. As animals have evolved, the tastes that provide the most energy (sugar and fats) are the most pleasant to eat while others, such as bitter, are not enjoyable.^[12] Water, while important for survival, has no taste.^[13] Fats, on the other hand, especially saturated fats, are thicker and rich and are thus considered more enjoyable to eat.

Sweet

Generally regarded as the most pleasant taste, sweetness is almost always caused by a type of simple sugar such as glucose or fructose, or disaccharides such as sucrose, a molecule combining glucose and fructose.^[14] Complex carbohydrates are long chains and thus do not have the sweet taste. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose are used to mimic the sugar molecule, creating the sensation of sweet, without the calories. Other types of sugar include raw sugar, which is known for its amber color, as it is unprocessed. As sugar is vital for energy and survival, the taste of sugar is pleasant.

The stevia plant contains a compound known as steviol which, when extracted, has 300 times the sweetness of sugar while having minimal impact on blood sugar.^[15]

Sour

Sourness is caused by the taste of acids, such as vinegar in alcoholic beverages. Sour foods include citrus, specifically lemons, limes, and to a lesser degree oranges. Sour is evolutionarily significant as it is a sign for a food that may have gone rancid due to bacteria.^[16] Many foods, however, are slightly acidic, and help stimulate the taste buds and enhance flavor.

Salty

Saltiness is the taste of alkali metal ions such as sodium and potassium. It is found in almost every food in low to moderate proportions to enhance flavor, although to eat pure salt is regarded as highly unpleasant. There are many different types of salt, with each having a different degree of saltiness, including sea salt, fleur de sel, kosher salt, mined salt, and grey salt. Other than enhancing flavor, its significance is that the body needs and maintains a delicate electrolyte balance, which is the kidney’s function.

Salt may be iodized, meaning iodine has been added to it, a necessary nutrient that promotes thyroid function. Some canned foods, notably soups or packaged broths, tend to be high in salt as a means of preserving the food longer. Historically speaking, salt has been used as a meat preservative as salt promotes water excretion, thus working as a preservative. Similarly, dried foods also promote food safety.^[17]

Bitter

Bitterness is a highly unpleasant sensation characterized by having a sharp, pungent taste. Dark, unsweetened chocolate, caffeine, lemon rind, and some types of fruit are known to be bitter.

Umami

Umami, the Japanese word for delicious, is the least known in Western popular culture, but has a long tradition in Asian cuisine. Umami is the taste of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate or MSG.^[14] It is characterized as savory, meaty, and rich in flavor. Salmon and mushrooms are foods high in umami. Meat and other animal byproducts are described as having this taste.

Presentation

Main article: Food presentation

Aesthetically-pleasing and eye-appealing food presentations can encourage people to consume foods. A common saying is that people «eat with their eyes.» Food presented in a clean and appetizing way will encourage a good flavor, even if unsatisfactory.^[18][19]

Contrast in texture

Texture plays a crucial role in the enjoyment of eating foods. Contrasts in textures, such as something crunchy in an otherwise smooth dish, may increase the appeal of eating it. Common examples include adding granola to yogurt, adding croutons to a salad or soup, and toasting bread to enhance its crunchiness for a smooth topping, such as jam or butter.^[20]

Contrast in taste

Another universal phenomenon regarding food is the appeal of contrast in taste and presentation. Opposite flavors, such as sweet and saltiness, tend to go well together, such as in kettle corn and with nuts.

Food preparation

While many foods can be eaten raw, many also undergo some form of preparation for reasons of safety, palatability, texture, or flavor. At the simplest level this may involve washing, cutting, trimming, or adding other foods or ingredients, such as spices. It may also involve mixing, heating or cooling, pressure cooking, fermentation, or combination with other food. In a home, most food preparation takes place in a kitchen. Some preparation is done to enhance the taste or aesthetic appeal; other preparation may help to preserve the food; others may be involved in cultural identity. A meal is made up of food which is prepared to be eaten at a specific time and place.^[21]

Animal preparation

The preparation of animal-based food usually involves slaughter, evisceration, hanging, portioning, and rendering. In developed countries, this is usually done outside the home in slaughterhouses, which are used to process animals en masse for meat production. Many countries regulate their slaughterhouses by law. For example, the United States has established the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, which requires that an animal be stunned before killing. This act, like those in many countries, exempts slaughter in accordance to religious law, such as kosher, shechita, and dhabiĥa halal. Strict interpretations of kashrut require the animal to be fully aware when its carotid artery is cut.^[22]

On the local level, a butcher may commonly break down larger animal meat into smaller manageable cuts, and pre-wrap them for commercial sale or wrap them to order in butcher paper. In addition, fish and seafood may be fabricated into smaller cuts by a fish monger. However fish butchery may be done on board a fishing vessel and quick-frozen for preservation of quality.^[23]

Cooking

The term «cooking» encompasses a vast range of methods, tools, and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor or digestibility of food. Cooking technique, known as culinary art, generally requires the selection, measurement, and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the skill of the individual cook.^[24] The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural, and religious considerations that affect it.^[25]

Cooking requires applying heat to a food which usually, though not always, chemically changes the molecules, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties.^[26] Cooking certain proteins, such as egg whites, meats, and fish, denatures the protein, causing it to firm. There is archaeological evidence of roasted foodstuffs at Homo erectus campsites dating from 420,000 years ago.^[27] Boiling as a means of cooking requires a container, and has been practiced at least since the 10th millennium BC with the introduction of pottery.^[28]

Cooking equipment

There are many different types of equipment used for cooking.

Ovens are mostly hollow devices that get very hot (up to 500 °F) and are used for baking or roasting and offer a dry-heat cooking method. Different cuisines will use different types of ovens; for example, Indian culture uses a Tandoor oven, which is a cylindrical clay oven which operates at a single high temperature.^[29] Western kitchens use variable temperature convection ovens, conventional ovens, toaster ovens, or non-radiant heat ovens like the microwave oven. Classic Italian cuisine includes the use of a brick oven containing burning wood. Ovens may be wood-fired, coal-fired, gas, electric, or oil-fired.^[30]

Various types of cook-tops are used as well. They carry the same variations of fuel types as the ovens mentioned above. Cook-tops are used to heat vessels placed on top of the heat source, such as a sauté pan, sauce pot, frying pan, or pressure cooker. These pieces of equipment can use either a moist or dry cooking method and include methods such as steaming, simmering, boiling, and poaching for moist methods, while the dry methods include sautéing, pan frying, and deep-frying.^[31]

In addition, many cultures use grills for cooking. A grill operates with a radiant heat source from below, usually covered with a metal grid and sometimes a cover. An open pit barbecue in the American south is one example along with the American style outdoor grill fueled by wood, liquid propane, or charcoal along with soaked wood chips for smoking.^[32] A Mexican style of barbecue is called barbacoa, which involves the cooking of meats such as whole sheep over an open fire. In Argentina, an asado (Spanish for «grilled») is prepared on a grill held over an open pit or fire made upon the ground, on which a whole animal or smaller cuts are grilled.^[33]

Raw food preparation

Certain cultures highlight animal and vegetable foods in their raw state. Salads consisting of raw vegetables or fruits are common in many cuisines. Sashimi in Japanese cuisine consists of raw sliced fish or other meat, and sushi often incorporates raw fish or seafood. Steak tartare and salmon tartare are dishes made from diced or ground raw beef or salmon, mixed with various ingredients and served with baguettes, brioche, or frites.^[34] In Italy, carpaccio is a dish of very thinly sliced raw beef, drizzled with a vinaigrette made with olive oil.^[35] The health food movement known as raw foodism promotes a mostly vegan diet of raw fruits, vegetables, and grains prepared in various ways, including juicing, food dehydration, sprouting, and other methods of preparation that do not heat the food above 118 °F (47.8 °C).^[36] An example of a raw meat dish is ceviche, a Latin American dish made with raw meat that is «cooked» from the highly acidic citric juice from lemons and limes along with other aromatics such as garlic.

Restaurants

Restaurants employ trained chefs who prepare food, and trained waitstaff to serve the customers. The term restaurant is credited to the French from the 19th century, as it relates to the restorative nature of the bouillons that were once served in them. However, the concept pre-dates the naming of these establishments, as evidence suggests commercial food preparation may have existed during the age of the city of Pompeii, and urban sales of prepared foods may have existed in China during the Song Dynasty. The coffee shops or cafés of 17th century Europe may also be considered an early version of the restaurant.^[37] In 2005, the population of the United States spent $496 billion for out-of-home dining. Expenditures by type of out-of-home dining were as follows: 40% in full-service restaurants, 37.2% in limited service restaurants (fast food), 6.6% in schools or colleges, 5.4% in bars and vending machines, 4.7% in hotels and motels, 4.0% in recreational places, and 2.2% in others, which includes military bases.^[38]

Food manufacturing

Packaged foods are manufactured outside the home for purchase. This can be as simple as a butcher preparing meat, or as complex as a modern international food industry. Early food processing techniques were limited by available food preservation, packaging, and transportation. This mainly involved salting, curing, curdling, drying, pickling, fermenting, and smoking.^[39] Food manufacturing arose during the industrial revolution in the 19th century.^[40] This development took advantage of new mass markets and emerging new technology, such as milling, preservation, packaging and labeling, and transportation. It brought the advantages of pre-prepared time-saving food to the bulk of ordinary people who did not employ domestic servants.^[41]

At the start of the 21st century, a two-tier structure has arisen, with a few international food processing giants controlling a wide range of well-known food brands. There also exists a wide array of small local or national food processing companies.^[42] Advanced technologies have also come to change food manufacture. Computer-based control systems, sophisticated processing and packaging methods, and logistics and distribution advances can enhance product quality, improve food safety, and reduce costs.^[41]

Commercial trade

International exports and imports

The World Bank reported that the European Union was the top food importer in 2005, followed at a distance by the USA and Japan. Food is now traded and marketed on a global basis. The variety and availability of food is no longer restricted by the diversity of locally grown food or the limitations of the local growing season.^[43] Between 1961 and 1999, there was a 400% increase in worldwide food exports.^[44] Some countries are now economically dependent on food exports, which in some cases account for over 80% of all exports.^[45]

In 1994, over 100 countries became signatories to the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in a dramatic increase in trade liberalization. This included an agreement to reduce subsidies paid to farmers, underpinned by the WTO enforcement of agricultural subsidy, tariffs, import quotas, and settlement of trade disputes that cannot be bilaterally resolved.^[46] Where trade barriers are raised on the disputed grounds of public health and safety, the WTO refer the dispute to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which was founded in 1962 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Trade liberalization has greatly affected world food trade.^[47]

Marketing and retailing

Food marketing brings together the producer and the consumer. It is the chain of activities that brings food from «farm gate to plate».^[48] The marketing of even a single food product can be a complicated process involving many producers and companies. For example, fifty-six companies are involved in making one can of chicken noodle soup. These businesses include not only chicken and vegetable processors but also the companies that transport the ingredients and those who print labels and manufacture cans.^[49] The food marketing system is the largest direct and indirect non-government employer in the United States.

In the pre-modern era, the sale of surplus food took place once a week when farmers took their wares on market day into the local village marketplace. Here food was sold to grocers for sale in their local shops for purchase by local consumers.^[25][41] With the onset of industrialization and the development of the food processing industry, a wider range of food could be sold and distributed in distant locations. Typically early grocery shops would be counter-based shops, in which purchasers told the shop-keeper what they wanted, so that the shop-keeper could get it for them.^[25][50]

In the 20th century, supermarkets were born. Supermarkets brought with them a self service approach to shopping using shopping carts, and were able to offer quality food at lower cost through economies of scale and reduced staffing costs. In the latter part of the 20th century, this has been further revolutionized by the development of vast warehouse-sized, out-of-town supermarkets, selling a wide range of food from around the world.^[51]

Unlike food processors, food retailing is a two-tier market in which a small number of very large companies control a large proportion of supermarkets. The supermarket giants wield great purchasing power over farmers and processors, and strong influence over consumers. Nevertheless, less than 10% of consumer spending on food goes to farmers, with larger percentages going to advertising, transportation, and intermediate corporations.^[52]

Prices

It was reported on March 24, 2008, that consumers worldwide faced rising food prices.^[53] Reasons for this development include changes in the weather and dramatic changes in the global economy, including higher oil prices, lower food reserves, and growing consumer demand in China and India.^[53] In the long term, prices are expected to stabilize.^[53] Farmers will grow more grain for both fuel and food and eventually bring prices down.^[53] Already this is happening with wheat,^[54][55] with more crops to be planted in the United States, Canada, and Europe in 2009. However, the Food and Agriculture Organization projects that consumers still have to deal with more expensive food until at least 2018.^[53]

It is rare for the spikes to hit all major foods in most countries at once. Food prices rose 4% in the United States in 2007, the highest increase since 1990, and are expected to climb as much again in 2008. As of December 2007, 37 countries faced food crises, and 20 had imposed some sort of food-price controls. In China, the price of pork jumped 58% in 2007. In the 1980s and 1990s, farm subsidies and support programs allowed major grain exporting countries to hold large surpluses, which could be tapped during food shortages to keep prices down. However, new trade policies have made agricultural production much more responsive to market demands, putting global food reserves at their lowest since 1983.^[53]

Food prices are rising, wealthier Asian consumers are westernizing their diets, and farmers and nations of the third world are struggling to keep up the pace. The past five years have seen rapid growth in the contribution of Asian nations to the global fluid and powdered milk manufacturing industry, which in 2008 accounted for more than 30% of production, while China alone accounts for more than 10% of both production and consumption in the global fruit and vegetable processing and preserving industry. The trend is similarly evident in industries such as soft drink and bottled water manufacturing, as well as global cocoa, chocolate, and sugar confectionery manufacturing, forecast to grow by 5.7% and 10.0% respectively during 2008 in response to soaring demand in Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.^[56]

Famine and hunger

Food deprivation leads to malnutrition and ultimately starvation. This is often connected with famine, which involves the absence of food in entire communities. This can have a devastating and widespread effect on human health and mortality. Rationing is sometimes used to distribute food in times of shortage, most notably during times of war.^[10]

Starvation is a significant international problem. Approximately 815 million people are undernourished, and over 16,000 children die per day from hunger-related causes.^[57] Food deprivation is regarded as a deficit need in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and is measured using famine scales.^[58]

Food aid

Food aid can benefit people suffering from a shortage of food. It can be used to improve peoples’ lives in the short term, so that a society can increase its standard of living to the point that food aid is no longer required.^[59] Conversely, badly managed food aid can create problems by disrupting local markets, depressing crop prices, and discouraging food production. Sometimes a cycle of food aid dependence can develop.^[60] Its provision, or threatened withdrawal, is sometimes used as a political tool to influence the policies of the destination country, a strategy known as food politics. Sometimes, food aid provisions will require certain types of food be purchased from certain sellers, and food aid can be misused to enhance the markets of donor countries.^[61] International efforts to distribute food to the neediest countries are often coordinated by the World Food Programme.^[62]

Safety

Foodborne illness, commonly called «food poisoning», is caused by bacteria, toxins, viruses, parasites, and prions. Roughly 7 million people die of food poisoning each year, with about 10 times as many suffering from a non-fatal version.^[63] The two most common factors leading to cases of bacterial foodborne illness are cross-contamination of ready-to-eat food from other uncooked foods and improper temperature control. Less commonly, acute adverse reactions can also occur if chemical contamination of food occurs, for example from improper storage, or use of non-food grade soaps and disinfectants. Food can also be adulterated by a very wide range of articles (known as «foreign bodies») during farming, manufacture, cooking, packaging, distribution, or sale. These foreign bodies can include pests or their droppings, hairs, cigarette butts, wood chips, and all manner of other contaminants. It is possible for certain types of food to become contaminated if stored or presented in an unsafe container, such as a ceramic pot with lead-based glaze.^[63]

Food poisoning has been recognized as a disease since as early as Hippocrates.^[64] The sale of rancid, contaminated, or adulterated food was commonplace until the introduction of hygiene, refrigeration, and vermin controls in the 19th century. Discovery of techniques for killing bacteria using heat, and other microbiological studies by scientists such as Louis Pasteur, contributed to the modern sanitation standards that are ubiquitous in developed nations today. This was further underpinned by the work of Justus von Liebig, which led to the development of modern food storage and food preservation methods.^[65] In more recent years, a greater understanding of the causes of food-borne illnesses has led to the development of more systematic approaches such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), which can identify and eliminate many risks.^[66]

Recommended measures for ensuring food safety include maintaining a clean preparation area with foods of different types kept separate, ensuring an adequate cooking temperature, and refrigerating foods promptly after cooking.^[67]

Foods that spoil easily, such as meats, dairy, and seafood, must be prepared a certain way to avoid contaminating the people for whom they are prepared. As such, the general rule of thumb is that cold foods (such as dairy products) should be kept cold and hot foods (such as soup) should be kept hot until storage. Cold meats, such as chicken, that are to be cooked should not be placed at room temperature for thawing, at the risk of dangerous bacterial growth, such as Salmonella or E. coli.^[68]

Allergies

Some people have allergies or sensitivities to foods which are not problematic to most people. This occurs when a person’s immune system mistakes a certain food protein for a harmful foreign agent and attacks it. About 2% of adults and 8% of children have a food allergy.^[69] The amount of the food substance required to provoke a reaction in a particularly susceptible individual can be quite small. In some instances, traces of food in the air, too minute to be perceived through smell, have been known to provoke lethal reactions in extremely sensitive individuals. Common food allergens are gluten, corn, shellfish (mollusks), peanuts, and soy.^[69] Allergens frequently produce symptoms such as diarrhea, rashes, bloating, vomiting, and regurgitation. The digestive complaints usually develop within half an hour of ingesting the allergen.^[69]

Rarely, food allergies can lead to a medical emergency, such as anaphylactic shock, hypotension (low blood pressure), and loss of consciousness. An allergen associated with this type of reaction is peanut, although latex products can induce similar reactions.^[69] Initial treatment is with epinephrine (adrenaline), often carried by known patients in the form of an Epi-pen or Twinject.^[70][71]

Diet

Cultural and religious diets

Dietary habits are the habitual decisions a person or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat.^[72] Many cultures hold some food preferences and some food taboos. Dietary choices can also define cultures and play a role in religion. For example, only kosher foods are permitted by Judaism, halal foods by Islam, and in Hinduism beef is restricted.^[73] In addition, the dietary choices of different countries or regions have different characteristics. This is highly related to a culture’s cuisine.

Diet deficiencies

Dietary habits play a significant role in the health and mortality of all humans. Imbalances between the consumed fuels and expended energy results in either starvation or excessive reserves of adipose tissue, known as body fat.^[74] Poor intake of various vitamins and minerals can lead to diseases that can have far-reaching effects on health. For instance, 30% of the world’s population either has, or is at risk for developing, iodine deficiency.^[75] It is estimated that at least 3 million children are blind due to vitamin A deficiency.^[76] Vitamin C deficiency results in scurvy.^[77] Calcium, Vitamin D, and phosphorus are inter-related; the consumption of each may affect the absorption of the others. Kwashiorkor and marasmus are childhood disorders caused by lack of dietary protein.^[78]

Moral, ethical, and health conscious diets

Many individuals limit what foods they eat for reasons of morality, or other habit. For instance, vegetarians choose to forgo food from animal sources to varying degrees. Others choose a healthier diet, avoiding sugars or animal fats and increasing consumption of dietary fiber and antioxidants.^[79] Obesity, a serious problem in the western world, leads to higher chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, and many other diseases.^[80] More recently, dietary habits have been influenced by the concerns that some people have about possible impacts on health or the environment from genetically modified food.^[81] Further concerns about the impact of industrial farming (grains) on animal welfare, human health, and the environment are also having an effect on contemporary human dietary habits. This has led to the emergence of a counterculture with a preference for organic and local food.^[82]

Nutrition and dietary problems

Between the extremes of optimal health and death from starvation or malnutrition, there is an array of disease states that can be caused or alleviated by changes in diet. Deficiencies, excesses, and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, which may lead to diseases such as scurvy, obesity, or osteoporosis, as well as psychological and behavioral problems. The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary aspects influence health.

Nutrients in food are grouped into several categories. Macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Micronutrients are the minerals and vitamins. Additionally, food contains water and dietary fiber.

As previously discussed, the body is designed by natural selection to enjoy sweet and fattening foods for evolutionary diets, ideal for hunters and gatherers. Thus, sweet and fattening foods in nature are typically rare and are very pleasurable to eat. In modern times, with advanced technology, enjoyable foods are easily available to consumers. Unfortunately, this promotes obesity in adults and children alike.

Legal definition

Some countries list a legal definition of food. These countries list food as any item that is to be processed, partially processed, or unprocessed for consumption. The listing of items included as foodstuffs include any substance intended to be, or reasonably expected to be, ingested by humans. In addition to these foodstuffs, drink, chewing gum, water, or other items processed into said food items are part of the legal definition of food. Items not included in the legal definition of food include animal feed, live animals (unless being prepared for sale in a market), plants prior to harvesting, medicinal products, cosmetics, tobacco and tobacco products, narcotic or psychotropic substances, and residues and contaminants.^[83]

Types of food

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

• Collingham, E. M. The Taste of War: World War Two and the Battle for Food (2011)
• Katz, Solomon. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, (Scribner, 2003)
• Marion Nestle: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, University Presses of California, revised and expanded edition 2007, ISBN 0520254031

External links

• Food Marketing, FAO
• Food Timeline
• Wikibooks Cookbook

Do we live to eat or eat to live? That is the question.

Живём ли мы, чтобы есть, или едим, чтобы жить? Вот в чём вопрос.

I remember as a child growing up in Britain having fish and chips or baked beans on toast at least twice a week on my lap while watching my favourite cartoon. Of course I enjoyed my food but it wasn’t something I often talked about.

Я помню, как ребёнок, выросший в Великобритании, что в детстве за просмотром моих любимых мультиков рыба с картошкой или тосты с фасолью по крайней мере дважды в неделю оказывались у меня на коленях. Конечно, я любил еду, но она не была частой темой для разговоров.

Now, I’m not blaming my culture for my lack of interest in food at an early age. Perhaps my silence was due to the fact that I didn’t know anything about food. How many children know that prawns only turn pink when they are cooked and that tuna does not come from a can?

Так вот, я вовсе не обвиняю мое воспитание в отсутствии интереса к еде в раннем возрасте. Может быть, дело было в том, что я ничего не знал о еде. Сколько детей знают, что креветки становятся розовыми только во время готовки, а тунец бывает не только консервированным?

Now after having lived in Southern Europe, Asia and Australia I find myself talking about food all the time. The world has seduced my taste buds and opened my mouth.

Теперь, пожив в южной Европе, Азии и Австралии, я понимаю, что только и говорю, что о еде. Мир вокруг меня соблазнил мои вкусовые рецепторы и заставил меня заговорить.

Food that’s plain and simple is often the best but not always so. For many of us food is a need. For others, food is a friend. Yet to some others food is an enemy. Cravings grip us at all the wrong times while we struggle to follow a strict diet that turned all our favourite desserts into mortal sins.

Простая, незамысловатая еда часто, но не всегда оказывается самой лучшей. Для многих из нас еда – необходимость. Для кого-то еда – друг. А для кого-то еда – враг. Во время жёсткой диеты, превращающей все наши любимые десерты в смертный грех, обязательно захочется чего-нибудь вредного.

There are others who regard food as an investment. To them, food has some kind of special powers that can control their lives, for better or for worse. If that’s the case, it’s time to change and make food work for us.

Некоторые рассматривают еду как инвестицию. В их глазах еда обладает особой силой, способной изменить их жизнь к лучшему или к худшему. Если это правда, пришло время измениться и заставить еду работать в нашу пользу.

Let’s start by using food the way you would use a pencil or a pair of scissors. We begin using food as a tool. Like tools, some food works well for some tasks and some is specially designed to accomplish others.

Давайте начнём с использования еды таким же образом, как мы пользуемся карандашом или ножницами. Мы начинаем использовать еду как инструмент. Как и инструменты, некоторые продукты подходят для выполнения одной задачи, а некоторые специально созданы для другой.

Let’s say you’re feeling down. You had a tough day or a tiff with a best friend that drove you round the bend. You decide to treat yourself to a bar of chocolate – nothing like chocolate to perk you up.

Допустим, вы в плохом настроении. У вас был неудачный день или вы поссорились с вашим лучшим другом, отчего вы чувствуете себя паршиво. Вы решаете побаловать себя плиткой шоколада – нет ничего лучше шоколада, чтобы взбодриться.

Unfortunately you’re setting yourself up for a higher dose of the blues. That’s because chocolate bars have a hefty amount of fat and sugar – which takes a long time to digest and can draw energy away from your brain – and caffeine which will temporarily boost your mood and alertness but send you crashing back down as soon as its effect starts to wear off.

К сожалению, таким образом вы только усилите вашу хандру. Всё дело в том, что в шоколадках много жиров и сахара – которые долго перевариваются, отнимая энергию у мозга – и кофеина, который временно придаст бодрости и улучшит настроение, но как только его действие закончится, всё вернется на круги своя.

Does this mean snacking is a bad idea when you’re feeling down? Not at all. You just have to do it wisely. In place of a chocolate bar, have a slice of toast with chunky marmalade.

Значит ли это, что заедать плохое настроение – неудачная идея? Конечно же, нет. Просто нужно делать это с умом. Вместо шоколадки съешьте тост с джемом.

Then instead of fat and caffeine you’ve just given yourself a dose of vitamin C that has been shown to fight depression. In addition, marmalade is loaded with the type of sugar that spurs the release of mood-lifting chemicals in the brain.

В таком случае вместо жиров и кофеина вы получите дозу витамина C, который, как известно, помогает бороться с депрессией. К тому же сахар, содержащийся в варенье, подтолкнёт ваш организм к выработке веществ, повышающих настроение.

In fact you can manage your mood and boost your brainpower, metabolism, even your sex life, by eating the right food. Whatever your goals, you can custom-design a diet to help you meet them. Here’s how taking control of your food can help you take control of your life.

По сути, можно управлять настроением и улучшить работу мозга, обмен веществ, даже половую жизнь, если есть правильные продукты. Какой бы ни была ваша цель, вы можете составить режим питания, который поможет вам её достигнуть. Смотрите, как с помощью еды вы можете контролировать свою жизнь.

The next time you have an important meeting that requires mental processing, try some brain processing food that looks like this: tuna salad on whole wheat bread, green salad with tomatoes, a handful of nuts, bananas, a glass of skimmed milk. Tuna, bananas, nuts and whole wheat bread are high in vitamin B6, which has been scientifically proven to help preserve cognitive skills. Protein-rich food contains a nutrient called Tyrosine, which studies have shown, are linked to clear thinking and alertness. Greens such as broccoli and spinach naturally contain loads of vitamins and iron. Lack of these nutrients can lead to fatigue and difficulty in concentrating.

В следующий раз перед тем, как пойти на важное совещание, где нужно хорошо соображать, попробуйте съесть что-нибудь, что улучшит работу мозга: салат из тунца с отрубным хлебом, зелёный салат с помидорами, горстку орехов, бананы, стакан обезжиренного молока. Тунец, бананы, орехи и отрубной хлеб содержат большое количество витамина B6, который, как было научно доказано, помогает поддерживать умственные способности. Продукты, богатые протеином, содержат вещество под названием тирозин, который, как показали исследования, связан с внимательностью и рассудительностью. Такие овощи, как брокколи и шпинат, полны различных витаминов и железа. Нехватка этих веществ может привести к слабости и проблемам с концентрацией внимания.

Having said all that, let’s not be too stressed about what we eat. Many scientists these days believe that indulging in life’s little pleasures may actually help improve your health because of the psychological lift it gives you. There is a lot of truth in the old saying that ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’.

Вместе с тем, давайте не будем слишком сильно волноваться о том, что мы едим. В наше время многие учёные считают, что потакать маленьким слабостям даже полезно для здоровья, так как это повышает настроение. В старой доброй пословице «хорошего – понемножку» много правды.

Food

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t.

Еда – одна из главных радостей жизни, не правда ли? Вы знакомы с кем-нибудь, кто не любит поесть? Я – нет.

There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day.

В мире так много вкусной еды. Можно провести всю жизнь, каждый день пробуя новое блюдо.

What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry.

Какое блюдо – самое вкусное в мире? Это очень сложный вопрос. Мой вкус постоянно меняется. Иногда моё любимое блюдо – десерт, а иногда я могу передумать и начать с острого карри.

It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best?

Как прекрасно, что в каждой стране есть так много различных блюд. Вы думаете, что ваше национальное блюдо – самое лучшее?

Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

В наши дни важно следить за тем, что мы едим. Фаст-фуд вредит нашему здоровью. Нам нужно больше сосредоточиться на здоровом питании. Может быть, нам придется прикладывать больше усилий к этому в будущем. Постарайтесь есть продукты, приносящие вам пользу.

Sean Banville