Food System Vocab

Question 1

agriculture

Answer 1

the production of food and goods through farming

Question 2

biodiversity

Answer 2

the variety of organisms living in an ecosystem

Question 3

domestic biodiversity

Answer 3

the diversity among organisms which are cultivated for human use

Question 4

built environment

Answer 4

human-made surroundings (homes, schools, stores, cities, roads, railways)

Question 5

calorie

Answer 5

measure of energy

Question 6

dietary calorie

Answer 6

amount of energy available in food or that the body uses

calories are expended through breathing, circulation, digestion, exercise, etc.

Question 7

Excess calories are generally stored as

Answer 7

fat

Question 8

climate

Answer 8

the temperature, precipitation, humidity, and other weather conditions over a long period of time
-a major factor in what crops can be grown in a region

Question 9

climate change

Answer 9

significant, lasting change in measures of climate

Question 10

CAFO

Answer 10

concentrated animal feeding operation- a large industrial good animal production facility

Question 11

dietary nutrient

Answer 11

materials obtained through food & used by the body for energy, growth, and maintenance
-includes water, carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber

Question 12

ecosystem

Answer 12

community of organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment

Question 13

equity

Answer 13

justice, fairness, or freedom from bias

Question 14

field to plate

Answer 14

the span of activities from food production through consumption

Question 15

food environment

Answer 15

external factors that influence dietary choices (ex. family, advertising, cost, access)

Question 16

food processing

Answer 16

practices used by food industries to transform raw plant and animal materials into products for consumers (ex. freezing veggies, milling wheat, frying potato chips, slaughtering meat)

Question 17

food safety

Answer 17

science and practice of protecting the food supply from contamination by disease-causing organisms, harmful chemicals, and other health threats

Question 18

food security

Answer 18

consistent and dependable access to adequate, safe, nutritious food for an active and healthy life

Question 19

foodborne illness

Answer 19

illness caused by eating foods contaminated by pathogens, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances

Question 20

freshwater

Answer 20

naturally-occurring water that is not salty

examples- lakes, streams, ponds, underground aquifers

Question 21

GHGs

Answer 21

greenhouse gases- trap heat in the atmosphere
-their accumulation causes global warming
examples- CO2, CH4, N2O

Question 22

IFAP

Answer 22

industrial food animal production- a model of breeding, feeding, raising, and processing animals and animal products for food- characterized by housing large numbers of animals under confinement in densely packed, highly specialized facilities where animals receive specially formulated grain-based feeds that often contain growth-promoting drugs

Question 23

local food

Answer 23

produced within 100-250 miles of where the consumer lives or that is sold directly from a farmer to a consumer or nearby retailer

Question 24

nutrient

Answer 24

substance used by an organism for energy, growth, or maintenance

Question 25

nutrient-dense

Answer 25

containing a large amount of certain key dietary nutrients- typically protein, fiber, & a range of essential vitamins and nutrients- relative to the amount of calories
*vegetables are considered to be the most nutrient dense foods

Question 26

nutrient-poor

Answer 26

containing large amount of calories relative to key dietary nutrients- ex. cakes, cookies, candy, coke, chips, ice cream, etc.

Question 27

pasture

Answer 27

land covered w/ grasses and other plants suitable for grazing animals

Question 28

pathogens

Answer 28

microorganisms that cause disease upon infecting a host organism

Question 29

pest

Answer 29

any organism that threatens human interests- ex. weeds, insects, fungi, rodents, bacteria

Question 30

pesticide

Answer 30

substances intended to repel, kill, or control any species deemed a pest- ex. rodenticide, herbicide, insecticide, fungicide

Question 31

public health

Answer 31

science and practice of protecting and promoting health of communities

Question 32

refined grains

Answer 32

grains that have been processed to remove the bran and germ, which contain important dietary nutrients

Question 33

regional food

Answer 33

food produced within the same region the consumer lives- can be defined by geographic, cultural or political boundaries rather than size

Question 34

soil

Answer 34

top layer of earth’s surface

Question 35

supply chain

Answer 35

AKA food system

• the people, activities, and resources involved in getting food from farms, ranches, rivers, oceans, and other sources to consumers’ plates
• Major stages: production, processing, distribution, retail, consumption

Question 36

sustainable

Answer 36

able to be maintained in the long term, meeting the needs of the present generations w/o compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs