Section Revision: Food Choice and Provenance

This lesson provides a comprehensive revision of food choice and food provenance content for the AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition exam (8585), covering factors affecting choice, religion, labelling, sensory evaluation, sustainability, and processing.

---

Factors Affecting Food Choice

Remember the key factors using this framework:

Category	Factors
Physical	PAL (Physical Activity Level), health conditions, allergies/intolerances
Psychological	Preferences, enjoyment, mood, habits
Social	Culture, celebration, family/peer influence, religion, media
Economic	Cost, income, special offers, availability
Practical	Time available, time of day, cooking skills, equipment, lifestyle, seasonality

---

Religious Food Choices: Key Rules

Religion	Key Rules
Islam	Halal meat (prayer, sharp knife, blood drained); NO pork; NO alcohol; Ramadan fasting; haram gelatine
Judaism	Kosher meat (shochet); NO pork; NO shellfish; meat and dairy NEVER mixed; separate utensils; Passover (no leaven)
Hinduism	Cow sacred — NO beef; many vegetarian; ghee important
Sikhism	Langar (free vegetarian kitchen); jhatka meat (NOT halal); food sharing
Buddhism	Non-violence (ahimsa); many vegetarian; moderation; avoid alcohol
Christianity	Few restrictions; Lent (fasting/giving up foods); Fish Friday
Rastafarianism	I-tal (natural) food; many vegetarian/vegan; NO pork; NO shellfish; NO alcohol

---

Allergies and Intolerances

Feature	Allergy	Intolerance
System	Immune system	Digestive system
Severity	Life-threatening (anaphylaxis)	Unpleasant, NOT life-threatening
Amount	Tiny traces trigger reaction	Usually needs larger amount
Speed	Rapid (minutes to 2 hours)	Delayed (hours to days)
Examples	Nut, milk, egg allergy	Lactose intolerance

Coeliac disease = autoimmune condition triggered by gluten (wheat, barley, rye). NOT an allergy or simple intolerance. Treatment: lifelong gluten-free diet.

14 allergens must be declared on food labels. Most common: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, shellfish, soya.

Natasha's Law (2021): Pre-packed food made on premises must carry full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.

---

Food Labelling

Mandatory Information

Information	Key Point
Name	Accurate description of the food
Ingredients	Listed in descending order of weight
Allergens	Highlighted in bold within ingredients
Net quantity	Weight or volume
Date mark	Use-by (safety) or best-before (quality)
Storage	How to store (e.g., "Keep refrigerated")
Nutrition	Energy, fat, saturates, carbs, sugars, protein, salt per 100g
Manufacturer	Name and address

Traffic Light System (Voluntary)

Colour	Meaning	Fat (per 100g)	Sugars	Salt
🟢 Green	Low	≤3g	≤5g	≤0.3g
🟡 Amber	Medium	3.1–17.5g	5.1–22.5g	0.31–1.5g
🔴 Red	High	>17.5g	>22.5g	>1.5g

Always compare products using per 100g figures, not per portion.

---

Sensory Evaluation

Test	Purpose	Samples	Key Feature
Paired preference	Which of two is preferred?	2	Simple; subjective
Hedonic scale	How much do you like it? (1–5 or 1–9)	1+	Degree of liking; numerical data
Triangle test	Can you tell the difference?	3 (2 same, 1 different)	Objective; 1 in 3 chance of guessing
Ranking	Put in order (e.g., sweetest to least sweet)	3–6	Relative positions; ordinal data
Rating	Score specific qualities on a scale	1+	Detailed; numerical data
Sensory profiling	Star diagram showing multiple characteristics	1+	Visual profile; comparison tool

Controlled Conditions

• Testing booths (prevent influence)
• Random 3-digit codes (prevent bias; NOT A, B, C)
• Palate cleansers (water, crackers between samples)
• Neutral lighting (prevent colour bias)
• Same containers, portions, temperature

---

Food Provenance: Key Topics

Farming Systems

System	Welfare	Cost	Yield
Intensive	Lowest	Cheapest	Highest
Free-range	Good	Higher	Lower
Organic	Highest	Most expensive	Lowest

Sustainable Fishing

Method	Detail
Quotas	Limit total catch to sustainable levels
Net sizes	Minimum mesh sizes let juveniles escape
Closed seasons	Protect breeding periods
MSC certification	Blue label = sustainably caught
Fish farming	Reduces pressure on wild stocks (but pollution and disease risks)

Food Miles and Environment