What are the food commodity groups in Eduqas GCSE Food?

Eduqas lists six major commodity groups: cereals (bread, flour, oats, pasta, rice); fruit and vegetables; milk, cheese and yoghurt; meat, fish and eggs; soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds; and butter, oils, margarine, sugar and syrup. For each group you study its value in the diet, the products made from it, how it is produced and stored, and its working characteristics in cooking. Component 1 can ask about any of these groups.

Why are cereals so important in the diet?

Cereals (wheat, rice, oats, maize) are the base of the Eatwell Guide because they are a major source of starchy carbohydrate for energy and are low in fat. Wholegrain versions also give dietary fibre, B vitamins and some protein and iron. Wheat is milled into flour, and the protein content decides its use: strong (bread) flour makes plenty of gluten for bread, while soft (plain) flour makes little gluten and suits cakes and pastry.

Which commodities are high-risk foods?

Milk, cheese and yoghurt, and meat, fish and eggs are high-risk foods because they are moist and high in protein, so bacteria multiply quickly. They must be stored covered in the fridge below 5 Celsius, kept apart from ready-to-eat food to avoid cross-contamination, and (for meat, poultry, fish and eggs) cooked thoroughly until the centre reaches at least 75 Celsius to destroy bacteria such as salmonella.

How are alternative proteins covered in Eduqas Food?

The soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds group is the main alternative protein source for vegetarian and vegan diets. Most plant proteins are low biological value, so they are combined by complementation, but soya is a plant high biological value protein, so tofu and soya milk supply all the essential amino acids. These foods also give fibre, unsaturated fat and minerals, and they are a more sustainable protein source than meat.

How should I revise the food commodities topic for C560?

Work group by group: learn the key nutrients each commodity provides, the products made from it, how it is produced (milling, pasteurisation, cheese-making, fermentation) and stored, and its working characteristics in cooking. Pair each science term with a food example, and practise applying commodities to dishes and diets (for example which flour for which product, or how to keep vitamin C in vegetables). The content also underpins your NEA dish choices.

EnglandFood Preparation & Nutrition

Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560): Food commodities (Area 1) overview

An overview of the food commodities content (Area 1) in Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), mapping the major commodity groups (cereals; fruit and vegetables; milk, cheese and yoghurt; meat, fish and eggs; soya, beans, nuts and seeds; fats and sugars), their value and working characteristics, and how they are examined.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.88 min readC560 Area 1Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

Jump to a section

The commodity groups
How this area is examined
How to study the commodities topic
For the official specification

Area 1 of Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (specification C560) is food commodities: the major groups of foods, what they give the body, how they are produced and stored, and how they behave in cooking. This page maps the area and links to a focused answer page for each group.

The commodity groups

Cereals: Wheat, rice, oats and maize, and the products made from them (bread, flour, pasta). Their starchy carbohydrate value, the difference between strong and soft flour, and how they are milled and stored. See Cereals.
Fruit and vegetables: Their classification, vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals and fibre, enzymic browning, and how to keep their vitamins when preparing and cooking. See Fruit and vegetables.
Milk, cheese and yoghurt: Calcium and HBV protein, the types and how they are produced (pasteurisation, cheese-making, fermentation), their working characteristics, and safe storage. See Milk, cheese and yoghurt.
Meat, fish and eggs: HBV protein and iron, the cuts and types, working characteristics (coagulation, tenderising, the uses of an egg), and the safety rules for these high-risk foods. See Meat, fish and eggs.
Soya, beans, nuts and fats and sugars: Alternative proteins for plant-based diets, plus the fats and sugars group (butter, oils, margarine, sugar, syrup) and their working characteristics. See Alternative proteins, fats and sugars.

How this area is examined

Food commodities is assessed on the written paper (Component 1), which is 1 hour 45 minutes, worth 100 marks and 50% of the GCSE. Questions ask about the value, production, storage and working characteristics of each group, often applied to a dish or a person's diet. The content also underpins the NEA, where you justify your choice of ingredients.

How to study the commodities topic

Work group by group. For each commodity, learn the key nutrients, the products, the production method and storage.
Pair science with examples. Link strong flour to bread, rennet to cheese, coagulation to a cooked egg.
Learn the safety rules. Know how to store and cook high-risk foods (fridge below 5, cook to 75).
Keep the vitamins. Know how to minimise vitamin C loss in fruit and vegetables.
Apply, do not list. Link commodities to dishes and diets for the higher marks.

For the official specification

Eduqas publishes the full specification (C560), past papers and mark schemes at eduqas.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and Eduqas's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.

Sources & how we know this

WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (C560) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)