How is raw food turned into the products we buy, and how does processing change it?
Food processing and production: primary and secondary processing, how foods such as wheat, milk and oil are processed, fortification and additives, genetic modification, and the effect of processing on nutrition and shelf life.
A focused answer on food processing and production for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering primary and secondary processing, how wheat, milk and oil are processed, fortification and additives, genetic modification, and the effect of processing on nutrition and shelf life.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to explain how raw foods are processed into the products we buy, the difference between primary and secondary processing, what additives and fortification do, what genetic modification is, and how processing affects nutrition and shelf life.
Primary and secondary processing
Worked through three foods:
- Wheat: primary processing is milling the grain into flour; secondary is making bread, pasta, cakes from the flour.
- Milk: primary processing is pasteurising (heating to kill bacteria) and bottling; secondary is making cheese, yoghurt and butter.
- Oil: primary processing is pressing or extracting oil from seeds or olives; secondary is making margarine or using the oil in spreads and sauces.
Additives
Permitted additives are tested for safety and may be shown by name or an E number on the label.
Fortification and genetic modification
Fortification helps prevent deficiencies across the population, though some argue it encourages reliance on processed foods. GM can raise yields and cut pesticide use (helping food security), but raises concerns about long-term safety, the environment and the control of seeds by large companies. GM foods must be labelled.
How processing affects nutrition and shelf life
Processing can add value: it makes food safe (pasteurising), extends shelf life (canning, freezing, preserving) and can add nutrients (fortification). But heavy processing can lose nutrients (vitamins lost in heating and refining) and often adds salt, sugar and fat to improve taste and keeping, which is why diets high in highly processed food are linked to health problems. The healthiest approach uses processing where it helps (safety, preservation) while keeping a diet based mostly on less-processed foods.
Try this
Q1. Give the primary and secondary processing of wheat. [2 marks]
- Cue. Primary: milling the grain into flour. Secondary: making bread, pasta or cakes from the flour.
Q2. What is meant by fortification? Give one example. [2 marks]
- Cue. Adding nutrients to a food; for example adding calcium and B vitamins to flour, or vitamin D to margarine.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20184 marksExplain the difference between primary and secondary processing, using wheat as an example.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question using a worked example.
Primary processing is turning a raw food (a harvested crop or freshly caught or slaughtered animal) into a form that can be used or eaten, often before it goes off. For wheat, primary processing is milling the grain into flour.
Secondary processing is turning a primary-processed food into another product. For wheat, secondary processing is using the flour to make bread, pasta, cakes or biscuits.
Markers reward primary as raw to usable form (wheat to flour) and secondary as making a further product from it (flour to bread), with the wheat example correctly used.
Eduqas 20216 marksDiscuss the use of additives and fortification in processed food, including their benefits and any concerns.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark extended-response question. Mark it for explaining what additives and fortification do, with benefits and concerns.
Additives are substances added to food to do a job: preservatives extend shelf life and improve safety, colours and flavourings improve appearance and taste, and emulsifiers and stabilisers improve texture. Their benefits are longer-lasting, safer, more appealing food; concerns include some people reacting to certain additives and a preference for fewer artificial ingredients.
Fortification is adding nutrients to a food, for example adding calcium, iron and B vitamins to white flour, or vitamin D to margarine. Its benefit is improving the nutrition of the population and preventing deficiencies; a concern is that it can encourage reliance on processed foods.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) define additives and fortification, give examples, and weigh benefits against concerns.
Related dot points
- Food provenance and production: where and how food is grown, reared and caught, intensive and organic farming, free-range and sustainable fishing, seasonality, local and imported food, fair trade and the journey from farm to fork.
A focused answer on food provenance and production for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering where and how food is grown, reared and caught, intensive versus organic farming, free-range and sustainable fishing, seasonality, local and imported food, and fair trade.
- Food and the environment: food miles and carbon footprint, packaging and its disposal, food waste and the 3 Rs, the environmental cost of food production, and how the consumer can make more sustainable choices.
A focused answer on food and the environment for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering food miles and carbon footprint, packaging and waste, the 3 Rs, the environmental cost of food production, and how consumers can choose more sustainably.
- Food security and sustainability: what food security means, the factors that threaten the food supply, food poverty and food banks, sustainable food production and fishing, and global food issues.
A focused answer on food security and sustainability for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the meaning of food security, the factors that threaten it, food poverty and food banks, sustainable food production and fishing, and global food issues.
- Food choice, sensory evaluation and labelling: the factors that affect food choice, sensory testing methods, food labelling law and nutrition information, and how marketing and packaging influence what we buy.
A focused answer on food choice, sensory evaluation and labelling for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the factors that affect food choice, sensory testing methods, food labelling law and nutrition information, and how marketing and packaging influence buying.
- Cereals as a commodity group: wheat, rice, oats, maize and the products made from them (bread, flour, pasta), their nutritional value, working characteristics, and how they are grown, processed and stored.
A focused answer on cereals as a commodity group for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering wheat, rice, oats and maize, the products made from them, their nutritional value, working characteristics in cooking, and how they are processed and stored.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (C560) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)