Food from plants and animals
Almost everything that we eat comes from a plant or an animal.
People eat many different foods from plants, such as potatoes, carrots and apples.
Some people eat foods from animals too, such as:
- pork from a pig.
- seafood, like salmon or prawns.
- beef from cattle.
Cattle are animals that provide milk and meat, such as cows and buffalo.
Video: Where does food come from?
Do you know where your food comes from? Learn about some of the different ways we get the things we eat.
What’s your favourite food? Apples? Peas? Or maybe porridge? But do you know where they all come from?
We can buy all of these from shops, but do you know where they actually come from before they reach the shops? Almost everything we eat is from plants or animals.
Vegetables and fruits come from plants and are grown on the land, in the soil.
Some grow underground, like carrots.
Some grow on top of the soil with their roots below the ground, like pumpkins.
Some grow on bushes, like blackberries.
And some grow on vines, like tomatoes.
And some grow on trees, like apples.
A lot of our fruits and vegetables are grown on farms, and they are known as crops. Crops are plants that are grown by farmers in large amounts.
Some farmers grow vegetable crops in fields, such as cabbages. And others grow fruit, like plums.
Many farms grow grains, such as wheat, which we use to make flour and bread.
Other farms in the UK raise livestock. This means they don’t grow crops; they look after animals instead.
Different animals provide us with different types of meat.
Beef from cattle, pork from pigs and chicken from… well, chickens!
Cows, goats and sheep produce milk too.
This can be used to make butter, cream, cheese and yoghurt. These are all known as dairy products and they are produced on a dairy farm.
And hens produce most of the eggs that we eat. Eggs can also be used in lots of different recipes, like pancakes.
We’ve seen lots of food that comes from the land, but food can also come from the sea, rivers and lakes. This includes fish, such as salmon and shellfish, like prawns.
Fish and shellfish can be caught in the wild or farmed in special underwater farms. And we can also eat things that grow underwater, like seaweed.
So, next time you have a meal, think about where it may have come from. Plant or animal, land or water.
Food from the land and water
Most of the food we eat comes from the land, but we can also get food from the water.
Land
Farmers on the land raise animals to provide food. For example, cows can make milk and hens can lay eggs.
Farmers also grow fruit and vegetables. They also grow other crops, such as wheat, which is used to make bread.
Water
Fish and shellfish can be caught in the sea, lakes and rivers.
Some farmers also have underwater farms where they produce fish, such as salmon, or shellfish, like oysters.
Grow your own beanstalk
It isn't just farmers who grow food. Anyone can grow fruit and vegetables.
Try this simple method to grow your own beanstalk and see how tall it grows.
Image caption, You will need
You will need a small pot or an empty yoghurt pot, some compost or soil, some broad bean seeds and some water.
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Food can be grown at school, at home or at an allotment.
It doesn’t matter how much space you have - it could be a big space outside or a small pot inside.
Key words
| Cattle | Large animals, such as cows, that are mainly raised for either their meat or milk. |
| Crops | Plants that are grown by farmers in large amounts. |
| Shellfish | Sea creatures that we can eat that live in a shell. |
| Allotment | A piece of land that is used by many people to grow vegetables, fruit or plants. |
Quiz: Land or water?
Can you remember if these foods come from the land or the water?
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