Ask students to name their favorite pizza topping (cheese, sauce, onions, green peppers, pepperoni, sausage, etc.). List the toppings on the writing surface as students name them. Next, ask students if they know where all these ingredients come from. Some come from plants (onions, green peppers, sauce), and some come from animals (cheese, pepperoni, sausage). Most of them are produced on farms and ranches throughout the United States. Tell students that without agricultural products, their pizza wouldn’t be possible! 

Instruction in this lesson should result in students achieving the following objectives:

1 Describe the information included on a food package.

2 Recognize plant sources of food ingredients.

3 Recognize animal sources of food ingredients.

The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics):

Aquaculture Beef Broiler Crop Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Ingredient Lamb Livestock Mutton Pork Poultry Universal Product Code (UPC) Veal 

Describe the information included on a food package.

Anticipated Problem: What information is provided on a food package?

I. Food packages contain a variety of information about the product.

A. Packaging is used to advertise the product. It attempts to persuade consumers to buy the product by using wording and colors that are attractive.

B. Some information is provided on a food package is required by law.

1. The common name of the product must appear on the package.

2. The name and address of the manufacturer or distributor must also be somewhere on the package.

3. The content amount must be listed on the package (weight, count, etc.)

4. Foods with two or more ingredients must include an ingredients list on the package. An ingredient is a part of something. The ingredients must be listed in descending order, by weight, with the most given first.

5. A “Nutrition Facts” panel must also appear on the package. Foods that contain a minimal amount of nutrients (coffee, tea, spices, flavorings, etc.) and raw, single-ingredient products are exempt from this requirement. The Nutrition Facts panel includes the serving size and number of servings in the container and provides the nutritional value of the food.

C. Some food labels contain nutrient content claims, such as “rich in calcium,” “low calorie,” and “high fiber.” Content claims must use a standard format set by law.

D. Food labels may also contain health claims that describe actual benefits that a food or nutrient may provide. Health claims are not allowed unless they have been proven. To help avoid false claims being made, only certain claims are allowed, such as a connection between calcium and osteoporosis; fat and cancer; cholesterol/saturated fat and heart disease; fiber and cancer; fiber and heart disease; and fruits/vegetables and cancer.

E. The brand name of the product may also appear on the package.

F. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a symbol found on food packages that can be scanned by a computer to show the price and help stores keep track of inventory.

G. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a government agency that checks for truth in advertising to insure that the claims made on food packages are legitimate.

H. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a government agency that establishes safety and nutrition guidelines. They help assure the quality of food products.  

Recognize plant sources of food ingredients.

Anticipated Problem: What are plant sources of food ingredients?

II. Many of the ingredients in our favorite foods come from plants. Most of these plants are grown in the United States, but some are imported from other countries. Crops are grown in certain areas or countries because they grow better in that climate or soil. A crop is a plant that is grown and harvested for profit. Agriculture provides us with a wide variety of crops that we can eat or use as ingredients in other foods.

A. Grain crops include wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, rye, and grain sorghum.

1. Grain crops can be used in making bread, cereal, cooking oil, pasta, corn chips, tortillas, oatmeal, bagels, cakes, cookies, crackers, muffins, granola, noodles, and many other things.

2. Grain crops are grown throughout the United States. Kansas, North Dakota, Illinois, and Montana are major grain producing states.

B. Sugar and oil crops include sugar beets, sugar cane, sweet sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, canola, and peanuts.

1. Sugar and oil crops can be used in making sugar, candy, syrup, soy milk, mayonnaise, tofu, soy sauce, peanut butter, and cooking oils.

2. Sugar beets are more widely grown than sugar cane and sweet sorghum in the United States. Sugar cane requires a warm tropical climate that is only found in certain areas of the United States. A limited amount of sweet sorghum is produced in some southeastern states.

3. The most important oil crop in the United States is the soybean. Soybeans are grown throughout the Midwest.

C. Vegetable crops include potatoes, cabbage, onions, eggplants, cucumbers, beets, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, green peppers, watermelons, radishes, asparagus, sweet corn, cauliflower, tomatoes, artichokes, muskmelons, celery, carrots, and many others.

1. Vegetables may be eaten raw, cooked, or used as ingredients in making other foods (in soups or sauces, as pizza toppings, on sandwiches, etc.).

2. Vegetables are grown throughout the United States. Temperature is the most important factor that determines where to grow vegetables. California produces roughly half of all the vegetables grown commercially in the United States. Other states that produce large quantities of vegetables are Florida, Arizona, Texas, and Oregon.

D. Fruit crops include apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, cherries, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and many others.

1. Fruits can be eaten raw, used as toppings for ice cream, baked in many desserts, used for making juices, jams, jellies, glazes, and many other things.

2. Different fruits are grown throughout the United States. Where fruits are grown depends largely on the climate and how sensitive the plants are to it. Some fruit trees, like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, can only be grown in the warm southern states.

E. Nut crops include walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, pistachios, almonds, filberts, hazelnuts, macadamias, and coconuts.

1. Nuts can be eaten raw or used as toppings or ingredients in many baked goods and other foods.

2. Nuts are grown across the United States.

Recognize animal sources of food ingredients.

Anticipated Problem: What are animal sources of food ingredients?

III. Many of the ingredients in our favorite foods come from animals. Livestock are animals produced on farms and ranches for food and other purposes. Livestock are raised all over the world to provide us with the variety of products we want and need. 

5. Aquaculture is the production of aquatic plants, animals, and other species. We use the meat of many aquaculture species, such as shrimp, scallops, different kinds of fish, oysters, and clams, as food ingredients.

6. Although most of the meat we eat in the United States comes from cattle, swine, chickens, or sheep, we also use smaller amounts of the meat from other animals, such as goats, turkeys, deer, ostriches, and many others.

B. Eggs from chickens and other poultry can be used as ingredients in many foods. Poultry are domesticated birds raised primarily for meat, eggs, and feathers.

C. Milk from cows is used to make all the dairy products we eat. Cheese, yogurt, sour cream, milk chocolate, cottage cheese, and ice cream are all made from milk.

1. What information is provided on a food package?

2. What are plant sources of food ingredients?

3. What are animal sources of food ingredients?