Where Does Our Food Come From?
Have you ever wondered how the delicious food on your plate gets there?
Who grows it?
Who brings it to the shop?
How does it travel?
Let’s find out the amazing journey of food—right from the farm to your plate!
Food Starts from the Farm
Most of our food begins its journey on a farm.
Farmers grow fruits, vegetables, and grains.
They also raise animals like cows, chickens, and goats for milk, meat, and eggs.
Examples:
Wheat is grown in fields and used to make bread or roti.
Tomatoes are grown in farms and used in ketchup or curry.
Cows give us milk which is used to make butter, cheese, and ice cream!
Farms are the very first step in the food journey.
Harvesting and Collecting the Food
When fruits and vegetables are ripe or when crops like wheat are ready, farmers harvest them.
Harvesting means collecting the crops from the fields.
This step is very important because it brings the food from the field to the next step—storage and transport.
Storing the Food
After harvesting, the food needs to be stored safely.
Why?
So it doesn’t spoil or get eaten by insects!
Farmers use:
Storage bins for grains
Cold rooms or refrigerators for fruits, vegetables, and milk
Containers for dry items like pulses and flour
Example:
Watermelons are kept in cool places to stay fresh before being sent to the market.
Transporting the Food
Now it’s time to move the food from the farms to markets or factories.
This step is called transportation.
Food is transported by:
Trucks
Trains
Ships
Planes (for far away places)
Example:
Bananas grown in South India can travel in trucks to Delhi!
Processing the Food (Sometimes)
Some food items go to factories before coming to us.
This is called food processing.
What is food processing?
It means turning raw food into food that can be eaten or stored longer.
Examples:
Milk is pasteurized in factories to kill germs.
Wheat is turned into flour.
Fruits become jam or juice.
Potatoes become potato chips!
Not all food is processed.
Some go directly to markets.
Going to the Market or Grocery Store
Once the food is ready, it goes to:
Supermarkets
Local vegetable shops
Meat shops
Dairy stores
Shopkeepers and vendors buy food from wholesalers or directly from farmers.
They then sell it to us and other families.
We Buy the Food
Now it’s your family’s turn!
Your parents go to the store or market and buy:
Fresh vegetables
Packaged food like biscuits
Milk and eggs
Grains like rice and dal
You might also go to the store with them or help unpack the groceries at home!
Food is Cooked at Home
The food finally reaches home.
Your parents or guardians wash, cut, and cook the food to make tasty meals.
Now it’s ready to be served on your plate!
Yum!
From the farm to your plate, your food has traveled a long way!
Summary: The Steps in the Food Distribution System
Let’s go over all the steps again:
Step What Happens?
Example
Farming Growing crops and raising animals Wheat, rice, cows
Harvesting Collecting crops when ready Picking apples
Storing Keeping food safe and fresh Using cold storage for milk
Transport Moving food to market or factory Trucks carry vegetables
Processing Making food
