Maharashtra Board Class 7 Science Chapter 5 Food Safety PDF Download

5. Food Safety

Let's Recall

Complete the following chart with the correct information.

All constituents of food—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water are necessary for the proper growth of the body. We get these nutrients from food materials like wheat, jowar, pulses, rice, vegetables, fruits, etc. However, what will happen if these food materials are infested by insects or spoiled in any way?

Food Spoilage

Observe And Discuss

Sometimes, fruits or their skins turn black. Some foodstuffs give out a foul or bad odour. Such foodstuffs are not suitable for us to eat. Sometimes, naturally available food materials are spoiled by wrong handling as when they are over-cooked, or improperly stored, say in a damp place. In such cases, the quality of the food materials deteriorates. They may also be spoiled during transportation. Can you give more such examples of food spoilage?

Factors Responsible For Food Spoilage

Sometimes, fruits or their skins turn black. Some foodstuffs give out a foul or bad odour. Such foodstuffs are not suitable for us to eat. Sometimes, naturally available food materials are spoiled by wrong handling as when they are over-cooked, or improperly stored, say in a damp place. In such cases, the quality of the food materials deteriorates. They may also be spoiled during transportation. Can you give more such examples of food spoilage?

Teacher's Note

Food spoilage happens when we do not store food properly. In our homes, we keep rice and dal in sealed boxes so that insects cannot come inside.

Exam Trick

Remember: Spoiled food = bad colour, bad smell, bad taste. Always check these three things before eating any food!

Points To Remember

Food spoils when it gets wet or damp.

Insects and pests can damage our food grains.

Wrong storage causes food to spoil.

The foodstuffs we consume, whether of animal or plant source, must be of the best quality. Otherwise, we may fall prey to disease or illness. Food is said to be spoiled if there is a change in its colour, odour, texture, quality, taste and there is a loss of its nutrient content.

Observe And Discuss

On a day out with our friends or family we enjoy mouth-watering dishes like pani-puri, shev-puri, pav-bhaji, vada-pav, pizzas, burgers. But, have you ever given a thought to how or where they were made? Were they displayed and served hygienically? What was the source of the water used for preparing them? Discuss all these matters with your science teacher.

5.3 Our Favourites

Observe

Which fruits in the picture appear to be good to eat? Why?

Various kinds of changes occur in food materials. For example, fruits turn black or change taste, meat becomes sour or peanuts become rancid. All these changes occur due to factors within the food materials. Often, food grains, etc. produced in farms are damaged due to various reasons like improper handling, improper storage, improper transportation, etc. Some foodstuffs like meat and milk are either acidic or alkaline. They may get spoiled due to chemical reactions on contact with metals. Sometimes, foodstuffs may be spoiled due to contamination by micro-organisms or insects from the surrounding air, water or soil.

Can you give some other examples of factors that cause spoilage of food?

Teacher's Note

Fruits like mangoes and apples can get dark spots if kept in wet places. We should keep them in a dry place at home.

Exam Trick

Remember: Three things spoil food = water, insects, and wrong temperature. Keep food dry, clean, and cool!

Points To Remember

Black spots on fruits mean the fruit is spoiling.

Meat and milk can become sour if kept in warm places.

Insects and micro-organisms spoil our food.

Chemical reactions with metals can spoil food.

Food Wastage

Can You Tell?

How and where is food wasted?

With the help of science and technology, India has shown great progress in the production of various foodstuffs like cereals, fruits, vegetables, fish as well as milk and milk-products. Even so, many people in our country and all over the world face the problem of hunger. Many do not get even one meal a day. Hence, it is our duty to prevent wastage of food wherever it takes place.

Quantitative Wastage Of Food

Wrong methods of farming like hand sowing of seeds, inadequate threshing, improper storage and wrong methods of distribution are some reasons for quantitative wastage of food. Besides, much food is wasted as a result of the custom of offering and serving too much food to guests at traditional feasts or banquets. Had it not been wasted, all this food could have met the need of many others.

Teacher's Note

In India, many families waste rice at weddings and parties. This food could have fed hungry people in our villages.

Exam Trick

Remember: Quantitative = quantity. When we cook too much food and throw it away, that is quantitative waste.

Points To Remember

Bad farming methods waste food grains.

Improper storage loses a lot of food.

Serving too much food at parties wastes food.

Poor transportation also wastes food.

Qualitative Wastage Of Food

Using wrong methods of protecting food, excessive use of food preservatives, over-cooking, washing the vegetables after cutting them, mis-handling of fruits like grapes and mangoes, mis-calculation of the time required to transport food from producers to consumers, are some of the causes of qualitative wastage of food.

What Can You Do To Prevent Food Wastage And Spoilage?

Serve yourself only as much as you can eat.

Avoid over-cooking food.

Avoid throwing away left-over food. Re-use it in a proper way.

Buy only as much grain, vegetables, fruits, milk, etc. as you need. Avoid the temptation to make excessive purchases.

Store grains and other perishable foodstuffs like vegetables, fruits, milk, etc. using proper methods.

Check the expiry date of bottled, canned, packed food and use within that time.

Eat all the food that you have served yourself.

Observe And Discuss

What can we do to avoid use of rice grains as 'akshata' and to prevent wastage of food during wedding feasts?

16th October - World Food Day - To Work Towards Food Security And Avoid Food Wastage

Teacher's Note

In your home, you can save food by eating what your mother cooks and not wasting anything on your plate.

Exam Trick

Remember: Qualitative = quality. When we cook food badly or store it wrongly, the quality becomes bad. That is qualitative waste.

Points To Remember

Never throw away cooked food.

Do not cook more food than you need.

Store food in clean and dry places.

Always check the expiry date before eating.

Use leftover food again in a good way.

Food Storage And Preservation

We have learnt about various methods of safe storage of food like freezing, drying, boiling, air-tight packing, etc. These different methods prevent the growth of micro-organisms in food and thereby save the food from spoiling.

Food Protection And Food Preservation

Food Protection

Prevention of food spoilage by microbial growth and infestation by pests is called food protection.

Food Preservation

Use of various preservatives to prevent, for a long period of time, food spoilage due to internal factors is called food preservation.

National Institutions - Food And Drug Administration

This is a government organization that controls production and distribution of food and drugs by their standardization. Food Safety and Standardization Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established as per the Food Safety and Standardization Act-2006.

Web addresses: www.fssai.gov.in
www.fda.maharashtra.gov.in

Teacher's Note

FSSAI is like a police for food. It checks that all food sold in shops is safe and clean to eat.

Exam Trick

Remember: FSSAI = Food Safety. It makes sure all food in India is safe. Just like traffic police controls traffic, FSSAI controls food safety!

Points To Remember

FSSAI is a government organization for food safety.

It checks food quality in shops and factories.

Food protection stops insects and germs from spoiling food.

Food preservation uses chemicals to keep food fresh longer.

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