Where Food Goes
A tomato has a long journey before it reaches a school lunch tray. It may be picked on a farm, packed in a box, carried in a truck, and stored in a kitchen. At each step, people make choices that help food stay fresh and reach someone who can eat it.
This journey is part of a food supply chain: the connected steps that move food from where it is produced to where it is eaten. Sometimes food leaves the chain before anyone eats it. The reasons vary, and so do the ways to prevent it.
Loss along the way
Food loss often happens during harvesting, storage, processing, or transportation. For example, a farmer may be unable to harvest a crop before it spoils. Fruits and vegetables can also be damaged if they are packed too tightly or kept too warm during a long trip. In some places, farmers may not have enough refrigerated storage or reliable transportation to get their crops to buyers in time.
Better systems can help. Sturdy containers protect produce from being crushed. Cooling fruits and vegetables when needed can slow spoilage. Farmers and buyers can also plan deliveries together so that food spends less time waiting. These changes may require money, equipment, and cooperation, but they can keep more food available to eat.
- harvesting:
- Gathering crops when they are ready.
- storage:
- The keeping of something until it is needed.
- processing:
- Preparing or changing something for use.
- transportation:
- The movement of people or goods from one place to another.
- refrigerated:
- Kept cold using equipment that lowers the temperature.
- cooperation:
- Working together to reach a goal.
- discard:
- To throw something away.
One passage, many ways to practice
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
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Purpose
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Structure
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Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and what are two ways people can help?
- 2How do food loss and food waste differ in where they generally occur?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Where Food Goes” is a explanatory article reading passage about Food loss and waste, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (521 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.