Risk Factors in Food — Meaning and Overview | Primary 1 Social Studies 3rd Term Week 2

Subject: Social Studies | Class: Primary 1 | Term: 3rd Term | Week: 2

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Explain the meaning of risk factors in food.
2. State at least five risk factors in food.
3. Identify the risk factors in food preparation and distribution.

Entry Behaviour

Pupils are familiar with good and spoiled food in their daily lives.

Lesson 1 — Meaning of Risk Factors in Food

Risk factors in food are those things that cause diseases or illness after eating bad food. Diseases and illnesses make our bodies not work well.

The food we eat should make us grow and stay healthy. But if we eat bad food, it can make us fall sick. These factors can occur when we prepare and distribute our food.

Lesson 2 — Examples of Risk Factors in Food

1. Adulteration

Adulteration is when you make food bad by adding what you should not add. For example, adding sugar to beans or stew, or mixing soft drinks into milk.

2. Food Fraud

Food fraud is when somebody takes food from one container and puts it in another container, changes the label, or removes/adds things to the food. The buyer will not know that the food has been changed. This is a serious offence.

3. Agro-Chemical Induced Death

This is death caused by inhaling (breathing in) chemicals used in agriculture. Chemicals are used in agriculture to:

• Preserve crops
• Kill insects (pesticides)
• Kill grass (herbicides)

If someone inhales these chemicals, he or she can become very sick or die.

4. Risk Factors in Food Distribution and Preparation

The following expose food to flies and other germs:

1. Poor storage — Not keeping food in the right way or at the right place.
2. Poor handling — Not taking care of food and drinks and allowing them to spoil.
3. Poor and unclean environment — Preparing food in a dirty environment exposes it to germs and harmful insects.
4. High temperature — May cause fruits to become overripe and rot quickly.

Guide to Food Safety

1. Always read the labels on processed food for expiry date and NAFDAC registration.
2. Observe signs of food spoilage.
3. Wash hands before and after eating or preparing food.

Class Exercise

1. Risk factors in food is when the food we eat ___.   A. makes us healthy   B. increases the occurrence of diseases in us   C. makes us grow
2. The food we eat should make us ___.   A. ill   B. grow   C. die
3. ___ makes our bodies not work well.   A. Disease   B. Food   C. Water
4. Food fraud is when someone ___.   A. steals food   B. eats bad food   C. changes the original package of a food
5. Putting Milo in a can of Bournvita is an example of ___.   A. adulteration   B. food fraud   C. risk factor
6. Agro-chemical induced death is caused by ___.   A. smoking   B. accident   C. inhaling chemicals used in agriculture

Lesson Evaluation

1. Explain the meaning of risk factors in food.
2. State at least five risk factors in food.
3. Identify the risk factors in food preparation and distribution.

Next Lesson: Risk Factors in Food — Examples — Week 3