GRACEFUL
Jolof Rice- A family staple food that serves every ocassion
Sun 24/08/2025 12.35p.m
Food Production and how the farmers influence the choices we make about what we eat daily
by Chinyere Nwakanma
Mon 11/08/2025 11:39 a.m



Courtesy Graceful magazine

Food is vital to human existence and the measure of a successful government is its ability to make sure that the basic needs for food,housing ,water, medication,education for its people are met.The farmers determine what we eat and how we eat them, with food production going on in their factories and farms around the country.Some of the farmers have farms that produce work from fields to production factories meaning that they plant the strawberries ,harvest them and put them in preservative jars to last for longer times in the refrigerators. Some of them supply the strawberries used in larger factories to make the jams on our breakfast tables .They are the big players in the food manufacturing markets around the world, as without the farmers there will be no yoghurt and milk for everyone,no rice,beans,strawberries and even the pancakes that we eat before going to work.United kingdom supermarkets do not lack in food items , because of the standards set for farmers by the government to making sure that there are no cases of food poisoning and diseases being spread by food bugs.The work the farmers are doing in making sure that meats from livestock are made available to everyone is much.The farmers produce different crops like wheat, barley, and vegetables, and they raise animals for meat, milk, and eggs. The UK is largely self-sufficient in grain production and also produces a significant amount of meat, milk, and eggs.Groceries are significantly accessible and planning a days meal is not so much of a burden, because the shops have food for those who have made the lifestyle choices of living on the basic.I like the rural settings ,especially the areas where farmers are producing food for everyone.Travelling to places like Cumbria from London , gives you a glimpse of the countrysides,the farms and the live stocks grazing on the hills, which are amazing sights to see.These sights are all about food and making food cheap for everyone, which is an amazing job that the farmers are doing.
In the United kingdom farming includes these
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the growing and harvesting of crops.
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the rearing of livestock like hens,pigs,cows, sheep, or turkeys.
- The UK works at making its own food items and relies on imports, especially for fruits, vegetables, and some specialized or seasonal foods from the European countries. It is very easy to just work into ASDA to pick up Spinach , but one needs to work in the food farms and factories to see the much work that are done ,to keep us feeding well by the farmers
- Climate change and the weather do affect crop yields success in a farming season. Food supply chains are affected when the farms do not produce quality foods as many raw foods are thrown away and used as food for live stocks . This are the reasons why the climate change activists are worried, that climate change means that there will be no food in the future for everyone.We depend on providence to give us food to eat with the help of the hardworking farmers.
The UK is focused on sustainable farming practices and reduction of the carbon footprints .The United Kingdom have its farming regions in Fermanagh dairy farms,Central Wales sheep farms, Northumberland sheep farms,The Yorkshire Dales dairy and hills farming,Lincoln wheat, cabbages and lavender, Kent fruits and Yorkshire dairy farms.These are where most of the farmers are located and these areas host the beautiful scenes that make the country a piece of art and movie.For poetry lovers , travelling to these countrysides do give them some inspiration to produce good pieces of artworks, as these country places , do remind people about old Britain,without the modernity that changes history and the way we are living. The farmers are people who make sure that the foods do not disappear from the food shelves in Tesco, Asda, Morrison, Lidl, Aldi and all the local farm-shops , but they are mostly the ignored quiet people going about , who are doing much for everyone without fanfares ,greetings or so much recognitions. I was in the shop yesterday , to look for a food item and I worked around without getting anything.I realised that without the farms, our lives will be very expensive and we may struggle to cope with rises in food prices.This is something the different governments do for everyone,making sure that food is affordable , but many people seem not to realise that so much hard work is done to make sure that everyone is well fed.When we are used to getting food as usual on our food shelves , it becomes hard to appreciate those that make this happen for us especially the farmers.Many times we tend to think about the millions the farmers are making selling food to us,but we will go hungry without them.People in food production, know how difficult an industry it is, because of the standards and there are always so much wastes because the farmers are not allowed to supply substandard livestock and food products.The food standard agencies work with perfection, because previous outbreaks of Salmonella have taught everyone to be very careful.This makes the industry an arduous business to be in.The United Kingdom practices food farming and aquaculture making livestocks, farm foods, groceries and seafoods easily available for the populace.
Writing about fish farming which is done in fresh,brackish and sea water,it is an essential aspect of United Kingdom's food production.The fish farmers grow crabs,mussels and fishes such as trout and salmon.And we must not forget that some of these fishes are used in water tanks to beautify our homes for those who love seeing fishes in tanks at home.Supplying farm products is good and big business as people cannot leave without food.Enhancing the way we present our food on food shelves makes farm product selling fast and profitable.If food products are not well presented people will not go to the shops to buy that is the reason why many people prefer shopping from the big supermarkets because of the way food is presented always in a clean beautiful way.Product display is something that is essential to grocery sellers.Being a farmer and opening a distribution depot or shops to sell ones business is good business.Having a farm involves the acquisition of land ,grain and seeds which does not cost so much.The input might be rigorous but the farmers are feeding the nation and of course the world as all the tinned and bottled foods all originate from one source-the farm.According to records, UK currently produces about 54% of its domestic food consumption. Agricultural activity occurs in most rural counties. Farming is mostly done in the drier east (for crops) an the rainy west (for livestock). The country has 191,000 farm holdings, which vary widely in size,some are big scale farmers and others are small businesses but they all have one thing in common,they are the ones providing food for everyone that is why the supermarkets are never empty.The farmers are concentrated in areas where there are enough water for the lands and the livestock , which makes the returns for the farmers good.The biggest farmers in the U.K have net worth ranging from I million pounds to 15.2billion pounds .People make lots of wealth by taking up farming as their business. Successful farm investors in the United Kingdom grow crops like strawberries (including out-of-season production in their high-tech greenhouses), maize, wheat, sugar beet, peas, cabbages, and potatoes. Some of the potatoes we eat daily come from their farms and wholesale shops.
Courtesy Graceful magazine U.K Strawberries
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Ultra Processed Foods
What are scientists saying about them today?
Life have changed in recent years from the way we travel, communicate and even feed ourselves. According to a new scientific report Ultra processed foods have been the source of early deaths in recent years. The report says that 18,000 people die a year due to the after effects of ultra-processed food on their health. This is a worrying report because most of the food that tastes so good and the ones we love to eat are ultra processed foods.Which way do we go with this recent reports, since we love our ultra processed foods?.People who are addicted to the staple processed bread as the family best breakfast option might find this a really bad news, but I doubt if anyone will drop the bread for the news.But the reports suggest that Ultra processed food maybe a bystander in U.K early deaths.Studies have shown that countries like Colombia with 4percent intake of Ultra-processed food has only 4percent reported deaths caused by them according to the American journal of preventative deaths. People in the U.S.A seem to consume more of the Ultra processed foods, than people in the United Kingdom. But some experts still insist that it is not clear if the Ultra processed foods or if the fatty foods are to be blamed for the diseases causing these deaths. The scientists are working hard to find out more about the impact of industrial processed foods on health. But come what may, the findings may not affect the way people are eating.
They are antidotes to hunger that is caused by hectic lifestyles of work and constant movements.
Waking up early to rush down to work means that people wake up in the morning and pack the ultra-processed food for lunch and leave for work, because there is no time to cook fresh meal or even shop all the time for fresh natural foods. But more researches are being done to find out more about this .People are being asked to eat more fresh foods and vegetables which scientists believe are the best options for good health.
Examples of Ultra Processed Foods
- Highly processed snacks:
Chips, cookies, and other heavily processed snacks contain many added ingredients.
- Sweetened drinks:
Soft drinks, fruit juices with added sugar, and other sweetened beverages are often ultra-processed.
- Processed meat:
Lunch meats and other prepared meats are often high in sodium and may contain added preservatives.
- Dessert foods:
Cookies, cakes, and other processed desserts often contain added sugars and unhealthy fats.
- Ready meals:
Many frozen or pre-packaged meals are ultra-processed containing multiple ingredients and preservatives