• What is the food industry?
• Characteristics of the food industry
• Food industry sectors
• Importance of the food industry
• Basic processes of the food industry

We explain what the food industry is, its basic processes, sectors, global importance and other characteristics.

The food industry processes raw materials of plant and animal origin.

What is the food industry?

The food industry is the productive sector that takes care of all processes of the food chain of the society.

It covers the stages of production, selection, processing, transportation and sale of food from a very varied agricultural offer. Their products go through a set of processes transformation culminating in his consumption by the public.

The purpose of the food industry is to satisfy the needs of feeding of the population (and their domestic animals), by preparing various food products, both processed and semi-processed, from raw Materials from animal origin, such as meat, dairy, eggs, fish and honey, or from vegetable origin.

To achieve your objective tries to provide your food with the highest possible state of conservation (freezing, adding preservatives, precooking, etc.), on its journey from the factory to your table.

More than any other, the food industry is a fruit of the modern world. In earlier times the demand of food was less and could be satisfied through local or regional production. Today it involves the exchange of consumer goods in a globalized market, in which it is possible to buy food from the other side of the world in the supermarket on the corner.

However, this large-scale production model is far from perfect. In recent times the effect on public health that have ultra-processed foods and full of chemical additives, as well as the ecological effect that the excessive growth of the farming and the cattle raising they cause in the whole world.

Characteristics of the food industry

The food industry is characterized by:

• Use inputs of animal and vegetable origin, to produce food with a greater or lesser degree of technological processing, intended for direct consumption or to supply other Business food.
• Cover different more or less automated selection processes, manufacture, processing and distribution.
• Grow together with the increase in demand for food throughout the world, given the population growth experienced by the humanity in these last centuries.

Food industry sectors

The fishing industry gets its raw material from the seas.

The food industry is made up of the following sectors:

• Meat industry. Or the processing of red and white meats.
• Fishing industry. Works with fish, shellfish, marine mollusks, etc.
• Growing of fruits and vegetables. For direct consumption by the public.
• Farming industry. Dedicated to the sowing and cultivation of cereals, vegetables and greens.
• Fungal industry. Cultivate mushrooms groceries.
• Sugar industry. It obtains it from different means: sugar cane, beet, etc.
• Cocoa industry. It makes chocolate in its very different presentations.
• Wine industry. Dedicated to the exploitation of vineyards and winemaking.
• Brewing industry. Dedicated to the production of beers from barley and other cereals.
• Industry Water. He obtains it from springs and bottles it.
• Bakery industry. It is dedicated to the production of bread and other products derived from wheat flour.
• Oil industry. It obtains oils of vegetable origin for cooking.
• Dairy industry. It works with milk and its derivatives, such as cheese or yogurt.
• Animal feed industry. Make food for pets, from cats and dogs to farm animals.
• Technology food. Focused on discovering the methods of food preservation, sanitation of facilities, nutritional fortification, etc.

Importance of the food industry

The food industry is essential for an expanding and growing humanity, like that of the 21st century. More than seven billion Humans in total they demand a significant amount of daily food, and for this it requires the breeding of many species animals, which in turn also consume certain types of food.

This gigantic demand is the niche of food producers, but it is not only an economic investment, it also entails large responsibilities: the handling of food affects public health, and the care given to the ways of life that we consume affects the incidence of diseases communicable to humans.

These concerns are in vogue in the 21st century, when the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns that the nutrition it should not be a business and an end in itself, but a means to live a fuller and healthier life.

In addition, alerts regarding the environmental impact of livestock in the global warming and the emergence of new infectious diseases of animal origin, have brought to light the cruel and mercantilist way in which many of these industries operate, committed only to performance.

Basic processes of the food industry

For preservation, many foods must be refrigerated.

The food industry comprises the following basic processes:

• Reception of food. Coming from the agricultural sector, the food reaches the industry and there selection and discard tasks are involved, to guarantee certain QA minima.
• Food storage. The raw material must then be housed in such a way that it is preserved as best as possible over time, for which it is necessary to control the humidity, temperature, etc. Inventories are then carried out to determine the possible production margins and the raw material is classified according to its characteristics.
• Food processing. This stage can be as diverse and distinct as processed foods are, since each one has its complexity and needs. In this stage, in any case, the transformation of the raw material begins to obtain the processed or semi-processed foods: mixture, cooking, etc.
• Food preservation. In order for the processed products to remain intact until they reach the final consumer, various techniques, which can range from simple refrigeration, to salting, dehydration, pasteurization, sterilization or acidification, or also the addition of artificial chemical preservatives.
• Food service. The end point of the chain, where the establishments deliver the food to its potentials consumers. These can be supermarkets or restaurants, and in both cases they must obey hygiene and health.