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Food provenance means:

• knowing where food was grown, caught or raised
• knowing how food was produced
• knowing how food was transported

Food that is grown

• apples – which are grown in orchards (eg Bramley apples in County Armagh)
• potatoes and carrots – which are grown in fields (eg Comber Earlies in County Down)
• lettuce – which is often grown in polytunnels

In the UK we have the ideal soil and weather conditions suited to these crops, while crops like bananas or pineapples require a much hotter climate.

Farmers go through many steps in order to produce the best crops they can

1. Preparing the soil to ensure it is ready to grow crops.
2. Sowing seeds, this must be done at the correct time of year to get the best crop.
3. The area must be kept watered and free from weeds and pests which could damage the crops.
4. Crops are harvested when they are ready, and are inspected to ensure they are of a high standard.

Food that is caught

In terms of ports, the boats which constitute the sea fishing industry in Northern Ireland are mainly located in the three County Down fishing villages of Portavogie, Kilkeel and Ardglass.

Fish which can be caught in UK waters include:

• mackerel
• haddock
• mussels
• scallops
• tuna

There are a number of methods which can be used to catch fish, these include:

• Trawling – a method where boats go out to sea and release nets which are pulled along the seabed, catching fish as they go.
• Line caught – where a fishing rod, line and bait is used to catch fish.
• Pots – used to catch lobster or crab, they are placed on the seabed and collected at a later date.

These are traditional fishing methods. However, wild fish numbers are decreasing. As a result, sometimes fish are intensively farmed. This means that they are kept in big pens. Fish that are farmed include salmon and rope-grown mussels.

Food that is reared

There are two main types of farming, intensive and organic.

Intensive is usually a large scale operation where the farmer is relying on it for his income. Organic is usually on a much smaller scale where the animals and environment are the priority.

Animals that are reared for food include:

• cows – for their meat and milk
• sheep
• pigs
• chickens – for their meat and eggs

Chickens farmed intensively indoors

This is often known as battery hen farming.

Chickens are reared in large numbers indoors to produce a high income for the farmer.

Chickens are allowed to roam outside during daylight hours and are given much more space.

Animal welfare is the top priority.

Quality assurance

There are a number of quality assurance schemes in place to help consumers recognise that they are buying a top quality product, where the animal has been reared in the best conditions possible. These schemes assure the consumer of the quality of the product. They also help to promote high standards within the food industry.

Examples include the Northern Ireland Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and the Bord Bia Quality Mark. When consumers see meat on the supermarket shelves with these logos, they can be confident that the animal was reared in conditions of a high standard, that the animal's welfare was always of top priority and that no unnatural substances were used.