How is food produced?

There are so many different foods you can buy at the grocery store. From cereal to yogurt, there’s a lot to choose from — but where did all this food originate? Here’s a quick look at food production and the five main food categories.

Dairy
Food, like cheese and yogurt, is made with milk, which comes from dairy farms. Goats, sheep and dairy cows are raised in these special farms to produce milk. This milk is either processed for drinking, or used to make dairy products.

Meats
Meats, like chicken and beef, all come from animal farms that specialize in meat production. There are poultry farms where farmers raise chickens, ducks and turkeys; cattle farms where cows are raised for beef; and pig farms where pigs are raised for pork.

Grains
All sandwich breads, crackers and pastas at the grocery store are produced in factories made with ingredients that were first grown by grain farmers. There are many types of grain farms — some of the popular ones include corn, oat, rice and wheat.

Seafood
All seafood — such as salmon, tuna and shrimp — comes from some water source. Seafood can be fished from the ocean, lakes or rivers, or farmed in ponds or tanks.

Fruits and Vegetables
From apple farms to tomato farms, there’s probably a farm for every type of fruit and vegetable. Commercial farms usual supply their produce to bigger grocery stores, while smaller farms usually supply produce to local food shops, restaurants and farmers’ markets.