Key terms & definitions

A person or group portrayed as a threat to society, especially during a moral panic.

A traditional song passed from person to person, often connected with everyday life and work.

A locally organised traditional game, often associated with community gatherings and played without nationally standardised rules.

A structure in an ovary in which an egg matures.

A structure in an ovary in which an egg matures; the developing follicle produces oestrogen.

A pituitary hormone that causes an egg to mature in a follicle in an ovary.

A hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates follicle and egg maturation in the ovary and stimulates oestrogen production.

A component that stays in contact with a cam and moves as the cam rotates.

An ingredient added to food to perform a particular function, such as improving colour, texture, flavour or keeping quality.

An immune-system reaction to a food that can cause symptoms ranging from itching and swelling to a life-threatening reaction.

The amount and range of food supplied through domestic production and imports.

A community organisation that distributes donated food to people who cannot afford enough to eat, usually as emergency support.

A service that provides emergency food and practical support to people who cannot afford enough to eat.

A sequence of organisms showing feeding relationships and the transfer of energy from food to consumer.

A sequence showing feeding relationships between organisms, with arrows pointing from the organism eaten to the organism that eats it.

A representation of feeding relationships in which arrows show the transfer of material and energy from one organism to another.

A food ingredient or product used in cooking, such as flour, milk, meat or vegetables.

A category of foods or ingredients studied together, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.

A reference table giving the energy and nutrient content of foods, usually per 100 g of food or per 100 ml of drink.

The food people actually eat. Purchase records can indicate consumption patterns, but include food that may be wasted.

A shortfall in food supply compared with the amount needed.

A charity associated with ISKCON whose London project provides free vegetarian and plant-based meals to people in need.

Practices that keep food, people, equipment and preparation areas clean and help prevent food from becoming unsafe.

A lack of reliable access to enough safe and nutritious food for a healthy, active life.

A lack of reliable access to enough suitable food.

An adverse reaction to a food that is different from a food allergy; lactose intolerance, for example, involves difficulty digesting lactose.

Food lost before reaching shops, for example through deterioration during storage or transport.

The distance food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed.

The distance food travels from its producer to its consumer.

Illness caused by eating contaminated food, which may produce nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain or fever.