🇬🇧 ENGLISH

Do You Know What You're Eating?

B2/C1 Food Labels, Origin, Evidence, GMOs, Idioms, and Policy Trade-Offs

Progress: 0 / 7 exercises completed

Accuracy watch: say gluten intolerant, not into sweets, not my cup of tea, and skeptical about a claim.

Exercise 1: Polished Food Discussion Phrases

Match each phrase to the meaning you would use in a food-label, diet, or sourcing discussion.

Phrase

1. skip lunch
2. not be into sweets
3. not my cup of tea
4. gluten intolerant
5. skeptical about a claim
6. not so often
7. a guilty pleasure
8. all kinds of food

Meaning

Something is not to your personal taste
Unable to tolerate a food substance well
Many different types or varieties
Not eat lunch, often because of time or choice
Something enjoyable that you know may not be ideal
Not fully trusting that a statement is true
Rarely, or not very frequently
Does not especially like sweet food

Exercise 2: Food Labels and Supply Chains in Context

Drag the best word or phrase from the bank into each sentence.

📚 Vocabulary Bank — Drag the words below:

misleading
origin
traceability
contact
wheat
staple food
farmland
food security
cross-pollination
farm-to-fork

1.A label that says 100% natural may be [ Drop here ] if it hides sugar, processing, or weak nutritional value.

2.Clear food [ Drop here ] information tells customers where the product came from, not just where it was packed.

3.Batch numbers improve [ Drop here ] because a contaminated product can be tracked back to one supplier.

4.For a gluten-intolerant customer, possible [ Drop here ] with wheat may matter even when wheat is not the main ingredient.

5.Bread is made from [ Drop here ], but buckwheat is a different plant and is not a type of wheat.

6.Rice is a [ Drop here ] in many Asian countries because people eat it almost every day.

7.Mountainous regions often have little [ Drop here ], so producing large amounts of food can be difficult.

8.A country has better [ Drop here ] when people can regularly get enough safe and healthy food.

9.Farmers worry about [ Drop here ] when pollen from one field may reach plants in another.

10.A permanent local market can create a stronger [ Drop here ] link between farmers and residents.

Confusable logic: a claim is not proof, an indication is not proof, and a correct label can still be confusing.

Exercise 3: Labels, Evidence, and Trust

Choose the option that best fits each adult-life context.

1.A biscuit packet says made with natural grains, but the first ingredients are sugar, refined wheat flour, and palm oil. What is the strongest criticism?

AThe label proves the biscuits are genetically modified.
BThe label gives complete food origin information.
CThe label may be technically true but still misleading.
DThe label shows the product is unsafe for everyone.

2.A restaurant advertises local beef, but the sauce, packaging, and vegetables are imported. What is the customer questioning?

Awhether one local ingredient is being used to imply a local supply chain
Bwhether beef can ever be part of a farm-to-fork system
Cwhether imported vegetables are automatically unhealthy
Dwhether the customer is gluten intolerant

3.A shopper avoids a modified tomato that stays fresh longer, even after hearing it could reduce food waste. Why might the word modified still make them uncomfortable?

AIt proves the tomato contains gluten.
BIt means the tomato was definitely produced unethically.
CIt guarantees that the tomato is less nutritious.
DIt can suggest human interference, hidden risk, or corporate control.

4.An expensive organic snack contains more sugar and less fibre than a cheaper bag of plain oats. Which conclusion is most defensible?

AOrganic food is always a marketing trick.
BA higher price or organic label does not automatically mean healthier.
CCheap food is usually healthier than expensive food.
DFood labels should never mention organic production.

5.A QR code lets buyers trace eggs back to a farm, but it says nothing about workers' pay or animal welfare. What is the best interpretation?

ATraceability is useless because it cannot answer every ethical question.
BThe eggs are automatically ethical because the farm can be identified.
CA QR code is the same thing as proof of nutrition.
DTraceability answers a source question, but not every trust question.

6.You see someone leaving a hospital. Which statement is most careful?

AThere is no clear evidence that the person is sick; there are many possible reasons to be there.
BThere is proof that the person is seriously ill.
CThe available research suggests that hospital visitors are always patients.
DWe should compare the benefits of leaving hospital with the risks.

7.Several studies suggest a modified crop can reduce pesticide use in one region, but not enough data exists for every climate. Which conclusion is strongest?

AThe crop should be approved everywhere because one region benefited.
BThe crop should be banned everywhere because the data is incomplete.
CThe available research suggests a possible benefit, but each case should be judged separately.
DThere is proof that all modified crops are equally safe.

8.A shopper says, I avoid foods with unfamiliar ingredients because I do not trust companies. What is the best interpretation?

AThe shopper has proved that unfamiliar ingredients are harmful.
BThe concern may be about corporate trust and communication, not only the science itself.
CThe shopper distrusts science only and trusts companies completely.
DThe shopper cannot care about food origin.

Useful range: There is no clear evidence that... rejects overcertainty; research suggests... keeps a conclusion cautious; claim reports without proving.

Exercise 4: Evidence and Claim Structures

Type the missing phrase that makes the discussion more precise.

1.When the evidence is weak, say: There is that the product is harmful.

2.When studies point in one direction but are not absolute, say: The available research the risk is low.

3.If someone says all expensive food is healthy, reply: We should be careful .

4.Before approving a modified crop, the benefits must be the risks.

5.A company may a cereal supports immunity without proving the whole product is healthy.

6.The label may be correct but still for ordinary shoppers.

7.We should look at each instead of treating every GMO as identical.

8.A QR code can show food origin, but it is not the same as of ethical production.

Patterns: use careful claim language to avoid exaggeration: There is no clear evidence..., The available research suggests..., We should be careful with that claim, and look at each case separately.

Exercise 5: Careful Reformulation

Rewrite each idea using the target structure. The checker looks for the key phrase, but write a full sentence for practice.

1.The product is fake because the label is confusing. (Use: may be correct but still misleading)

2.The person is sick because they left hospital. (Use: There is no clear evidence)

3.GMOs are always good because one crop reduced sprays. (Use: look at each case separately)

4.The company proved the cereal is healthy. (Use: claims that)

5.Expensive food is healthier. (Use: careful with that claim)

6.I hate organ meat and edible insects. (Use: not my cup of tea)

Exercise 6: Food Idioms and Meanings

Match each idiom to the meaning you would use in an argument.

Idiom

1. separate the wheat from the chaff
2. sow the seeds of something
3. bear fruit
4. reap what you sow
5. go against the grain
6. put all your eggs in one basket
7. bite off more than you can chew

Meaning

Produce successful results after time
Behave differently from what is normal or expected
Start something that may develop in the future
Try to do something too difficult or too large
Separate useful things from useless things
Experience the results of earlier actions
Depend completely on only one plan or opportunity

Trade-off practice: every option has a benefit. The strongest answer names the benefit, the limitation, and the criterion for choosing.

Exercise 7: One-to-One Decision Task

Choose the most defensible argument for the mayor.

1.The mayor wants the greatest long-term food independence, but the budget can support only one project this year. Which argument is strongest for community growing spaces?

AThey will immediately replace all imported food.
BThey are useful because homemade food is always healthier.
CThey avoid every possible problem connected with food labels.
DThey may sow the seeds of practical skills, but they will not solve supply problems alone.

2.Which argument is strongest for a permanent local market if the main goal is affordable access to regional food?

AIt proves imported food is unethical.
BIt shortens the route from farmers to customers, though prices still depend on season and supply.
CIt teaches every resident how to grow vegetables.
DIt removes the need for food safety checks.

3.Which argument is strongest for the food information programme?

AIt helps people separate useful label information from marketing, but it does not directly produce food.
BIt is best because knowledge always matters more than access.
CIt makes every organic label reliable.
DIt means residents will never buy unhealthy food again.

4.Which argument is strongest for the year-round greenhouse?

AModern technology is always better than traditional farming.
BThe greenhouse would make food labels unnecessary.
CIt could improve winter supply, but energy use and maintenance must be considered.
DIt should be chosen because it sounds the most innovative.

5.A councillor says, Let us fund all four projects a little. Why might this be a bad idea?

AThe town may bite off more than it can chew and end up with four weak projects.
BTrying several ideas is always unethical.
CThe councillor has proved that one project cannot work.
DA smaller budget automatically creates better food security.

6.The town chooses only the greenhouse and ignores markets, gardens, and education. Which concern is most natural?

AThe town is separating the wheat from the chaff.
BThe town is reaping what it sowed.
CThe town may be putting all its eggs in one basket.
DThe town has gone against the grain by comparing risks.

7.A resident says, I would accept a modified crop if farmers could use fewer sprays, but only with clear labels and monitoring. Which response best captures their position?

AThey reject all new technology.
BThey trust companies unconditionally.
CThey care only about cheaper food.
DThey are open to benefits but want risks and trust issues handled.

8.After two years, residents waste less food, understand labels better, and ask better questions in shops. Which idiom best describes the programme's result?

AIt went against the grain.
BIt bore fruit.
CIt skipped lunch.
DIt claimed land.
N E R D

Word Origin

Naturally Eccentric, Remarkably Different
Word / Phrase Category Origin & Explanation
Origin etymology Related to the idea of rising or beginning. In food language, origin means the source: where a product came from, not just where it was sold.
Traceability word formation Built from trace plus -ability. If a product has traceability, people can track it backwards through the supply chain.
Subsistence etymology Connected with existing or continuing to live. Subsistence farming means farming mainly to feed yourself or your family, not to sell large amounts.
Claim usage A claim is something someone says is true. It is not automatically proof. In food marketing, claims need evidence, context, and careful wording.
Evidence / proof usage Evidence points toward a conclusion; proof establishes it much more strongly. In careful discussion, an indication is not the same as proof.
GMO word formation An acronym for genetically modified organism. The word modified often worries people because it can suggest hidden risk, corporate control, or human interference.
Wheat from the chaff idiom Wheat is the useful grain; chaff is the dry outer material removed from it. To separate the wheat from the chaff means to separate what is useful from what is not.
Farm-to-fork metaphor The phrase follows food from production to eating. It is useful when talking about local supply chains, direct farmer sales, restaurants, and traceability.