Food processing, food preservation, food production and food manufacturing are all interrelated terms that refer to the processes used to turn raw agricultural products – and in some cases products harvested from the wild – into consumable foods. These processes are used to make foods safer and more palatable to human consumers.

Although food processing is often done in industrial settings, individuals use a variety of at-home food processing methods as well. One example of at-home food processing is cutting, deboning and cooking a fish after it has been caught.