食品

• Pinyin: shí pǐn
• Hanzi breakdown: 食 = a person bending over a vessel of food, meaning to eat or food; 品 = three 口 (mouths) stacked, meaning product or item

Meaning

Food products; foodstuff. Processed or packaged items intended for consumption.

More formal than 食物 (food in general) or 吃的 (things to eat). 食品 specifically refers to food as a product or commodity — packaged foods, processed goods, and food items in a commercial context. Common collocations: 食品安全 (food safety), 食品工业 (food industry), 绿色食品 (green/organic food products), 食品添加剂 (food additives).

Examples

1. 超市里的食品种类越来越丰富了。 The variety of food products in supermarkets is getting richer and richer.
2. 食品安全问题受到了大家的关注。 Food safety issues have attracted everyone's attention.
3. 过期的食品不能再吃了。 Expired food products should not be eaten.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, health, industry, regulations

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 买食品的时候要看保质期。(Check the expiry date when buying food products.)
• 这家公司主要生产绿色食品。(This company mainly produces organic food products.)

Don't Say

• 妈妈做的食品很好吃。(For home-cooked meals, use 饭菜 or 食物, not 食品. 食品 implies packaged or commercial food products.)

Origin & History

食 means to eat or food; 品 means product or item. Together: food products — items of food, especially in a commercial sense.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal