5. Food Choices

• Judaism:

  • No shellfish or pork
  • Only kosher meat
  • No dairy foods are eaten with meat
• Hinduism:

  • No beef
  • No beef products (liver, kidney...)
  • Many are vegetarian, so will NOT eat any meat at all
• Islam:

  • No pork
  • Only halal meat can be eaten
• Sikhism:

  • No beef
  • Many are vegetarian, or Lacto-ovo vegetarian (will not eat any meat at all, but will have milk and eggs)
• Christianity:

  • No dietary restrictions
• Buddhism:

  • Vegetarian
• Rastafarianism:

  • Vegetarian or vegan
  • White fish is sometimes eaten (but NO shellfish)
• Vegetarians:

  • Don't eat meat, poultry, fish, or products such as gelatine that have been obtained by killing animals
  • Lacto vegetarians - eat dairy products, but not eggs
  • Lacto-ovo vegetarians - eat dairy products AND eggs

  Vegans:

  • Don't eat any food with an animal origin

  These two groups of people will need to find other sources of nutrients to prevent a deficiency.
• Diabetes:

  • Condition where the pancreas can't produce any/enough insulin to control the amount of sugar in the blood.
  • Type 1 diabetes: diagnosed in childhood, treated with insulin injections
  • Type 2 diabetes: diagnosed at an older age, caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Associated with obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Can be treated with a healthy diet, and increased physical activity.

  Anyone with diabetes should avoid high-sugar foods.
• Coeliac disease - allergic reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat.
• If someone with coeliac disease ate gluten, they would not be able to absorb nutrients as the villi become damaged. This causes severe pain and can lead to anaemia & malnutrition.
• Lactose intolerance - the body can't digest lactose (a sugar found in milk and dairy products). Causes the stomach to be upset.
• Nut allergy - can cause anaphylaxis, which can be fatal. These people should carry an Epi-pen in case of an attack.
• Spanish foods - tapas (e.g. tortillas), paella.
• Japanese foods - fish, noodles, rice, miso shiru, gohan, tsukemono, wasabi, sushi
• Paired preference tests:

  • Tasters are given 2 similar products to try
  • They are asked which one they prefer
• Triangle testing:

  • Three samples - two are the same, and one is the 'odd one out'
  • Aim is for the taster to try and pick out which sample is different
• Ranking tests:

  • Asked to taste several products, and award scores to each one, based on preference
• Rating tests:

  • People are asked to say how much they like/dislike a sensory characteristic of a product (e.g. sweetness, saltiness...)
  • They use a hedonic scale to award a number
• Sensory profile - a chart which displays all of the sensory characteristics of a food, displayed as a star profile/radar diagram
• When taste testing, it is important to give each taster a cup of water between each sample to cleanse their palate. Foods should be code named to prevent bias.
• The following MUST be displayed on a food label:

  1. The name of the food
  2. Weight/volume
  3. Ingredients list (from largest to smallest)
  4. Allergen information
  5. GM Ingredients
  6. Date mark and storage
  7. Cooking instructions - ensures food will be safe to eat
  8. Place of origin
  9. Name and address of manufacturer (for complaints)
  10. Lot or batch mark (for traceability)
  11. E numbers (chemical additives that are approved in the EU)
  12. Nutritional information
• You MUST have nutrition labelling if you make a nutrition or health claim, OR vitamins & minerals have been added to the food.
• 5 types of date marks:

  • Use by
  • Best before
  • Display until
  • Sell by
  • Storage
• 14 allergens that MUST be in bold/colour on a food label:

  • C - Celery
  • C - Crustaceans
  • E - Eggs
  • F - Fish
  • G - Gluten
  • L - Lupin
  • M - Milk (cow)
  • M - Molluscs
  • M - Mustard
  • N - Nuts
  • P - Peanuts
  • S - Sesame seeds
  • S - Soybeans
  • S - Sulphur dioxide (sulphites)
• Reference Intake (RI) - Recommended dietary intake, given as a %
• Front of package label should contain:

  • Information on kJ and kcal for every 100g/ml
  • RI
  • Colour coding of the nutrient content (traffic light system)
  • Portion sizes
• Factors that affect food choice:

  • Healthy eating
  • Income & cost of food
  • Availability of food
  • Seasonality
  • Enjoyment
  • Lifestyle
  • Celebrations/Occasions
  • Marketing strategies of retailers
• Eatwell guide - a government guide that advises what to eat, and in what proportion.
• Low-income house holds are less likely to have a healthy diet, as they may not be able to afford it.
• Seasonal foods are foods that are harvested and consumed in the season they are naturally harvested in.
• Buying locally produced food in season cuts down on food miles, and is therefore better for the environment.