Food choice

• Factors affecting peoples food choice:

  • Physical activity level (PAL)
  • healthy eating
  • cost of food
  • income
  • culinary skills
  • lifestyle
  • availability
  • special occasions
  • enjoyment
• Physical activity level(PAL):

  • people with higher PAL need more calories
  • sports people may chose food that improve their performance
• Cost of food:

  • cheaper per portion to make own food but more expensive to buy all the ingredients at once
  • unhealthy food usually on offer which people will go for
• Christianity:

  • During lent, Christians give up certain foods or drinks
  • Easter hot cross buns are eaten
• Islam:

  • all meat must be halal
  • can't eat pork or pork products eg.gelatine
  • can't drink alcohol
  • during month of ramadam, muslims fast
• Hinduism:

  • lots are vegetarian
  • garlic, onions and mushrooms are considered harmful
  • cows are considered sacred so not allowed to eat beef
• Judaism:

  • food must be kosher (animals slaughtered quickly, painlessley to allow blood to drain afterwards)
  • not allowed to eat pig, rabbit, hare, camel
  • dairy and meat not cooked together
• Sikhism:

  • prohibited from eating meat which is ritually slaughtered (kosher or halal)
  • many are vegetarian
• Buddhism:

  • believe all living things are sacred so majority are vegetarian or vegan
  • most avoid alcohol
• Rastafarianism:

  • don't eat pork
  • stick to clean and natural diet
  • don't drink alcohol
• Food choices influenced by- moral or ethical or religious concerns
• Animal welfare:

  • people may chose to eat food where they know that the animal had been treated ethically (eg. free range)
  • or may avoid meat eg. vegetarian or vegan
• Working conditions:

  • fair trade products eg. bananas
  • make sure farmers in developing countries get a fair price for their produce
  • often slightly more expensive to buy
• Environmental Impacts:

  • may prefer to buy british or local produce or foods thats in season
  • may be to reduce food miles or support local economy
• Eating naturally:

  • some people prefer to eat organically (food produced without synthetic chemicals or grown without natural fertilisers)
  • some people avoid GM food over concerns about unwanted effects on consumer and environment
• Intolerance or allergies:

  • eating some foods can lead to illness
  • common intolerance- lactose and gluten
  • food allergies can be fatal - most common is nuts, dairy, wheat
• Moral or Ethical food concerns:

  1. animal welfare
  2. working conditions
  3. environmental impact
  4. eating naturally
• English cuisine:

  • cumberland sausage
  • cottage pie
  • cornish pastry
  • fruit crumble
• Wales:

  • bara brith
  • welsh cakes
• Northern Ireland:

  • irish stew
  • soda bread
• Scotland:

  • haggis
  • scotch broth
• British food:

  • often served with source
  • main course usually paired with meat, potatoes, veg
• Japanese Cuisine:

  • mostly consists of steamed rice
  • boiling, steaming, frying are popular cooking methods
  • rice, noodles, seafood, wasabi
  • home cooked foods often have one course
• Spanish cuisine:

  • lunch is the largest meal of the day (2-4pm)
  • breakfast is small and light
  • dinner is light (9-11pm)
  • churros, paella, chorizo
• Food labelling:

  • can't be misleading
  • must be clear and easy to read
  • common allergens must be emphasised
• Food labelling:

  • In UK the Food standard agency (FSA) made sure that food manufactures follow the regulations
• Food labelling:

  • how to store product
  • product name and what it is
  • name and address of manufacturer
  • weight, volume, quantity of product
  • any genetically modified ingredients
  • use by date or best before date
  • country it comes from
  • cooking instructions
  • list of ingredients
• Labels:

  • nutritional information
  • non-compulsory information (eg. traffic light)
• Influences of marketing:

  • special offers
  • celebrity or brand endorsement
  • companions use health claims
  • promote ethical values eg.fairtrade
• Sensory testing:

  • senses
  • preference test
  • discrimination test
  • grading test
  • food tests
• Discrimination test:

  • three products are tested where 2 are the same and one has a tweaked recipe
  • used to identify the one that differs