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What affects our food choice? (Peer Pressure (Food peer pressure can be in…
What affects our food choice?
Peer Pressure
Food peer pressure can be in many forms. This can be between friends, family, celebrations or restaurants. You can be pressured into eating something in times of celebration or in a restaurant because you feel it is a special occasion and don't want to let te people you are spending time with down
Another form of this is food trends, people may feel that they have to eat something because it is fashionable and all of your friends are eating it. For example, dominos pizza is a traditional thing that is eaten at parties or sleepovers. You may feel like you have to eat it because you don't want to be the only one who isn't eating anything.
Cultural
Culture links in with many things such as religion and traditions, for example, someone might choose to buy a certain vegetable because their religion is vegetarian and their country produces a lot of it.
Culture also links to traditions, just like in Britain different places are associated with different foods such as Lincolnshire sausage and Bakewell tart. Therefore someone from a certain town or city may be influenced by the location they live in or in other words culture
Food scares
A food scare is a theory about a specific piece of food that may put people in danger of a disease or illness. This may put people off buying this certain type of food, therefore, farmers will lose business and profit. This influences the food we choose to purchase and meals we choose to cook by trying to avoid using an ingredient that potentially could harm you
For example a few years ago there was an incident that ALL eggs contained salmonella poisoning. While scientists investigated this theory there was a significant decrease in the purchase of eggs in supermarkets.
Availability
Availability is the last resort to the food we pick , the underlining matter is if the shop or producer does not supply a product we are not able to buy it and therefore would have to alter our choice of food
this is normally caused by a lack of produce abroad or on local farms or there is a more serious issue such as crop or animal disease which leads to the death of many products
Some countries do not have a wide choice to what they would like to eat due to insufficient climates or financial issues . This is a common cause in developing coun tryies . Un the UK we have access to supermarkets which provides us with a variety of food sthat have been sourced locally. and has been imported , this stops of from entering famine
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle can influence your food choice in many ways. Such as physical activity, job or age. Every person requires different food choices to fit in with their lifestyle
I am a dancer, therefore, I need quick and easy meals that provide a lot of protein and fats for quick release energy and growth and repair, this can be altered for many different people. For example, someone who works in an office would maybe not want a lot of energy due to concentration levels but an athlete would
Cost
Money needs to be spent on more valuable things such as education and healthcare
It is easy to reduce the cost of food without making a large impact on quality
For example someone who is short on money may value their healthcare or Childs education more than quality of food, therefore, may choose to buy a cheaper selection of food in hope to save money for a better use
Health
People with specific illnesses / conditions or dietary needs may need to purchase certain food which would have an impact on the food you choose to buy
For example if you are a coeliac you may have to purchase dairy alternatives such as soy milk
Another reason health affects the food we choose to eat is calorie counting. Many people across the UK calorie count in order to lose weight. Therefore someone might choose a lower fat or sugar product or an entirely different product overall
My brother is severely allergic to peanuts, therefore, our family chooses to avoid any products that contain peanuts to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. This affects our food choice by influencing the specific brands we choose to buy in order to avoid peanut products
Religious/Moral beliefs
For example, People of the Muslim religion are often vegetarians therefore may choose to make non meat meals or use a meat alternative such as quorn
Another example is fasting, fasting can be done in many different ways. One of which is when someone does not eat during the day, therefore, would have to eat a nutrient-rich meal during the night to keep the body functioning correctly. This would have an impact on the food you may choose to purchase
Moral beliefs can also have a large impact on the food we choose to eat . Some people choose to be vegetarian or vegan purely to help animal welfare, this is normally influenced by a moral such as a personal experience with an animal or a tv programme.
Storage and cooking facilities
People who live in a developing country such as kenya may not have access to efficient energy to use equipment such as an oven or microwave, therefore, may have to adjust their food choices to work with the resources they have.
For example instead of buying a vegetable that traditionally would be fried like a pepper you could buy a vegetable that would be suitable for boiling such as a potato
Although this can be a major problem amongst some countries some people may face this problem on a smaller scale. For example, my family had our kitchen redecorated a few years ago, therefore, didn't have access to a decent supply of cooking equipment. This had a big impact on our food choice. We had to choose easy- prep meals that could be cooked in a microwave. We also saw an increase in the number of times we ate out in a restaurant
Personal Choice
People are always going to choose food that they like or prefer because it is human nature and is natural, but someone might be swayed to make a decision not because of personal likes but because of a diet or any other health-related benefit
Personal choice is not always what someone likes its what someone wants
Many young children and sometimes even adults have to be introduced to different foods more than once before they realize they like them. Another technique of this is when foods such as fruit and veg have to be incorporated into other foods to provide nutrition
Our personal choice is influenced by our senses , we are often put off foods due to smell or presentation therefore may opt for alternatives to prevent this
Regional variations
A regional variation could affect the food choice of a consumer for many reasons, one being the price of local, in-season food is significantly cheaper and easier to gain access to than food that is imported.
People may also want to buy food that is traditionally from our culture to keep traditions running by setting an example and to support local farmers
Food Trends
Food trends is a large factor that influences food choice. Celebrities often promote and influence the food we eat due to role models and publicity. This is often caused by sponsors from food manufacturers
For example, Kim Kardashian was featured in a salad advert by carls JR, this creates a false advertisement that Kim Kardashian consumes this product, therefore, we are inclined to invest in this product in hope to take on a role model
Your Skills
The number of skills someone may have can depend on their country and lifestyle. Typically in poorer countries, women stay at home to cook meals whereas men go out to work. This means that the woman will have a larger set of skills than the man . Another factor that influences this is backgrounds . Some countries bring up children to learn how to cook from a very young age and they often cook meals for their family
family with a small set of skills in cooking meals may choose to buy ready meals ornery easy prep meals whereas people who are experienced are more likely to experiment with different ingredients . This shows the impact our skills has on our food choice