There is an increasing variety of food available to us. How do we decide which food to buy and prepare? How can we eat healthy, even when shopping on a budget? Should we eat fresh, dried or frozen products? Maintaining a healthy, sustainable diet relies on access to a variety of different foods. It’s important to consider the origin, quality and safety of what we eat. Lots of options are available for us to meet our daily dietary recommendations, whether it’s from a supermarket, an organic farmer’s market, or even from our own garden.
A recent EUFIC qualitative study in five countries finds that food plays a much bigger role in consumers’ lives than just to nourish and feed them. Food can mean wellness, for example enjoying one’s food is often linked to comfort, relaxation and a positive attitude.
It seems that people rely on two different cognitive systems when making decisions: The “experiential” and the “analytic” system. The analytic system is slow and elaborated, whereas the experiential allows quick decisions.
How can we reconcile the need to give more information on food products with consumers’ reluctance to engage in deliberation when buying food?
Researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark, and the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) have analysed socio-demographic and attitudinal determinants of nutrition knowledge of food shoppers from six European countries...
In these economically tough times a substantial number of Europeans are struggling to afford food, and Europeans everywhere are trying to make savings on their food bills. There is a common misconception that all healthy food is expensive.
Many different factors affect the type of food chosen and consumed, but the skill to prepare appropriate food plays an important role. A lack of skills in preparing and cooking food could impact on health as it can limit choices...
Given the priority for population dietary change there is a need for a greater understanding of the determinants that affect food choice. This review examines the major influences on food choice with a focus on those that are amenable to change and discusses some successful interventions.