Factors Influencing Food Choice

There have been major shifts in the dietary patterns throught the world. Some developing and transition economies also experience nutritional transition as a result of differences in socio-demographic factors and other consumer characteristics. Changes in agriculture and food systems also explain part of the recent rapid shift in societal dietary practices in developing countries. Over the past few decades, there have been changes in agricultural practice with increased capacity to provide food for the world’s people through increases in productivity and greater diversity of foods. Rising income levels and falling food prices also contributed to increased food availability. Changes in food consumption at global and regional levels and their

It is related to animal welfare, global warming and environmental pollution, to mention few. Personal dietary or food choice is a multi-faceted and complex process that might be affected by many factors which range from convenience to culture. Given the priority for population dietary change there is a need for a greater understanding of the determinants of food choice. Among the key drivers of food choice found in the literature are biological factors (e.g. hunger, appetite, and taste), economic factors (food cost, income, employment status, availability, access to infrastructure, etc), physical factors (e.g. access, education, skills, and time), social factors (e.g. culture, family, peers, acculturation, etc), psychological determinants (such as mood, stress and guilt, and attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about food), and geography (region, agroecology). However, there is limited knowledge about the drivers of food choice among households in developing and low income countries. Most studies on drivers of food preference or consumption behavior are based in developing countries. With attempt to fill in this knowledge and research gap, this research project aims to provide evidence that will help to have a deeper understanding of the effect of social norms and behavioral factors and nutrition-sensitive agricultural

There are a complex set of social and behavioral factors that affect food purchasing and consumption decisions and hence food choices. Social context such as social norms and culture strongly influence eating pattern. Social interactions, shared cultural expectations, environmental cues, and consumption stereotypes all affect our food choice. One of the important social factors is peer behavior. One’s food choice behavior might be influenced by the behavior of others in their social environment (descriptive norms) as well as their opinions regarding appropriate actions (injunctive norms). The phenomenon of optimistic bias is other social factor that plays a crucial role in food choice behavior. Individuals believe themselves to be at less risk from various hazards than the average person. Some individuals might also misperceive the dietary choices of their peers believing that their intake of healthy foods is lower than it really is. A related concern is that some individuals can simply be ambivalent about food and healthy eating. This individual behavior might lead individuals to continue consuming less nutritious food or food items with unhealthy attributes. Others tend to follow relevant eating norm with a possibility of convergence in their dietary choices with