Factors Which Influence Food Choice (AQA GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition)

Factors which influence food choice

• There are many factors that determine the food choices made by individuals

Factors include:

Physical activity level (PAL)

• The energy consumed in food should match the energy output due to physical activity

• Individuals with a higher PAL require more calories and nutrients

  • If the calorie intake is less than the calories burned then the individual may lose weight as energy stores in the tissues are used up

  • Sports performers may also aim to increase the protein in their diet to aid muscle development

• Individuals with a lower PAL are likely to require fewer calories

  • If the calorie intake is more than the calories burned, the extra calories will be stored as fat

• More information on energy needs and food choices can be found here

Celebrations and special occasions

• Special events often influence food choices towards more indulgent or traditional dishes

• Events that may determine specific food choices include:

  • birthdays

  • weddings

  • funerals

  • religious celebrations e.g. Christmas, Diwali, Eid

  • anniversaries

  • retirement parties

Cost of food

• Budget constraints affect meal choices and the selection of ingredients, e.g.

  • whether or not people choose branded foods

    • These are often more expensive than own-brand supermarket options

    • Most supermarkets offer a wide range of own-brand options to compete with branded equivalents

  • people may be encouraged to buy certain foods due to special offers or bulk-buy deals

• People may reduce the cost of their weekly food supplies by:

  • careful meal planning

  • batch cooking

  • researching price comparisons between supermarkets

  • minimising food waste

  • taking advantage of end-of-day price reductions

stevepb, via pixabay

Preference and enjoyment

• Personal likes and dislikes play a significant role in food choices; people choose foods that they enjoy eating

• Food preferences are often influenced by factors such as:

  • texture

  • smell

  • taste

  • appearance

  • associations, e.g. knowing that a certain food has been sustainably sourced

  • familiarity, e.g. people may prefer foods that they ate as a child

Food availability

• Foods that are easily available are more likely to be purchased by consumers

  • E.g. consumers may want to shop in only one supermarket, or complete a single online shop, rather than having to search for products in multiple shops

• Local availability may be affected by the transport of products to supermarkets

  • The cost of transport may be too high to make it worthwhile, so access to diverse food options may be limited in remote locations

Healthy eating

• Nutritional awareness drives healthier food choices

  • Individuals may consider the balance of macronutrients and micronutrients when making their choices

• Healthier options might include:

  • lower sugar, salt or fat options

  • low carbohydrate diets

  • high protein diets

  • fewer artificial additives

• People with allergies and intolerances need to avoid certain food choices in order to maintain good health

• More details on healthy eating and food choices can be found here

formulatehealth, via Wikimedia Commons

Income

• A higher-income may increase the variety of food choices and allow individuals to spend money on premium quality produce

• A lower-income necessitates more budget-conscious decisions which may exclude options such as fresh meat and fish, and more expensive imported products

Lifestyle

• Many people have busy lifestyles that involve caring for family members, long working hours, and commuting to and from work

• Busy lifestyles may favour quick, convenient meals, e.g.

  • microwave meals

  • oven-cooked easy meals

  • eating out

  • takeaways

  • partially prepared meals or meal kits, e.g. HelloFresh or Mindful Chef

• Individuals experiencing stress may opt for foods that they enjoy rather than healthy foods, e.g. foods high in sugar

Seasonality

• Choices may be impacted by seasonal availability of certain foods, especially fresh produce

  • Farmers grow crops that are most likely to achieve a high yield at any given time of year; this will be determined by the climate of the location in which food is grown

• Fruits and vegetables available out of season may be of:

  • lower quality, due to being grown in less suitable conditions

  • higher cost, due to being imported from further afield

• People may also choose to grow locally grown food to:

  • eat in a more environmentally friendly way

    • Food grown in other parts of the world will have been transported, e.g. by air, increasing fossil fuel consumption

  • support local providers

Engin_Akyurt, via pixabay

Time of day

• People tend to choose different types of meals at different times of day; ideally, food choices will include:

  • a breakfast that provides slow-release energy to start the day

  • lunch that contains a mix of food types to sustain energy levels until dinner

  • dinner that is is easy-to-digest so as not to disrupt sleep patterns

• Snack choices should aim to boost energy levels between meals, ideally with minimal fat or sugar content

Time available to prepare and cook food

• Buying ingredients, following a recipe and cleaning up afterwards requires time

• Individuals with time available may choose more complicated recipes which require longer multistep preparation processes

• Many people have limited time available due to a busy lifestyle, leading to an increase in the consumption of convenience foods, e.g.

  • ready meals

  • pre-chopped fruit and vegetables

  • grated cheese

Costing and modifying recipes

• When calculating the cost of a recipe the following should be considered:

  • the list of ingredients required

  • the quantity of each ingredient required

• A simple table can be used to do the calculations, e.g. for a ham sandwich:

Making modifications

• It may be necessary to modify recipes depending on factors affecting food choices, e.g.

  • making cheaper food choices

  • selecting allergy-aware alternatives

  • switching ingredients to allow for diet choices, e.g. vegetarian or vegan alternatives

  • removing and replacing ingredients based on likes/dislikes

• Modifications could be made to the ham sandwich to make it suitable for a pescetarian with a dairy allergy as follows: