Factors Affecting Food Choice

Quick starter activity Factors affecting food choice Other sources of information Meat and Education resources

Quick starter activity Think about what you had for your evening meal last night. What aspects influenced your choice? For example: Hunger Time Accessibility Price.

Factors affecting food choice All around the world, people choose to eat different food for many different reasons, such as: Individual energy and nutrient needs Diet and health Religion and culture Cost of food

Factors affecting food choice Time of day and occasion Food preferences Social and economic considerations Environmental considerations Advertising and other point of sale information.

Individual energy and nutrient needs The amount of energy and nutrients needed differs between age groups and between males and females. Energy needs also depend on activity levels. Student activity: Read the Needs through life PowerPoint on www.food4life.org.uk Complete the two worksheets.

Diet and health People may choose the food they eat based on their own or their family’s health and well being. This could include: Diabetes Allergies, e.g. nuts Intolerances, e.g. gluten (coeliac disease) or lactose

Diet and health Vegetarian Vegan Weight loss or gain. Student activity: In groups, identify a choice based on this factor Explain to the rest of the class.

Religion and culture Food is an important part of religious observance for many different religions. Religions which have particular food restrictions or celebrations involving food include: Christianity Islam Hinduism Judaism

Religion and culture Sikhism Buddhism Seventh-day Adventist Church Rastafari Movement. Student activity: Research one of the religions listed above and design a menu of three dishes for that religion Explain your decisions Make one of the dishes.

http://bit.ly/1K9zxct Cost of food The cost of food and money available will influence people’s food choices. If money is limited, people may choose to buy more basic items. Luxury items might then used for special occasions. According to Family Food Statistics published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in February 2016, households spend 11% of their income on food. Student activity: In groups, create a list of potential strategies to reduce the amount of money spent on food. Consider growing your own, using local and seasonal products and food waste. What else could you do?

Time of day and occasion The time of day will influence food choice – people may not eat the same for breakfast as they would for their main meal of the day. The occasion will also impact on food choice – this could be a celebration such as a birthday or wedding or maybe a religious occasion such as Christmas or Passover. Student activity: Choose a special occasion and create a suitable savoury dish. Remember to consider the time of day!

Food preferences Not everyone likes the same food. The taste, odour, appearance, shape and colour of food can affect people in different ways. Student activity: Give each student an image of an ingredient or food and ask them if they like or dislike the ingredient or food Ask them to explain what it is that they particularly like or dislike about it.

Social and economic considerations Lack of competence and confidence in the kitchen – people may choose to buy ready made, frozen or dried foods that are easy to prepare and cook and that require only basic cooking skills. Lack of time – many people work long hours and either haven’t got the time or do not wish to spend time cooking at home.

Social and economic considerations Development of ready meals – because people lack time and have labour saving equipment (such as microwaves) the amount and range of convenience foods has grown. Smaller households – an increasing number of people now live alone and this may well affect their food choices.

Social and economic considerations Body image and peer pressure can both influence the food that people choose to buy, cook and eat. A balanced diet, together with regular physical activity, can help to maintain a healthy weight. Eating the right balance of a wide range of foods provides most people with the energy and nutrients that they need to stay healthy. Student activity: Think about your own household and create a mind map of the social and economic considerations that affect your food choice. How different might this have been for your grandparents at your age?

Environmental and ethical considerations Human and animal welfare along with fair trading, scientific intervention in the food chain and the impact of food production on the environment can be a high concern for some people. Some considerations when buying food might be: Fair trading – ensuring that farmers in developing countries get a fair deal

Environmental and ethical considerations Local foods – buying locally supports local business and farmers Seasonal food – this can be fresher, tastier and more nutritious than out of season food. Genetically modified (GM) food – scientific intervention is used to change a plant, animal or micro-organism’s genes or to insert one gene from another organism. Student activity: Complete the What's in season worksheet.

Environmental and ethical considerations Organic food – food sold as ‘organic’ must come from growers, processors and importers who are registered and approved by organic certification bodies, which are shown on the food label. Free range – animals are allowed to roam freely outside. This food may be more expensive. Local food – some believe that food produced locally is more sustainable.

Food provenance Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Products which must be produced, processed or prepared within the geographical area and have a reputation, features or certain qualities attributable to that area.

Food provenance Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) Products which are traditional or have customary names and have a set of features which distinguish them from other similar products. These features must not be due to the geographical area the product is produced in nor entirely based on technical advances in the method of production. http://bit.ly/1JtoMM9

Food provenance Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Products which are produced, processed and prepared within a particular geographical area and have a reputation, features or certain qualities attributable to that area.

Quality assurance Red Tractor Red Tractor assurance standards for beef, lamb and pork encompass food safety, animal welfare, environmental protection and traceability. The basic welfare needs of cattle, sheep and pigs must not be compromised at any stage of their lives and farmers must ensure that their farming practices do not damage the environment. Animals need to be identifiable and traceable back to their farms of origin and moved in clean vehicles so that the meat produced is free from contamination and safe to eat. www.redtractor.org.uk

Quality assurance English Beef and Lamb Assurance Schemes The Quality Standard Mark Scheme for beef and lamb provides one of the highest levels of independently-inspected quality assurance for meat in the United Kingdom. Equivalent to the Red Tractor scheme, the standards contain combined guarantees of food safety, animal welfare and care for the environment with additional requirements also providing a guarantee of consistent eating quality. www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

Quality assurance Northern Ireland beef and lamb farm quality The Northern Ireland Beef & Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme was developed to give consumers assurances about the farm end of the production chain of their food. It is about farm quality – the quality of the production methods used, the quality of care for animals which is practiced, the quality of the farm environment, and above all the quality of concern for the customer in producing beef and lamb which is wholesome, safe and free from unnatural substances. www.lmcni.com/farm-quality-assurance/ Student activity: Complete the Where does it come from? worksheet.

Advertising and other point of sale information Advertisements encouraging people to choose certain foods often appear in the media. Point of purchase information and product placement are strategies often used to provide information to consumers.   Student activity: Think about a food advertisement you have recently seen. Would the advert encourage you to buy the product? Explain why.

Other sources of information There are many sources of information to help people making food choices: Department of Health NHS Choices British Nutrition Foundation – www.nutrition.org.uk Supermarkets, food manufacturers, charities and other groups The media, i.e. internet, newspapers, radio, magazines and television programmes. It is important that advice is clear, consistent and correct. Look for the Information Standards logo.  

Other sources of information Front and back of pack labels are also a good source of information to help make food choices.   Student activity: Complete the Create a sausage and produce a food label worksheet.

Meat and Education resources   http://bit.ly/24BjBrH http://bit.ly/1S5wDIL GCSE support resources http://bit.ly/1S5wD 50 minute lesson packs http://bit.ly/1OVHm7a http://bit.ly/21Dbhsq

For more information on red meat, cooking, healthy eating and plenty of recipe ideas, go to: www.meatandeduction.com