AIM:

Critically evaluate factor-influencing selection of food, culture, family food practices, media,
and peer group, availability of foods, purchasing power, individual references & health.

INTRODUCTION:
Food selection is about what products people buy and eat and how they make decisions. Our
food choices are influenced by a complex set of factors that vary from person to person but
can also depend on culture. It may also depend on our mood or other factors such as our
appetite and being in a hurry.
Food is an integral part of people’s daily lives. Apart from being a simple daily function, food
is important for human health and happiness. Nutrition is the intake of each of the energy and
nutrients required for human growth and development, tissue regeneration and functioning
in adequate and balanced amounts, and their proper use in the body. Food processing has
started in the prehistoric period in parallel with the increase in agriculture and livestock
raising; it has become an inevitable phenomenon to protect our food in order to reduce the
losses due to spoilage and to survive in times of famine. Food science is a multidisciplinary
science. Food has a complex structural character and consumer preferences are at the
forefront. Consumer preferences are an intersection formed by the combination of many
factors. Examining the factors of this complex structure that affects consumers’ choices is
crucial for creating a successful product and for a sustainable success.

FACTOR-INFLUENCING SELECTION OF FOOD

Culture, Subculture and Traditions:
o Culture determines the lifestyle of human beings as a member of each society. The
consumption patterns, needs, priority order of needs and satisfaction of needs are
a function of culture. Cultural values affect consumer behaviour and consequently
consumption.
o Cultural values are learned in the family, school and workplace through social
interaction and strongly influence individual behaviour. Culture is the most
fundamental determinant of a person’s desires and behaviour.
o Traditions are phenomena that are repeated at specific times by members of a
group or community. Special occasions include many traditional and special foods.
Family traditions often revolve around food, as are important social and cultural
traditions in most societies.
Family, Household Structures and Roles:
o The family is the most important consumer purchasing organization.
o Marketing managers are closely concerned with the influence and roles of spouses
and children in purchasing various products and services. These roles can be
divided into five groups: opinion makers, influencers, decision makers, actual
buyers, and users.
 o The child acquires his social and cultural values and consumption habits from the
family and carries their traces throughout his life. Therefore, it is possible to explain
consumption habits with the life curve of the family.
o The structure of the family union determines the type, quality and amount of food
consumed at a meal.
Media:
o Media plays a big role in the food choices we make. Advertising of food is
everywhere; every day we live in the noise from thousands of advertisements,
magazines, billboards, radio, cinema, internet and television.
o Most of the foods advertised in the media are lower in nutritional value than their
unprocessed or less refined alternatives. However, these products are presented
as the foundation of a healthy and happy lifestyle.
Peer Groups:
o One of the biggest factors in the purchasing behaviour of the person and the
purchasing process is the circle of friends. The circle of friends is an important
factor in differentiating the attitudes in the selection of products and services in
the search for information.
o An individual’s peers are roughly the same age group of people of the same social
status. Peer group influence is strongest in adolescence.
o In need of acceptance, teenagers eat what their friends eat, rather than those
which their parents would think they should eat and what is nutritiously good.
o Trying new things in a peer group is safer and sharing food is a good way to get to
know people and develop friendships.
Availability of food:
o A country’s basic foodstuffs depend on the ability to grow according to geography
and climatic conditions.
o If the climate is tropical, foods such as sugar cane, pineapple, banana and coconut,
and for the rural inland high-cold regions predominantly meat.
o Climate affects not only the types of food grown in a region, but also food choices.
o Summer brings the desire for fresh fruits and vegetables, ice cream and light meals,
while winter is the season for soups, hot drinks and hot desserts.
Economic Conditions:
o The economic situation depends on the level of disposable income, its stability, the
time of taking over, savings and liquidity, asset values, credit and preferences
between spending and saving.
o Cost is one of the most important factors when choosing food. It is especially
important for low-income families, students and the elderly.
o The costs of food vary with various factors; how much can be bought at a time
(storage space is available, a more economical purchase can be made with large
quantities), whether the food is seasonal or local, how much the food is processed
(marinated meat products or instant salads, in many cases poorly processed foods,
for example, freshly squeezed juices and fruit salads are sold more expensive than
the regular product).
Health status:
o A person’s state of health can make the person consume certain types of food less
than other foods. For example, if a person has high cholesterol (which can
ultimately cause heart disease), he/she should reduce the amount of saturated fats
in their diet.
o Some diseases that may be associated with malnutrition include beriberi, pellagra,
rickets, scurvy, osteoporosis, and anaemia.
Individual Preferences:
o Our personal perceptions have a huge impact on our food choice. Individuals
choose or reject their food based on their reactions to the food’s physical
appearance, presentation, smell, and texture.
o We use our senses to measure the quality of food. Attractive colours and creative
presentations stimulate our appetite.
o Some people have limited food choices because they have a physical reaction.
Responses vary among individuals and may include abdominal swelling, vomiting,
itching and skin rash, wheezing, headache, and disturbed sleep.