In: Economics
Food mean and act differently to different people. Foods may also mean different things to the same person in different ways. The ways people label and organize foods are important considerations in food. Scientists generally focus on chemical and health related properties when they classify foods, while the public considers taste, price etc.
The most effective nutrition education messages may be those that are compatible with the cognitions of the target audience, including the ways that people classify. The categories that people use to classify family foods have been examined from different perspectives.
Many studies have used predefined categories, typically based on food or nutrient composition, to assess participants' classification of foods. Though people use many considerations besides food and nutrient composition to organize their thinking about food. Therefore it is important to study personally relevant food categories to understand the thinking behind individuals' food choices.
The food categories that people use are affected by the eating context describe how both social and physical contexts influence food classification. Although context has been identified as an important influence on food classification, the way people classify foods into categories in specific, multiple food and eating contexts has not been examined.
In single context studies, food categories may only apply to that specific context. People, however, make food choices in multiple contexts. Understanding how people classify foods in multiple contexts using personally relevant descriptions may identify food categories that are more connected to people's real-life food choices than single context research.