Factors influencing food choices in Australian households

¶ … Food Choices in Australia Today

Consumers in many developed nations are experiencing a veritable epidemic of obesity, a trend that has been exacerbated both by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as well as the types of foods that are consumed. Fast food and high fat content have also contributed to these trends, and the healthcare costs associated with treating obesity are enormous. Furthermore, unhealthy food choices during the formative years in early childhood can also result in a lifetime of weight-related problems, making the need to identify factors that influence food choices in a given setting a timely and important enterprise. To this end, this paper provides a discussion concerning three of the most important factors that have been identified by researchers as potentially influencing food choices in Australia households, which are food availability, individual preferences for flavor and taste and, increasingly, the environmentally responsible manner in which foods are produced. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Given the prevalence of obesity among Australians today, there is a corresponding need for an improved understanding of the determinants that affect food choice (Bellisle, 2012). Some of the more salient factors that have been shown to influence food choices include its availability, convenience, price, and individual preferences for flavor and taste (Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Perry & Casey, 1999). With respect to convenience, recent research has shown that this factor is particularly relevant to single parents in Australia today (Craig, 2005). In addition, other factors that are less easily quantified but which are felt by virtually everyone include the immediate desire or craving for specific food or foods, a factor that is further accentuated by the degree of hunger that is involved. There also appears to be a perplexing but commonplace phenomenon in which many people have mixed feelings about the foods they want the most based on a complex cost-benefit analysis that is unique to the individual consumer. In this regard, Bellisle (2012) reports that, "Interestingly, it appears that the influence of food on mood is related in part to attitudes towards particular foods. The ambivalent relationship with food -- wanting to enjoy it but conscious of weight gain is a struggle experienced by many. Dieters, people with high restraint and some women report feeling guilty because of not eating what they think they should" (para. 5). Furthermore, when people try to restrict their consumption of certain foods, it can have a concomitant effect of increasing their desire for them, resulting in what is termed food cravings (Bellisle, 2012). This point is also made by Neumark-Sztainer and her associates who report that immediate hunger and food cravings can affect food choice, as well as the impact that parental influence can have on eating behaviors, influences that include the specific culture or religion of the foods consumed in the individual family setting (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 1999).

Other researchers have identified factors such as the nutritional content and health benefits of foods as being important factors in food choice as well (Grainger, Senauer & Runge, 2007). At the same time, researchers have determined that many Australian consumers are highly dubious about the nutritional claims made concerning the food products that are available to them, with at least one third being uncertain as to whether they could trust them (Jones, Tapsell, Andrews, Williams & Gregory, 2009). In addition, there is a growing consensus that more Australian consumers trust sources such as independent third-parties or nonprofit organizations compared to industry-supplied information (Jones et al., 2009). In this regard, Staley (2006) reports that, "Organisations such as the Australian Consumers' Association (ACA) regularly test foods and report on whether the foods are what they say they are on the label" (p. 38). In recent years, there has also been an increasing tendency on the part of consumers to choose foods that are produced using environmentally responsible methods (Lyons, 2006).

A study by Lyons (2006) found that there is a growing trend among Australian consumers to place a high value on organic foods that have been produced in an environmentally responsible fashion. According to Lyons, "Healthy food, including natural, fresh and minimally processed food, is believed to be a necessary basis for a 'proper' family meal" (2006, p. 156). In addition, Lyons (2006) found that many Australian consumers living in small regional communities lack access to organically produced foods, thereby restricting their choices. In sum, Lyons determined that for Australian consumers, "Food choices therefore often reflect a compromise between values and practical constraints" (p. 157). In addition, organic foods frequently cost more than their conventionally produced counterparts, meaning that even when organic foods are available, some Australian families may be unable to afford them (Lyons, 2006).

Indeed, the confluence of the three factors, food availability, individual preferences for flavor and taste and, increasingly, the environmentally responsible manner in which foods are produced, were the focus of a study by Constantino and Supski (2006) who report, "The value of sugar in the Australian diet has been a point of contention over the last several decades. In the 1930s, it was common to add an extra lump of sugar to one's tea in support of the sugar-cane industry" (p. 2). By the 1980s, though, sugar consumption in Australia began to decline and the industry responded with an aggressive media campaign that described sugar as "a natural, healthy food" (Constantino & Supski, 2006, p. 2). The popularity of sugar substitutes and other natural sweeteners, though, has continued to erode sugar's market share. In this regard, Constantino and Supski conclude that, "The decline in popularity of this ingredient, once a staple of European-influenced Australian cooking, represents a move towards more health-conscious food choices for Australian consumers" (p. 2). Finally, Constantino and Supski (2006) cite the nutritional and health benefit factors that affect food choice among many Australian consumers today. According to these researchers, "Australians' concerns about the healthy properties of the food [and] the environmental impacts of the ways in which it is produced have given rise to a number of movements that address these issues. The organic food movement is perhaps the best known of these; other movements falling under the banner of eco-gastronomy include community-supported agriculture and 'slow food'" (p. 3).