Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
compatible with the already existing foods (Fieldhouse 1996). Furthermore, the new
food must also provide minimal risk and have a favorable cost benefit (Fieldhouse
1996). Finally, the adoption of a new food is more likely to occur if another indi-
vidual of the same culture has already accepted it (Fieldhouse 1996).
Food neophobia , or the fear of trying new foods, is also a culturally and psychologi-
cally influenced determinant of food choice. Foods that are not a regular part of one's
eating habits are likely to be feared because they are unfamiliar. Depending on age and
stage of development, children may be more—or less—likely to try new foods than
adults because their food habits have not yet been established. Adults are also capable
of accepting new foods, but certain conditions to foster acceptance are often needed.
Anxieties about food are additional psychological factors that affect cultural
acceptance of foods. Anxiety pertaining to technology is one of the key players.
Some fear that humans are straying too far away from nature, forgetting that many
preventable diseases and food-borne pathogens also stem from natural causes. In
fact, human beings are exposed to more carcinogens through naturally occurring
chemicals that are produced by plants as a means of defending themselves against
the same harsh environment in which humans adapted. Many human cancers are
caused by smoking, lack of sufficient intake of fruits and vegetables, chronic infec-
tions, and hormonal factors and not by natural or synthetic pesticides (Abbott 1992,
Ames and Gold 1997). Still, these individuals have anxieties not only over techno-
logical practices pertaining to food production—pesticides, genetic modification,
hormones, and additives—but they also tend to fear technology in general (Devcich
et al. 2007, pp. 333-337).
Mass communication and the media also exert powerful psychological influ-
ences on food choices. Through technologies such as the radio, television, and the
Internet, producers are capable of establishing social norms to society in three ways.
First, they provide information about food and sometimes educate. They also project
images of social norms and perceived ideal body image. Finally, they encourage a
lifestyle that lacks adequate physical activity (Fieldhouse 1996). Advertisements also
generate feelings around foods that make people feel good about certain products
that are high in excess calories and low in overall nutrition. Advertisers also target
children in order to establish food choices that they will continue to follow into
adulthood (Fieldhouse 1996).
conclusIons
“One generation plants the trees under whose shade future generations rest.”
—Chinese proverb
Human food choices are influenced by many factors: politics, economics, psychol-
ogy, biology, technology, social, religion, and the senses. Historically, the natural
environment has limited all of these factors. Humans continue to face environmental
constraints, increasing global population pressures, and the need to continue to find
ways to ensure a safe, reliable, and sustainable food supply to meet the biological
and cultural needs of future generations.
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