Numerous factors determine the foods chosen for consumption.
Food selection plays a critical role in overall health. Proper nutrition facilitates development and growth for infants and children. Adults who consume healthy diets enjoy more energy and vitality as they age. Unhealthy food choices and inadequate options may lead to heart disease, obesity or unhealthy weight loss. Individual choices and environmental factors affect food selection. While many people select foods based on personal preferences, environmental factors may heavily influence or limit the food choices for certain groups of consumers.
Income and Food Prices
The 2004 study "Poverty and Obesity: The Role of Energy Density and Energy Costs," published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reports that low-income individuals disproportionately consume high-energy foods that lack sufficient nutrient content. The elderly who exist on fixed incomes are particularly vulnerable to poor food choices based on income. However, higher income doesn't always translate into more nutritious food selection. The study concluded that household income and food prices were key factors in food selections.
Convenience
Convenience and ease of preparation play an important role in food selection. Convenient access to grocery stores is cited as a factor in food selection in the report "Healthy Foods, Strong Communities." The report, published by the National Housing Institute, also stated that more convenient access to fast food establishments equates to more fast food consumption. Families that feel rushed because of work and extracurricular activities opt more often for convenience foods, such as preprepared foods and microwavable meals.
Media
According to the report "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?," children and youth are the primary focus of marketing conducted by the food and beverage industry. Advertising affects children's and adolescents' food preferences beyond brand loyalty; it also influences the types of food they select or request. Children aged 2 to 11 were the most strongly influenced in their food selection after watching television advertising that promotes high-calorie and low-nutrient beverages and foods.
Social and Cultural
Food selection is heavily influenced by social and cultural experience. Children are influenced early on by their household environments, often imitating the food selections of other members of the family. People who adhere to strict religious customs may omit or include certain types of foods to honor their faith. Concern for animal rights leads many consumers to eliminate meat and animal-derived food products from their food choices.
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