Personal and practical factors
- Enjoyment and preferences: taste, texture, smell and appearance.
- Cost and income: people on low incomes may choose cheaper, filling foods.
- Lifestyle and time: busy people may choose ready meals or quick recipes.
- Availability and seasonality: food in season is cheaper and fresher; some foods are hard to get in some places.
- Health: people may choose foods to manage weight or a condition, such as low-sugar foods for diabetes.
- Physical activity and celebrations also affect choice, such as birthday cakes or Christmas dinner.
Religion and culture
- Islam: halal meat only; no pork or alcohol; fasting during Ramadan.
- Judaism: kosher food; no pork or shellfish; meat and dairy aren't eaten together.
- Hinduism: many are vegetarian; beef isn't eaten.
- Sikhism: many are vegetarian; meat killed by ritual slaughter isn't eaten.
- Buddhism: many are vegetarian.
- Rastafarianism: many follow an Ital diet, avoiding processed food; many are vegetarian or vegan.
Ethical choices, allergies and intolerances
- Ethical choices: vegetarian, vegan, organic, free range, fair trade and local food.
- Allergies: the immune system reacts, sometimes severely (such as to nuts, shellfish or milk). UK law requires 14 major allergens to be highlighted on labels.
- Intolerances: the body can't digest a food properly, such as lactose intolerance. Coeliac disease is a reaction to gluten.
Key terms
- Halal
- Food permitted under Islamic law.
- Kosher
- Food prepared according to Jewish law.
- Seasonal food
- Food at its best and most plentiful at a particular time of year.
- Food allergy
- A reaction of the immune system to a food.
- Food intolerance
- Difficulty digesting a food.
- Free range
- Animals allowed to roam outside.
- Organic
- Food produced without artificial pesticides and fertilisers.