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Introduction
Clearly the food choices one makes over time directly impacts health. However, choices are not made in a vacuum; that is, they are not always concious decisions made for rational reasons based on free will. Rather, the choices we make about food are shaped by the contexts within which they are made. The term “food environment” is used to describe the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural contexts in which choices are made about acquiring, preparing and consuming food.
As it was put in a paper published as part of The Lancet series on Obesity (2015), modern food environments “exploit people’s biological, psychological, social, and economic vulnerability, making it easier for them to eat unhealthy foods”.
In this episode the Sigma team discuss the implications of this, including a discussion of exactly which environmental conditions impact food choices and the evidence that exists for public health policy that may address the problematic aspects of modern food environments.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- The Lancet series on Obesity (2015)
- [00:27]Intro to food environment
- [10:30]Food preferences
- [38:35]Disposable income/eat well guidelines
- [44:54]What can we do for a healthier population overall? Top down/bottom up
- [57:22]Different types of public policy interventions
- [01:06:04]Stealth interventions
The Hosts
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Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Key Ideas
Danny’s Key Ideas in this Episode:
- Food choices are shaped by the contexts within which they are made
- Solutions: The need for policy and structural changes
- Behaviour change also needed at individual and “bottom-up” level
1) Food choices are shaped by the contexts within which they are made
Dietary behaviours are not simply a result of wanting to eat a certain way. Many, if not most, of our dietary choices are habitual and driven by environmental factors. This is why, by default, in the modern day it is extremely easy to eat in a manner that is harmful for our health in the long-term.
European Public Health Alliance states: “Food environments are the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural contexts in which people engage with the food system to make their decisions about acquiring, preparing and consuming food… The food environment concept shows us that the choices we make about food are, to a significant degree, shaped by the contexts within which they are made.”
So what are these ‘contexts’ that are shaping choices?
