The many factors that affect food choice, including physical activity level, health, cost, availability, time and skills, preferences, culture, religion, ethics, the environment and seasonality.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain the many reasons behind what people eat and apply them to real situations. A strong answer names several factors and links each to a specific effect on choice.

Physical and health factors

People choose food to suit their health needs. Someone managing type 2 diabetes chooses low-glycaemic, lower-sugar foods to keep blood glucose steady; someone with coeliac disease avoids gluten; a person with a nut or milk allergy scrutinises labels and avoids the named allergen entirely. Medical advice also drives choice: a person told they have high cholesterol cuts saturated fat and swaps to unsaturated oils and oily fish.

Choices are also matched to physical activity level (PAL). An athlete or manual worker has high energy expenditure, so they choose energy-dense, carbohydrate-rich foods plus extra protein for muscle repair, whereas a sedentary person needs fewer kilocalories and chooses smaller, nutrient-dense portions to avoid storing excess energy as fat. Age and life stage matter too: a teenager needs more iron and calcium for growth, an older adult often needs softer, easier-to-chew foods.

Practical factors

Cost is often the strongest single factor for low-income households: fresh fruit, lean meat and fish are relatively expensive per portion, so cheaper energy-dense foods may displace them, which is one reason diet-related disease clusters in poorer areas. Where you live affects availability, a person far from a large supermarket or in a "food desert" has narrower, sometimes pricier, choices. Time and skills interact: a confident cook can turn cheap raw ingredients (dried lentils, root vegetables) into balanced meals, while someone short of time or skills leans on ready meals that cost more per portion and are often higher in salt, sugar and fat.

Personal and sensory factors

Preferences are learned. Childhood habits and familiarity shape long-term tastes, which is why early exposure to vegetables matters, and enjoyment keeps people returning to favourite foods. Mood, occasion and social setting (a celebration meal versus a quick weekday lunch) also change what we pick. These factors explain why sensory evaluation is used in product development: a food can be nutritious and affordable yet still fail if it does not appeal to the senses of its target consumer.

Social, cultural and ethical factors

• Culture and religion - many foods are eaten or avoided for cultural or religious reasons, from halal and kosher rules to traditional national dishes.
• Ethical and moral beliefs - concern for animal welfare leads some to vegetarianism or veganism; fair trade, free-range and food miles matter to others.
• Environment and seasonality - some choose local, seasonal or low-packaging food, or eat less meat, to reduce environmental impact.
• Marketing and advertising - branding, attractive packaging, special offers and advertising (especially online and aimed at children) strongly influence choice.

These factors rarely act alone. A real food decision weighs cost against health, preference against ethics, and convenience against quality, and different people prioritise differently. A strong exam answer recognises this trade-off rather than treating each factor as separate.

Try this

Q1. Give two practical factors that affect food choice. [2 marks]

• Cue. Cost, availability, time, cooking skills or seasonality.

Q2. Explain how ethical beliefs can affect what a person chooses to eat. [2 marks]

• Cue. Concern for animal welfare may lead to a vegetarian or vegan diet, or a preference for free-range or fair trade products.