How religious, cultural, moral and ethical beliefs influence food choice, including the dietary rules of major religions and the reasons for vegetarian, vegan and other ethical diets.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain how beliefs - religious, cultural and ethical - shape food choice, to outline the dietary rules of major religions, and to explain vegetarian and vegan diets and the nutrients they must plan carefully.

Religious dietary rules

These rules affect not only which foods are eaten but how they are prepared, slaughtered and combined. Halal meat is slaughtered in a prescribed way with a blessing; kosher rules forbid mixing meat and dairy in the same meal and require separate utensils. Fasting also features, for example Muslims fasting during daylight in Ramadan, which changes meal timing and content. Caterers and product developers must respect these rules, for example by labelling food as suitable, avoiding cross-contamination, and offering vegetarian options at events.

Cultural and moral influences

Culture shapes which ingredients, flavours and meal patterns feel normal, from a Sunday roast to a rice-based staple diet, and these patterns are reinforced by family and community. Ethical and moral choices are increasingly important: shoppers may choose free-range eggs and meat for animal welfare, Fairtrade products to support producers in developing countries, dolphin-friendly tuna, or food with low food miles to reduce environmental harm. These choices often cost more, so they are weighed against budget.

Vegetarian and vegan diets

• Vegetarian - no meat or fish. A lacto-ovo vegetarian still eats eggs and dairy; a lacto-vegetarian eats dairy but not eggs; a pescatarian also eats fish.
• Vegan - avoids all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and honey, and often avoids animal-derived ingredients such as gelatine.

Reasons include animal welfare, health (often lower in saturated fat), religion, environmental concern and cost. These diets must be planned to provide enough protein (combine complementary low biological value plant proteins, or use soya and quinoa, which are high biological value), iron (lentils, leafy greens and fortified cereals, eaten with a vitamin C source because plant iron is less easily absorbed), calcium (fortified plant milks, tofu set with calcium, leafy greens) and, for vegans especially, vitamin B12, found naturally only in animal foods, from fortified foods or a supplement. Poor planning can lead to anaemia, weak bones or fatigue, which is why "well planned" is the key phrase examiners look for.

Try this

Q1. Name one food avoided in a kosher diet and one avoided in a halal diet. [2 marks]

• Cue. Both avoid pork; kosher also avoids shellfish and mixing meat with dairy.

Q2. Explain why a vegan needs to plan their intake of vitamin B12. [2 marks]

• Cue. B12 is found naturally only in animal foods, so vegans must get it from fortified foods or supplements.