What influences the food choices people make?
Factors affecting food choice: cost, availability, time, lifestyle, preferences, health, religion, culture, ethical and moral beliefs, and medical conditions and allergies.
A focused answer on the factors affecting food choice for OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309), covering cost, availability, time, lifestyle, health, religion, culture, ethical beliefs and medical conditions such as allergies and intolerances.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR wants you to explain the wide range of factors that influence what people choose to eat, from practical factors like cost and time to religion, ethics and medical needs. The skill is to give several distinct factors with examples.
Practical factors
Health
People choose foods for health reasons: to lose or gain weight, to build muscle, to eat more healthily (more fruit, vegetables and fibre, less fat, salt and sugar), or to manage a health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Religion and culture
Ethical and moral beliefs
Some people make choices for ethical or moral reasons: concern for animal welfare (free-range, organic, or vegetarian and vegan diets), concern for the environment (low-carbon, local, seasonal, sustainable food), and concern for fair treatment of producers (Fairtrade). A vegetarian does not eat meat or fish; a vegan avoids all animal products including dairy, eggs and honey.
Medical conditions, allergies and intolerances
Coeliac disease is a condition where gluten damages the gut, so the person must eat a gluten-free diet (no wheat, barley or rye). These conditions strongly restrict food choice and make food labelling vital.
Try this
Q1. Name the diet a person with coeliac disease must follow. [1 mark]
- Cue. A gluten-free diet (no wheat, barley or rye).
Q2. Give two factors, other than cost, that affect food choice. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: availability, time and lifestyle, preference, health, religion, culture, ethics, medical conditions.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20186 marksDiscuss the range of factors that affect the food choices people make.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark free-response question. Reward a range of distinct factors with brief explanation.
Cost and income: people on a low budget choose cheaper foods. Availability: where you live and shop, and the season, affect what you can buy. Time and lifestyle: busy people may choose quick or convenience foods. Personal preference: likes, dislikes and habits shape choice. Health: people may choose foods to lose weight, gain muscle or manage a condition.
Religion and culture: many faiths have food rules (for example halal, kosher, no beef in Hinduism, fasting). Ethical and moral beliefs: concern for animal welfare or the environment leads some to vegetarian, vegan or sustainably sourced food. Medical conditions: allergies (such as nuts), intolerances (such as lactose) and conditions (such as coeliac disease needing gluten-free food) restrict choice.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) cover several distinct factors with examples.
OCR 20204 marksExplain the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance, giving an example of each.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question.
A food allergy is a reaction of the immune system to a food, which can be severe and even life-threatening (anaphylaxis), for example an allergy to nuts or shellfish. Even a tiny amount can trigger a reaction, so the food must be avoided completely.
A food intolerance is when the body cannot properly digest a food, causing discomfort such as bloating, stomach pain or diarrhoea, but it is not life-threatening, for example lactose intolerance (cannot digest the sugar in milk).
Markers reward allergy as an immune reaction that can be severe (nuts) and intolerance as difficulty digesting a food, not life-threatening (lactose), with a correct example of each.
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