FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES

• Intrinsic factors – certain influences directly

associated with foods.
 Appearance
 Color
 Odor
 Texture
 Temperature
 Flavor
 Quality
 FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES
• Extrinsic Factors – direct external factors that
can affect food preferences.
 Environment
 Situational expectation
 Advertising
 Time and seasonal variation
 FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES
• Biological, Physiological and Psychological
Factors. These factors are each broad in scope
but are grouped together because they are
closely interrelated.
 Biological
 Physiological
 Psychological
 FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES
• Personal Factors – the individual and personal
attributes that affect food choices.
Level of expectation
Priority
Familiarity
Influence of other persons
Emotions and moods
Family unit
Educational status
 LESSON 5: FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES

• Food preferences – the selection of food items from among a variety of acceptable
foods.
• Food habits – the way in which individuals, in response to social and cultural pressures,
select, consume and utilize the available food supply.
Every individual has his own list of foods that he usually consumes. His selection
food is greatly affected by a lot of things and in this lesson, these factors are discussed.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

. Intrinsic factors – certain influences directly associated with foods.

1

a. Appearance – the way the food is presented. It is perceived visually.

Ex. A nicely formed and firm maja blanca is better than soft and
watery one

b. Color – makes food look more appetizing and interesting to eat. Colors red,
yellow, orange and green are said to be colors of food, which means they somehow
arouse one’s appetite every time they are seen incorporated in the food or used in
the dining area of restaurant.
Ex. A macaroni soup with green shredded cabbage and orange
carrot strip is more appetizing to partake than plain white one
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

c. Odor – some smells are specific to and noted as good qualities of a certain food.
Ex. An aromatic coffee is nice to drink while sour-smelling rice cake (puto)
suggests that it is already not good to eat.

d. Texture – refers to the different feelings and sensations felt by the tongue, lips
and palate when the food is inside the mouth.
Ex. A good chicken nugget is crispy outside, moist and soft inside. Soggy pasta
topped with thin sauce is not nice to eat.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

e. Temperature – foods that are intended to be served hot should be served really hot
while foods that are supposed to be serve cold should be served really cold.
Ex. A warm hot coffee is a big NO. It should be served piping hot.

f. Flavor – perceived by the taste buds of the tongue.

Ex. A nicely plated and served food is nothing if it does not taste good.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

g. Quality – if all or most of the above-mentioned qualities are present in the food in a
positive way then the food is a quality food.
Ex. A paying customer is willing to pay much for a bowl of soup as long as he will
see stars and float in the air every time he partake it.

2. Extrinsic Factors – direct external factors that can affect food preferences.

a. Environment. Food preferences are affected by the environment in which food is

served, such as homes, restaurants, nursing homes and clubs.
Ex. Good examples are a hospital and a candlelit restaurant, which have markedly
different effects on the selection of food.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

b. Situational expectation. The quality of food one expects depends on the occasion in
which it is to be consumed.
Ex. Food is expected to be good when it is associated with social, ritual or religious
occasions such as wedding.

c. Advertising. This can influence one’s attitude toward food. Many foodservice
operations use advertisements and promotions to attract customers.
Ex. A popular actress was commissioned to do a TV commercial endorsing a new
corned tuna product in the market. As a result, the sales of this product sky-
rocketed in just a few months.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

d. Time and seasonal variations. The availability of certain foods particularly fruits
and vegetables affects one’s food selection. Also, hours of meal service and the
length of meals may also affect food preferences.

Ex. Watermelon are generally preferred during hot summer months while hot
chocolate is a rainy days favorite.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences
3. Biological, Physiological and Psychological Factors. These factors are each broad in
scope but are grouped together because they are closely interrelated.
a. Biological – related to sex, age and food sensitivities.
Ex. A person with great allergy to a certain food will not eat this food even
though he likes it.

b. Physiological – related to condition and changes that happen to the

body.
Ex. A person with no more teeth can no longer enjoy a slice of
tough pork chop.
c. Psychological – related to psychologically-inclined food selection.
Ex. A person who was traumatized by a fish bone stuck in his throat for
several agonizing days when he was a little might no longer eat fish for
the rest of his life.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

4. Personal Factors – the individual and personal attributes that affect food choices.

a. Level of expectation. Expectations have a definite on food preferences and

selection.
Ex. Hospital patients have a low expectation regarding food than people eating at a
restaurant.

b. Priority. Priorities are indirectly related to the level of expectations.

Ex. Airline and hospital foodservices are good examples of the consumers’ priority
to reach their destination or to recover and be well, rather than to have gourmet
meals.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

c. Familiarity. The conditions (both environmental and social) under which a

person initially eats food have an impact on acceptance behavior.
Ex. A person who is new to a dining place will look first for familiar terms in
the menu before he goes to other unfamiliar entrees.

d. Influence of other persons. Friends, family members, other relatives, persons

of authority (doctor, teacher, etc.) and even celebrity idols can influence food
preferences of a person.

e. Emotions and moods. The emotions have a complex influence on food

preferences. A careless server may be spared for bringing cold food to the
table when one is in a good mood; the same way not be true if one is in a bad
mood.
Cont. Food Habits & Preferences

f. Family unit. A mother’s educational achievements and employment status are

associated with familial influence on food preferences. A young family usually is
more concerned with economizing than a middle-age couple, who may be primarily
concerned with reducing the calories, cholesterol and salt in their diet.

g. Educational status. The extent and type of education affect food preferences and
selection. Nutrition knowledge and education also influence food preferences, but
these factors alone do not ensure an adequate diet or the proper selection of foods.
5. Socio-economic Factors – operate when one is following set food patterns or in altering
them temporarily or permanently to meet economic limitations. Abundant evidence in
both developed and developing countries demonstrates that food choices are largely
related to income.

6. Cultural and Religious Factors – influences on food preferences may be transmitted

from one generation to another. Various religious restrictions have resulted in stable and
rigid food preferences. For example, Muslims and Jews prohibit the use of pork and pork
products. For nutritional planning in foodservice operations recognizing the food
preferences of various populations is very important.
 FOOD HABITS AND PREFERENCES
• Socio-economic Factors – operate when one is
following set food patterns or in altering them
temporarily or permanently to meet economic
limitations. Abundant evidence in both developed and
developing countries demonstrates that food choices
are largely related to income.
• Cultural and Religious Factors – influences on food
preferences may be transmitted from one generation
to another. Various religious restrictions have resulted
in stable and rigid food preferences. For example,
Muslims and Jews prohibit the use of pork and pork
products. For nutritional planning in foodservice
operations recognizing the the food preferences of
various populations is very important.