Food studies

Food studies is the critical examination of food and its contexts within science, art, history, society, and other fields. It is distinctive from other food-related areas of study such as nutrition, agriculture, gastronomy, and culinary arts in that it tends to look beyond the consumption, production, and aesthetic appreciation of food and tries to illuminate food as it relates to multiple academic fields.

Research questions

Qualitative research questions include impact on the environment, the ethics of eating, how food contributes to systems of oppression, and its use as symbols of identity. Basic questions include Who chooses what we eat and why, traditional food preparation, the boundary between culinary heritage and invented traditions, and how to teach the subject. This has led to the development of the concept of "foodscape"^[1] and the practice of foodscape mapping.^[2]

Specific issues include food insecurity.^[3] Food education has health implications, especially with highly advertised fast food,^[4] and the prevalence of obesity in young people.^[5][6]

See also

• Anthropology of food
• Culinary art
• Food choice
• Food preferences in older adults and seniors
• Food science
• Foodways
• Gastronomy
• List of food and drink magazines
• Nutrition
• Sociology of food
• Timeline of food
• Vegan studies