Developing a framework of gastronomic systems research to unravel drivers of food choice

Rosa Paula Cuevas,Annalyn De Guia,Matty Demont

doi:10.1016/j.ijgfs.2017.06.001

Rosa Paula Cuevas, Annalyn De Guia + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2017.06.001

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Abstract

Nutritional and dietary interventions and the introduction of novel food products and ingredients require a thorough understanding of the drivers of food choice, which are embedded in local context and culture. We developed a framework of “gastronomic systems research” (GSR) to understand culture-specific consumer food choice, and contextualise it to a target population of urban, middle- to high-income Filipino consumers to assess the domestic niche market potential of traditional rice varieties in the Philippines. The GSR framework was contextualised through expert elicitation involving chefs and nutritionists, and validated through a consumer survey conducted during a food exposition. Using the GSR framework, we determined indicative rice consumption patterns of the target population and the specific rice quality attributes they require for specific rice-based dishes and rice consumption occasions. The GSR framework also reveals possible entry points for nutritional and dietary interventions and the introduction of novel food products and ingredients. The GSR framework, therefore, has the potential to aid policymakers and food value chain stakeholders in designing culture-sensitive and context-appropriate interventions not only to help consumers improve their diets, but also to help farmers access niche markets for novel food products and ingredients and thereby improve their livelihoods and preserve cultural heritage.

Highlights

Little is known about how eating behaviours drive food choices (Falguera et al, 2012; French et al, 2012)
The experts were tasked to contextualise the gastronomic systems research (GSR) framework (Fig. 2) to the rice consumption habits of a target population of urban, middle- to high-income Filipino consumers by (i) providing expert opinion on the role rice plays in food consumption patterns of the target population; and (ii) identifying entry points for traditional Philippine rice varieties, and estimating probabilities of the suitability of pairing these varieties with the identified dishes for the identified occasions of rice consumption
We show the applicability of the GSR framework in improving the penetration of traditional rice varieties into everyday consumption by providing information on current consumption patterns and allowing projections into future consumer preferences

Summary

Introduction

Little is known about how eating behaviours drive food choices (Falguera et al, 2012; French et al, 2012). Jaeger et al (2011) developed a framework which conceptualises individual food choice events or eating occasions as being shaped by three main factors, i.e., product, person, and place. Their descriptive approach enables observing patterns and variability in food choice events and studying factors separately or jointly. Scholderer et al (2013) proposed “meal mapping”, a methodology which allows segmenting meals based on empirical assessments of fit between “meal centers” and side components Both approaches substantially contribute to the understanding of food choice, neither of them adopts a systemic view of food choice. A hierarchical, multi-level system approach could dramatically enhance our understanding of the drivers of food choice, and facilitate the identification of multiple entry points and impact pathways for nutritional and dietary interventions and the introduction of novel food products and ingredients

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