Understanding life-style and food use: contributions from the social sciences

The contribution of social sciences to the study of life-style and food use in Britain is illustrated by drawing on recent evidence of purchasing patterns, reports of the organisation of meals, snacks, eating out and images of the origins of food. Work discussed underlines a considerable degree of empirical complexity, demonstrates that the supply side as well as demand should be taken into account, and illustrates the manner in which even supposedly highly voluntaristic spheres of consumption activity may none the less be circumscribed. The article is prefaced by briefly contrasting the approach to 'life-style' adopted by market researchers, public health professionals and social theorists. It concludes with the proposal that in order to understand the complexity surrounding human food use, we may be advised to consider ensuring that the descriptive and conceptual tools being used can capture that complexity.