Exploring Foods of the Pacific: Cultural Food Identity in the US Affiliated Pacific Region

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific have seen major shifts in dietary patterns due to foreign colonization, which introduced an array of new foods. Today, foods considered traditional and acculturated are consumed in various extents. However, the definitions and identity of traditional versus acculturated foods has become unclear as many introduced foods have been incorporated into Pacific cultures. The purpose of this study was to capture culturally relevant definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown foods among 10 jurisdictions of the US-Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Questionnaires were used to capture definitions of these terms, and to identify a list of foods (n=121) as traditional, acculturated, and/or locally grown in addition to classify them into food groups (ie, fruit, vegetable, starch, and/or grain). For the most part, definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown were agreed upon by participating USAP jurisdictions, with some supplementary caveats presented by different jurisdictions. More foods were identified as acculturated (n=75) than traditional (n=37). Fruits (n=55) were the most frequent designation and about a third were vegetables (n=44). The majority of the jurisdictions reported growing at least half of the food items. This is the first study to identify and classify foods of the Pacific from the perspective of those indigenous to the USAP region. Understanding these similarities and differences in how food is classified and identified, through the lens of those from the Pacific, is crucial for nutrition education, and understanding what foods are locally grown is important for future sustainability.