Human food selection: why do we know so little, and what can we do about it?

Most of the 'variance' in human food selection can be attributed to culture and individual experience. It is argued that while rigorous research on biological determinants of food selection is very valuable, we must also invest heavily in more exploratory, social science oriented studies. Only in this way can we approach most of the major determinants of food choice. We must recognize that food selection is multidetermined and context dependent. At this early stage of scientific development in this field, we must be willing to consider tradeoffs between rigor or quantification and promising preliminary and qualitative studies.