Drivers of decision-making: Perceived food healthiness

Increasingly the growing health consequences associated with contemporary lifestyles are drawing particular attention to the conflicting role that food plays in supporting and maintaining good health on the one hand while on the other being viewed as the main culprit behind the emergence, and growth, of many dietary-related illnesses. Rapidly changing environmental and lifestyle conditions are encouraging less activity while at the same time providing ubiquitous access to an unimaginable array of food 24/7. Within this context, consumers are seeking foods which satisfy multiple, and often conflicting, needs in tandem and thus the desire for convenient, tasty, healthy, socially acceptable, easily accessible foods that offer value for money frame many food choice decisions. This article explores the multitude of influences that shape and frame consumer interpretations of food, diet, and health, considers how contemporary food choices are driven by health motives, and reflects on how the commercial food industry has responded.