London School of Hospitality and Tourism
BA (Hons) International Culinary Arts
Title of the Essay Healthy Food Trend in the UK
Student No 21210195
Programme BA(Hons) International Culinary Arts
Module Code TH60022E
Module Title International Gastronomy for Food Production Managers
Assessment Essay
Module Leader Professor David Foskett
Level 6
Hand-I Date 9th February 2015
Word Count
Healthy Food Trend in the UK
Table of Contents
1 Introduction 2
2 What are Organic Foods? 3
3 Benefits of Organic Food 3
4 The Consumer behaviours on Organic Foods in the UK 4
5 The Ecological Awareness in the UK 5
6 Recommendation 7
1 Introduction
“Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body”
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More recently, the food trend has turned into pre-heated or pre-cooked meals to take away (Schlosser, 2001).
In recent years, the fast-food industry has been facing significant challenges due to the increase in the consumer awareness on the production process and health concerns. The consumer awareness on health factors and the marketers detecting the possibility of change in the consumer taste have led the firms to expand their product lines in drinks & more healthy foods (Schlosser, 2001). In other words, the industry is fighting saturation by creating a much more diverse variety of offerings.
2 What are Organic Foods?
The changes in the consumer taste and the increase in the consumer awareness in eating healthy products and organic foods have increased immensely in the past few years throughout the whole world as well as the UK (BBC, 2001).
To have a healthy life, eating organic and healthy is a great way to start. The confusion among the consumers is due to lack of information towards nutrition and individually the amount and what the body needs. It is not only going to a shop and purchasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc. but being aware of how these goods are grown& raised and how they would influence the individual’s health and the environment.
The expression ‘organic’ denotes the way agricultural products are grown and processed (Fromartz, 2006). Certain requirements should be met in order for a product to get the label ‘organic’ such as organic
When considering differences between organic and conventional foods often the first thing people comment on is the nutritional value. Organic foods have grown in popularity due to the perception that they are better nutritionally. Barbara Hey (2009), health reporter and author of the article, “A Different Health Debate: Conventional versus Organic Food” and Smith-Spangier, Crystal, et al. (2012), emphasize that the benefits of organic foods and farming are important to society. That organic food can help protect what’s most valuable to people, their health. They suggest that eating a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is a good investment in preventative care. Jeff Gillman (2008) agrees and states, “ …preventing disease is much more cost effective than treating disease. Organic foods can play a vital role in keeping people healthy” (139).
From the now popular recyclable cloth grocery bags, to the organic garden at the White House, food, and the food industry is changing. The popularity of organic and whole foods is on the rise. Processed foods are increasingly advertising that they are additive and preservative free, and all sorts of products now offer a “gluten-free” variety. The popularity of what is now being called the sustainable food movement, leads many to wonder why are some people willing to pay more, sometimes double, for organic produce, meat, eggs, and milk. Will this prove to be just another trendy American fad, or are there real health benefits from eating organic and whole foods? While the organic market only represents approximately 3% of the total food
Today an increasing desire from consumers is to have healthy and organic product offerings. While
A growing number of consumers favor organic foods, claiming that it tastes better and is healthier. Why organic? Organic foods grown naturally in well-balanced soils, ripened by the sun are healthier and tastier than products with synthetic chemicals and growth hormones.
Author, Steven Shapin, in his essay, “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic,” presents controversy reasons to buying organic food. Shapin’s purpose includes defending his point that organic food proves not always having the best results. He justifies his approach to buying organic foods with an argumentative appeal to the necessity of buying these products. Shapin questions the value of organic foods in larger organizations by targeting the industry, health, and the virtue.
Long time ago, the idea of organic food was something ridiculous, nobody cared. But after proved the nutritional benefits and better taste of organic food, many farmers become interest in grown organic food. The article Beyond Organic by Eliot Coleman said that “Now that the food-buying public has become enthusiastic about organically grown foods, the food industry wants to take over.”
Organic products meet stringent standards . Organic certification is the public 's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs."
No additives, no preservatives; nothing is added to these products that is not naturally present in their growing process. This is what makes organic so expensive. Without the aid of GMO's, herbicides, pesticides and preservatives added later, these food products have lower yield rates, lower shelf life, longer growth rate,
Organic - means food that is grown or produced in certain USDA guidelines. Organic does not mean that food is better and contains more nutrients such as ice cream can be organic and still contains a lot of fat.
I. “The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000.” Food activist, Michael Pollan, makes this statement as the introduction to a documentary titled Food Inc., which discusses the way food is being produced today in America.
Every day while sitting on the couch eat a burger, and soon many people learn what the obesity hype is all about. Fast food companies are advertising more food for less money with fast service. The media tends to change images for their target customers, to make the food more appealing to those that are watching. Laziness is one of the main causes of obesity in our country. Obesity in the United States is at a high due to the increasing fast food chains, media influence, and a lack of exercise. The idea of having a meal made for them in less than five minutes is somewhat exciting to the view of many individuals.” fast food firms introduced these alternative meals in response to changing consumer tastes”(Buchholz). Many fast food stores offer the customer fast service, and a great tasting meal. They provide their service with a smile and a meal that can cost less than 10 dollars. When people mix poor diet with poor
In spite of the fact that organic foods have been proved to have a better effect on people's health in comparison to conventional foods served in supermarkets, the fact that people continue to buy their food without expressing interest in its provenience makes it possible for one to understand that the masses have failed to comprehend the full complexity of the problem at hand. People need to understand that the 'You are what you eat' expression applies perfectly in their case and that it is essential for them to get actively involved in creating lifestyles that reflect positively on their health. Even with this, I have trouble determining whether or not organic foods are actually very important when considering nutrition.
The word Organic can be defined in multiple ways but what the word basically means that the product is derived from living matter. Organic farming produces organic food. The goal is to encourage soil and water conservation, reduce pollution, and constrain conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration “The term "organic" is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces.”
The National Organic Standards Boards defines organic agriculture is ìan ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. The primary goal of organic
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines certified organic products as “ those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as "organic" by a certification body” (FAO, 1999). Here, this is a common definition oriented by the production process of the “organic” product and the label of verification of a certification body as opposed to and verification of product quality (Bourn and Prescott, 2002; Sundrum, 2001; IFOAM, 1996).