Skip to main content

Food and Class

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics
  • 85 Accesses

Synonyms

Luxury foods; Poor-people’s foods

Introduction

The act of eating, while simply defined as the consumption of food, has many social and cultural factors tied to it. These factors include how societies define what is edible or not and by whom, how and when to eat, and how the foods are acquired, among other things. Therefore, while eating is an everyday action necessary for survival, it requires a multidisciplinary approach for its understanding. This entry explores the relationship between food, eating, and class. Social class refers to the hierarchical organization of individuals in a particular society. It may refer to a caste system based on family social standing, but most commonly, nowadays, class is determined by the amount of wealth and income one possesses.

The topic at hand can be tied to different social dimensions depending on the context it is being addressed. Following the emphasis of this encyclopedia, the entry will focus on developed or resource-rich countries....

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 649.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Berry, C. J. (1994). The idea of luxury: A conceptual and historical investigation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crandall, C. S., & Schiffhauer, K. L. (1998). Anti-fat prejudice: Beliefs, values, and American culture. Obesity Research, 6(6), 458–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darmon, N., & Drewnowski, A. (2008). Does social class predict diet quality? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(5), 1107–1117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drewnowski, A. (1997). Taste preferences and food intake. Annual Review of Nutrition, 17, 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, M. (2005). How lobster went up in the world. The Times. Retrieved from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/americas/article1999676.ece

  • Lloyd, P. (2012). The changing status of offal. Food, Culture and Society, 15(1), 61–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacClancy, J., Henry, J., & Macbeth, H. (Eds.). (2007). Consuming the inedible: Neglected dimensions of food choice (Vol. 6). Oxford: Berghahn Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobal, J. (1991). Obesity and socioeconomic status: A framework for examining relationships between physical and social variables. Medical Anthropology, 13(3), 231–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobal, J., & Bisogni, C. A. (2009). Constructing food choice decisions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 38(Suppl 1), S37–S46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Social Mobility. (2013). Encyclopædia britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/551322/social-mobility

  • van der Veen, M. (2003). When is food a luxury? World Archaeology, 34(3), 405–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ven Ploeg, M., Breneman, V., Farrigan, T., Hamrick, K., Hopkins, D., Kaufman, P., et al. (2009). Access to affordable and nutritious food – Measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences: Report to congress. Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, E. O. (2005). Approaches to class analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melissa Fuster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Fuster, M. (2019). Food and Class. In: Kaplan, D.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_180

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics