research question examples about food

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120 Food Research Paper Topics

How to choose a topic for food research paper:, fast food research paper topics:.

• The impact of fast food consumption on obesity rates in children
• The influence of fast food advertising on consumer behavior
• The correlation between fast food consumption and cardiovascular diseases
• The role of fast food in the development of type 2 diabetes
• The effects of fast food on mental health and well-being
• The environmental impact of fast food packaging and waste
• Fast food and its contribution to food deserts in urban areas
• The economic implications of the fast food industry on local communities
• Fast food and its association with food addiction and cravings
• The nutritional value and quality of ingredients used in fast food
• The influence of fast food on dietary patterns and nutritional deficiencies
• The role of fast food in the globalization of food culture
• The ethical concerns surrounding fast food production and animal welfare
• The impact of fast food consumption on academic performance in students
• Fast food and its relationship to food insecurity and poverty

Food Insecurity Research Paper Topics:

• The impact of food insecurity on child development
• Food insecurity and its relationship to mental health
• Exploring the causes of food insecurity in urban areas
• The role of food banks in addressing food insecurity
• Food insecurity among college students: prevalence and consequences
• The effects of food insecurity on maternal and infant health
• Food insecurity and its implications for rural communities
• The relationship between food insecurity and obesity
• Food insecurity and its impact on academic performance in children
• The role of government policies in addressing food insecurity
• Food insecurity and its connection to chronic diseases
• The effects of food insecurity on older adults’ health and well-being
• Food insecurity and its influence on food choices and dietary quality
• The role of community gardens in reducing food insecurity
• Food insecurity and its impact on social inequalities and disparities

Organic Food Research Paper Topics:

• The impact of organic farming on soil health and fertility
• The nutritional differences between organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables
• The effects of organic farming practices on water quality and conservation
• The potential health benefits of consuming organic dairy products
• The role of organic agriculture in reducing pesticide exposure and its associated health risks
• The economic viability and market trends of organic food production
• The impact of organic farming on biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Consumer perceptions and attitudes towards organic food: A global perspective
• The effectiveness of organic farming in mitigating climate change
• The role of organic farming in promoting sustainable food systems
• Organic versus conventional meat production: A comparison of animal welfare standards
• The impact of organic food consumption on human health and disease prevention
• The challenges and opportunities of organic food certification and labeling
• The role of organic farming in reducing food waste and promoting food security
• The potential environmental and health risks associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic food production

Food Technology Research Paper Topics:

• The impact of food processing techniques on nutritional value
• The role of food technology in reducing food waste
• The development of sustainable packaging materials for food products
• The use of nanotechnology in food processing and preservation
• The application of artificial intelligence in food quality control
• The potential of 3D printing in personalized nutrition
• The impact of food technology on the sensory properties of food products
• The role of food technology in improving food safety and reducing foodborne illnesses
• The development of novel food ingredients using biotechnology
• The use of blockchain technology in ensuring traceability and transparency in the food supply chain
• The impact of food technology on the shelf life and stability of food products
• The role of food technology in addressing food allergies and intolerances
• The application of robotics in food processing and manufacturing
• The development of functional foods for specific health conditions
• The use of genetic engineering in enhancing crop productivity and nutritional content

Food Safety Research Paper Topics:

• The impact of foodborne illnesses on public health
• The role of government regulations in ensuring food safety
• Food safety practices in the restaurant industry
• The effectiveness of food safety training programs for food handlers
• Food safety risks associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• The role of food packaging in maintaining food safety
• Food safety concerns in the global food supply chain
• The impact of climate change on food safety and security
• Food safety risks associated with food delivery services
• The role of consumer behavior in ensuring food safety
• Food safety practices in home kitchens
• The impact of food additives and preservatives on food safety
• Food safety risks associated with food allergies and intolerances
• The role of technology in enhancing food safety measures
• Food safety challenges in developing countries

Food History Research Paper Topics:

• The Evolution of Food Preservation Techniques
• The Impact of the Columbian Exchange on Global Cuisine
• The Role of Food in Ancient Egyptian Society
• The Origins and Development of Chocolate as a Culinary Delight
• The Influence of French Cuisine on Modern Gastronomy
• The Cultural Significance of Spices in Medieval Europe
• The History of Food and Nutrition in World War II
• The Impact of Industrialization on Food Production and Consumption
• The Role of Food in Ancient Greek and Roman Rituals and Festivals
• The History of Street Food and its Socioeconomic Impact
• The Origins and Evolution of Sushi in Japanese Cuisine
• The Influence of Immigration on American Food Culture
• The History of Food and Medicine: From Ancient Remedies to Modern Nutraceuticals
• The Role of Food in Colonialism and Cultural Assimilation
• The Evolution of Fast Food and its Impact on Global Health

Food Marketing Research Paper Topics:

• The impact of social media on consumer behavior in the food industry
• The effectiveness of celebrity endorsements in food marketing campaigns
• The influence of packaging design on consumer perception and purchasing decisions
• The role of sensory marketing in food product development and promotion
• The effects of nutritional labeling on consumer choices and health outcomes
• The use of virtual reality and augmented reality in food marketing strategies
• The impact of food advertising on children’s food preferences and consumption patterns
• The role of cultural factors in shaping food marketing strategies and consumer behavior
• The effectiveness of personalized marketing approaches in the food industry
• The influence of food branding and brand loyalty on consumer purchasing behavior
• The role of sustainability and ethical considerations in food marketing practices
• The effects of food pricing strategies on consumer choices and market competition
• The impact of online food delivery platforms on consumer behavior and market dynamics
• The role of food labeling claims and certifications in consumer trust and decision-making
• The effects of food marketing on public health and policy implications

Food Chemistry Research Paper Topics:

• Analysis of food additives and their effects on human health
• Investigating the role of antioxidants in preventing food spoilage
• The chemistry behind flavor development in fermented foods
• Analyzing the chemical composition of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food
• Understanding the chemical reactions involved in food browning and Maillard reaction
• Investigating the chemistry of food preservation methods, such as canning and freezing
• Analyzing the chemical changes in food during cooking and their impact on nutritional value
• The role of enzymes in food processing and their effects on food quality
• Investigating the chemistry of food allergies and intolerances
• Analyzing the chemical composition and health benefits of functional foods
• Understanding the chemistry of food packaging materials and their impact on food safety
• Investigating the chemical changes in food during storage and their effects on shelf life
• Analyzing the chemical composition and nutritional value of organic versus conventionally grown foods
• Investigating the chemistry of food contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides

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150+ Food Research Paper Topics Ideas for Students

When writing a research paper on food, there are many angles to explore to choose great research topics about food. You can write argumentative essay topics on food processing methods or search for social media research topics . Moreover, the food industry is advancing, and food styles are changing – another inspiration for an outstanding research topic about food. In other words, if you are looking for your ideal topic for food research , there are many places to look.

How to Choose the “Ideal” Food Research Topics

150+ ideas of experimental research titles about food, research title about food processing.

• Interesting Research Topics on Fast Food

Research Title about Food Industry

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Nevertheless, it can be hard to decipher what characterizes a good example of a thesis title for food. Hence, this article will briefly explain what factors to look for in a research title about food so-to-speak. Then, we will provide up to 150 food topics you can explore.

Personal interest is a vital factor to consider when sourcing the best thesis title about food . If you’re choosing a research title about cookery, you want to ensure it is something you’re interested in. If you’re unsure where your interest lies, you can check out social issues research topics .

Also, the availability of information on the topic of food is important in any research, whether it’s a thesis statement about social media or nutrition topics . Furthermore, choose several food topics to have options if one thesis about food doesn’t work out. Last but not least, ensure your chosen topic about food is neither too broad nor too narrow.

If you are unsure what title about food to work on for your research paper, here we are. Below are some of the best examples of thesis titles or professional thesis writers about food for students and researchers.

• Plant sterols in treating high cholesterol
• Is skipping breakfast healthy?
• Macrobiotic diet: advantages
• Food trendmakers
• Chocolates and emotions: the connection
• Are trans fats carcinogenic?
• Does green tea burn calories?
• Humble lentil: a superfood?

Interesting Research Topics Fast Food

• Fast foods: impact on living organisms
• Food court restaurants
• Misconceptions about fast foods
• Is McDonald’s healthy?
• Fast food: a social problem?
• National cuisine
• Fast food: effect on the liver
• Fast food education
• Students’ nutrition
• Fast food in children’s diet
• Food and 3D virtual reality
• The contemporary hotel industry
• Food and fashion
• Food in different cultures
• Can food be used for cultural identification?
• Trends in food box consumption
• Information innovation in the food industry
• The food industry in developing countries
• Proper nutrition
• History and origin of food traditions
• Can dietary supplements increase bone density?
• Why nutrition science matters
• Organic food: impact on nutrition
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Services ensuring food safety in the US
• Food safety violations in the workplace
• pH balance impacts flavor
• Animal testing should be abolished
• Does overeating suppress the immune system?
• Lifestyle-related chronic diseases
• Food justice
• Government’s involvement in food justice
• Dietary deficiencies
• Spice rack organization
• Nutrients for body development
• Milk for kids: more or less?
• Organic food and health
• Animal-sourced foods: beneficial or dangerous?
• Continental dishes
• Continental dishes vs. Indian spices
• Food factor in national security
• Junk food vs. healthy food
• Environmental food safety
• Safety and control of food colors in the food industry today
• Criteria and scope of food security
• Ensuring food security
• Cooking technology
• Food quality of agricultural raw materials
• Problems and solutions to food safety
• Food security: the theory and methodology
• Recent labeling food innovations
• Health benefits of genetically modified foods
• The vegetarian diet
• Caloric foods
• Fast food affects on health
• Food allergies
• Fast foods: nutritional value
• Food in the 21st century
• The Slow Food movement
• Doughnut’s history
• Food safety: role in gene pool preservation
• Controlling synthetic colors used in food
• Food assessment and control
• Food: its influence on pharmacotherapy’s effectiveness
• Human rights to balanced nutrition
• Quality of food products in urban areas
• Food in rural areas vs. urban areas
• Food security in Uganda
• Food safety: developed vs. developing countries
• Food factor in biopolitics
• Corn starch in baking: the importance
• Bacteria concerns in baking: Clostridium botulinum
• Normal butter vs. brown butter
• Matcha in Japanese pastry
• Sweet in baked desserts
• Effect of flour type on cake quality
• Sugar vs. stevia
• Why so much sugar in packed cakes?
• Carob is use in baking
• Coca-Cola baking: is it safe?
• Cooking schools
• Protein food preservation
• Food preservation techniques
• Vegan vs. non-vegan
• Caffeine in drinks
• Plastic and food quality
• History of carrot cake
• Turmeric: health properties
• Japanese tea ceremonies
• Healthy sugar substitutes
• The popularity of plant-based diet
• Food steaming: history
• CBD-infused foods
• Achieving the umami flavor in cooking
• Climate and diet
• Quick-service restaurants: impact on life expectancy
• Drinking and Judaism
• Chinese tea: a historical analysis
• Meat canning
• Resistance of meat to antimicrobials
• Eliminating botulism
• Reducing food allergies
• Avian influenza
• Vitamin D nutrition: the worldwide status
• Nutritional supplements are available for the poor
• Food science: importance in human nutrition
• Amino acids and muscle growth
• Poor nutrition and bone density
• Women and diet
• Tea vs. coffee
• Is tea addictive?
• Cholesterol: myths
• Sugar vs. sweeteners
• Keto diet: effect on health
• Food sensitivities in children
• African superfoods
• Spirulina: the properties
• Wine in French cuisine
• Garlic and onions
• Stored foods
• Preventing food poisoning
• Food addiction
• How to fight against food waste
• Aqueous environment: the toxicity
• Fast food in hospitals
• The risks associated with junk
• Food culture and obesity
• The link between fast food and obesity
• Burgers: are they sandwiches?
• Food additives
• History of curry
• Freezing dough: impact on quality
• Best pizza Margherita recipe
• Making low-calorie food tasty
• Jamaica and British cuisine
• Picked food in India
• How to eat eggs
• Egg poaching
• Italian pasta: types

From food innovation research titles to food sustainability research topics , there are many areas of the food industry to explore. With the list of topics and tips for choosing a topic provided here, finding your ideal topic should be easier.

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160 Excellent Food Research Paper Topics for Students

Table of Contents

Are you a food science or food technology student searching for unique topics for your research paper? If yes, then this blog post is for you. Here, for your convenience, we have shared a list of the best 160 food research paper topics and ideas on various themes related to the subject.

Basically, food is essential for all living things because of the nutritional support it provides. Hence, it is impossible to imagine life without food. Moreover, in the fast-moving digital era, along with the development of technology, food has also taken different forms. In specific, processed food, packaged food, fast food and ready-made food with added preservatives are dominating human life. Due to these advancements in the food industry and the changes in the food style, certain health diseases also affect humans.

As food is one of the basic needs, a lot of research activities are being conducted in the field of food processing, food technology, food science, dairy technology, food safety, nutrition, and dietetics. So, for preparing your food research paper, you can also choose any intriguing topic from any of these domains.

List of Food Research Paper Topics

Whenever you get stuck with what topic to choose for your food research paper or essay, the list of ideas presented below will be more helpful to you. Explore the entire list and pick any food research topic that you feel is appropriate for you.

Food Research Paper Topics on Nutrition

• What are the most important types of nutrition to help body development?
• Bone density and poor nutrition: the correlation
• How affordable are nutritional supplements for poor people?
• The worldwide status of vitamin D nutrition
• Is it safe to use nutritional supplements to help bone density?
• Why is food science important in human nutrition?
• Why are amino acids important to the growth of muscles?
• How do the dietary habits of females affect their overall nutrition?
• An exhaustive definition of nutritional deficiency and the critical diseases malnutrition can cause.
• Nutrition-related health effects of organic foods
• Do dry beans serve proper nutrition and health benefits?
• Is organic milk a significant source of nutrition?
• Increased nutrition regulations on fast food restaurants
• Food preferences and nutrition culture
• Qualitative analysis of natural nutritional supplements.
• Should children be fed more dietary products like milk or less?
• Women and diet around the world.
• What are Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics?
• Discuss the sugar reduction strategies in foods
• Microbial safety evaluation of sugar-reduced foods and beverages
• Discuss the health effects of fermented foods containing added sugars
• Discuss some novel and emerging techniques for the detection of mycotoxins  in foods
• How to remove mycotoxins from foods?
• Psychological issues connected to food

Research Paper Topics on Food Safety

• Food and antimicrobial resistance
• How to eliminate the risk of botulism?
• How to effectively reduce the risk of food allergies?
• Meat and resistance to antimicrobials
• Recommendations for Ensuring Food Safety & Reducing Disease-Causing Mosquitoes
• Food safety and inspection service in your country
• Food safety risk assessment
• The role of government in food safety
• Food safety and health violations at the workplace.
• What consumers must know about Avian Influenza
•  Food and antimicrobial resistance
•  How to reduce the risk of botulism?
•  Health concerns for the use of coffee and caffeine
• Are color additives safe?
• How a community can contribute to ensuring food safety?
• Discuss the phenomena of negative-calorie foods
• Why it is important to ensure food safety for all?

Research Topics on Food Science

• What happens to stored foods?
• Factors that influence the taste of wine
• How to effectively prevent food poisoning?
• The influence of ethanol and pH balance on taste.
• How to influence the psychology of eating?
• What’s wrong with food addiction?
• Production and uses of protein hydrolysates and removal of bittering principles
• A comparative study on the physio-chemical properties of vegetable oils
• The innovative ways to help to fight against Food Waste.
• Toxicity of the aqueous environment
• Why food science is important in human nutrition
• How dietary habits of females affect their overall nutrition
• Influence of Food Science on the Diet of Persons
• Promoting Food Safety

Food Essay Topics

• The effects of fast food on society
• Should fast foods be sold in hospitals?
• An analysis of the socio-economic benefits of the fast-food industry.
• Do we need more fast-food restaurants in society?
• Certain food groups should not be mixed – true or false?
• What are the chronic diseases of lifestyle?
• What are immune-boosting foods?
• Protective fats are found in seeds and nuts.
• Food presentation is a form of art.
• The risks of eating junk food
• The influence of food on America
• Food culture and obesity
• The future of food
• How has technology changed the way we eat?
• How do biofuels impact the food industry?
• Nutrition: Food Containing Calories
• Negative Influence of Fast Foods
• Food Science and Technology of Genetic Modification.
• Fast Food and Obesity Link

Argumentative Food Research Topics

• What is the most salubrious way to cook eggs?
• Are burgers sandwiches?
• The pros and cons of grass-fed beef vs. grain-fed beef.
• Is it possible to make good pizza at home?
• Is a low glycemic index meal for a Neapolitan pizza a suitable choice for diabetes patients?
• The health impacts of vegetarian and vegan diets.
• Oxidative DNA damage in prostate: Can cancer patients consume tomato sauce?
• What is the best way to boil rice?
• Is it easy to become addicted to food quickly?
• Overeating suppresses the immune system.
• Do you think that abortion should be made illegal?
• Do you think that animal testing should be banned?
• Do you think that manufacturers are responsible for the effects of the chemicals used in creating their products?
• Should Hospitals Ban Fast Food Outlets?
• Where should food sauce be stored?

Read here:   Argumentative Essay Topics That You Must Consider

Interesting Food Research Topics

• Are emotions related to consuming chocolates?
• What causes raised acid levels in the body?
• Should a vegetarian take vitamin and mineral supplements?
• The role of tartrazine in foods such as butter and margarine
• Do trans fats, found in many kinds of margarine, lead to cancer?
• The Role of super-food in our health
• Does green tea help burn kilojoules?
• Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?
• Why the humble lentil is considered a superfood?
• The role of sodium in sports drinks
• Coconut oil and Alzheimer’s disease
• The role of honey in healing wounds.
• Food additives: Artificial Sweeteners
• Freshly extracted juices are the ultimate source of live enzymes.
• How does the consumption of sugared soda drinks cause cell aging?
• Is raw juice fasting effective for detoxifying?
• Does poor detoxification lead to inflammation?
• Does garlic help regulate insulin metabolism?
• Is there a link between tartrazine and hyperactivity in children?
• Organic food and healthy eating.
• Our health and fast food from McDonald’s.
• Fast food is a social problem of our time.
•  National cuisine is like healthy competition for fast food.

Amazing Food Research Ideas

• Is Genetically Modified Food Safe for Human Bodies and the Environment?
• The role of plant sterols in treating high cholesterol.
• Is there one optimal diet to suit everyone’s sporting needs?
• Flavonoids – powerful antioxidants that prevent the formation of free radicals.
• Explain the impact of caffeine on health.
• Compare and contrast home-cooked meals and fast food.
• The role of biotechnology and research in fulfilling the nutritional needs of people at a low price.
• The winemaking process.
• Myths of good and bad cholesterol.
• Calcium deficiency and milk
• The effects of sweeteners and sugar on health.
• Is it healthy to skip breakfast?
• Should plastic food packaging be banned?
• Are beans a good substitute for meat proteins?
• Food sensitivities in children.
• Calcium sources for dairy-allergic people.
• What are the advantages of the macrobiotic diet?
• The impacts of a long-term ketogenic diet on health
• What are the healthiest sugar substitutes?
• Low Carb Diet Craze

Trending Food Research Paper Topics

• Millenials: Food Trendmakers
• Write about the production of Organic Food
• Describe the connections between stress, junk foods, and obesity
• Critical analysis of the issues related to fast safety in modern agriculture
• Pizza and London Cheese Cake are the two most favorite foods among Americans: Explain
• Discuss the food items consumed by the people belonging to America’s working class
• Critical analysis of the results and implications of the slow food movement in America
• Explain the importance of meeting Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger for ensuring food safety globally
• Describe the benefits and limitations of using 3D food printers and robotics in the food industry
•  Describe the significance of the digital food management system
• Describe the three most popular food technologies and their use
• Discuss the top ten food technology trends in 2023
• Discuss the benefits and limitations of alternative protein sources and personalized nutrition
• Analyze the use and effectiveness of ‘Restaurant Voice Bots’ in the US-based startup named Orderscape
•  Describe the importance of using eco-friendly materials for the packaging of baby foods
• Discuss the prospects for the development of food industry enterprises using molecular cuisine technology
• Analyze the pros and cons of food tourism in the context of developing nations.

Captivating Food Research Topics

• Evaluate the properties of Oil obtained from Carica Papaya Seeds.
• Discuss the effects of blending cow milk with soy milk and analyze the quality of yogurt.
• Evaluate the vegetable oil refining process and its food value.
• Explain the functional properties of plantain flour.
• Evaluate the nutrient constituents of fresh forages and formulated diets.
• Analyze the impact of nutrition education on the dietary habits of females.
• Analyze the use of composite blends for biscuit making.
• Discuss the storage time effects on the functional properties of Bambara groundnut.
• Write about the additives and preservatives used in food processing and preservation.
• Analyze the physical and chemical properties of soya beans.

The Bottom Line

Out of the top 150+ food research paper topics suggested in this blog post, pick an ideal topic of your choice. In order to make your work successful, when writing your food research paper, first, prepare an outline and then compose the content by providing the relevant facts and evidence supporting the main points of your topic.

If you struggle to find a good food topic for your research or if you are confused about how to write a persuasive food research paper, then reach out to us for assignment help . As per your requirements, our team of professional writers will assist you in writing an essay or research paper on any topic related to food science or food technology.

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449 Food Essay Topics & Research Questions to Write about

Are you looking for good topics about food? Luckily, there are so many food topics you can research! You can focus on food safety, the link between nutrition and health, food insecurity, national cuisines, food waste in supply chains, food processing technologies, and many more. Check this list of the most exciting food research questions and titles!

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• Causes and Effects of Fast Food: Essay Example
• Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of the Food and Beverage Industry
• Eating Home-Cooked Food Is Essential
• The Negative Effects of Fast Food: Essay Example
• Food Technology Importance in Modern Days
• Food Truck Business Strategy, Resources, Management
• Healthy Multicultural Food: Product SWOT Analysis
• Food Waste Management The paper aims at explaining the issue of food waste and describing approaches to the reduction of this problem.
• Food Safety Issues in Modern Agriculture According to the United Nations Asian and Pacific Center for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery, an upsurge in international trade on agricultural products has made food safety a major concern.
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Biotechnology in Improving the Nutritive Value of Foods In this essay, the author explores the advantages and disadvantages of biotechnology with an emphasis on benefits and potential harm to mankind.
• Italy’s Food: Traditional Italian Food Recipes Italian cuisine is famous around the world for its delicious and healthy food. It includes thousands of varieties of recipes for different dishes with various ingredients.
• Target Audience of Fast Food Restaurants’ Web Sites When designing a website, its creator focuses on the needs of all visitors or some defined audience. The target audience is users on which the web resource is oriented.
• Food Truck Business’s SWOT Analysis The Food Truck company operates in the central business district of Portland, the area where the food delivery industry is very well developed.
• Food Security: The Impact of Climate Change Since climate change affects the natural world, it is evident that it poses particular challenges for food security in the future.
• Food Truck Market Analysis Example Food truck business has high chances of becoming popular because food industry is one of the kinds of businesses that never go out of fashion.
• Food Shortage Situation Overview The connections and relationship between population and food shortage transcend all areas of human life and as such encompasses various aspects of demands that support human life.
• A Problem of Food Waste and Its Solutions Food waste draws a lot of interest from global policymakers as well as various organizations and scholars – it continues to grow despite the looming resource depletion.
• Fast-Food Restaurants’ Popularity and Its Causes Majority of people in the United States have resorted to fast food restaurants, especially college students who are of the view that these restaurants save a lot of time.
• McDonalds Fast Food Company Organizational Change This paper attempts to explicitly review the successful implementation of the proposed change that involves improving the performance of the McDonalds Company and enhancing its customer focus.
• Food Additives There are three types of food additives, cosmetic food additives, preservatives and the processing aids of food.
• Food in Korean Culture: Describing Korean Cuisine Korean citizens believe that food has medicinal properties that improve a person’s emotional, psychological, and mental well-being.
• Chick-fil-A Fast-Food Network Brand Analysis Based on customer demographic data, the paper analyzes the Chick-fil-A fast-food network and compares some data to compile an accurate picture of people’s preferences.
• The Six Major Elements of a Food Safety Plan (FSP) A Food Safety Plan (FSP) is a way that identifies and prevents safety hazards from occurring during and after food production, this paper is going to discuss FSP’s major elements.
• The Food Prices Issue and Its Impacts on the Industry The challenge of increasing food prices is relevant to the culinary, hospitality, and food industries because it significantly affects food availability and quality.
• Sustainable Food Systems, Nutrition Sustainable food systems focus on food production, processing, and waste management to ensure efficiency and low environmental impact of the food industry.
• The Consumer Attitude Towards Buying Organic Food in Hong Kong The aim of this research was to determine the factors that affect attitudes towards purchasing organic food in Hong Kong.
• Food Additives: Dangers and Health Impact Research shows that synthetic food additives have a negative human health and consumer dissatisfaction effect which calls for stricter regulation of their use in products.
• Wendy’s Fast Food Franchise in the Chinese Market Because of the strong presence that KFC and McDonald’s already have in the Chinese market, firms such as Wendy’s have to design a unique product.
• Organic Food Market Trends Food retailers replaced farmers and whole food retailers as the main retailers of organic food. Higher production costs is the only factor to the higher organic food prices.
• Unhealthy Food Culture and Obesity Unhealthy food culture plays a significant role in developing health-related diseases, including its contribution to obesity.
• Food Culture: Doughnut’s History, Marketing and Sociology A doughnut, or as it is often called donut, is a kind of fried dough baked or pastry meal. The doughnut has become well-known and beloved in numerous countries and cooked in an assorted model.
• Healthy Food Advertising: Nutrient Content Advertising is certainly a major driver for the success of a business. It is important to mention that healthy foods correlate with overall well-being, both physical and mental.
• Causes and Effects of Fast-Food Addiction Studies show that those who frequently eat fast food have an increased risk of progressing from simple consumption to addiction.
• The Food Quality Impact on Economy and Health The problem of food quality and its impact on the economy and health of not only one country but the whole world cannot be overemphasized.
• Financial Projections for Entrepreneurship in Food Industry Running a restaurant, especially in the area known for its high competition rates among the local food production companies, particularly, the fast food industries, is not an easy task.
• Indian Culture Examined Through Street Food A fondness of India’s rich culture, combined with a desire to innovate and adapt with the times are all present in the Curry Up Now restaurant and Indian street food as a whole.
• Junk Food and Children’s Obesity Eating junk foods on a regular basis causes weight gain and for one in five Americans, obesity, is a major health concern though no one seems to be sounding the alarm.
• Impact of COVID-19 on People’s Livelihoods, Their Health and Our Food Systems Covid-19 is affecting every aspect of life – personally and professionally, and it is redefining the way society and the workplace are organized.
• History of Ketchup and Its Role in Foods Tomato ketchup is a popular addition to a variety of dishes which acts as a sauce and goes well with all food.
• Healthy Food: the Impact of the Vegetarian Diet In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards vegetarianism in societal dietary choices. In the modern world, vegetarians can uphold the nutritional needs of the body.
• Are Fast Food Restaurants to Blame for Obesity?
• Are Genetically Modified Food Safe for Consumption?
• Are the Nutrition Charts on Food Packages Accurate?
• What Are Issues on Food Around the World?
• What Is It Called When You Have Food Issues?
• Are You Harming Your Family by the Food You Are Preparing?
• Can Organic Farmers Produce Enough Food to Feed the World?
• What Are the Six Major Threats to Food Security?
• What Are the Four Major Problems That Affect the World’s Food Needs?
• Could Biotechnology Solve Food Shortage Problem?
• Does Dehydration Reduce the Nutrient Value in Quality of the Food?
• What Are Some Challenges to Food Production?
• Does Fast Food Have a Possible Connection With Obesity?
• How Can We Solve Food Supply Problems?
• How Did Jollibee Build Its Position in the Philippine Fast Food Industry?
• What Are Four Issues Related to Food Production?
• How Does America Solve Food Deserts?
• What Are the Seven Challenges to Food Safety?
• How Does Whole Food Build Human and Social Capital?
• What Is the Most Important Food Safety Issue?
• Should Fast Food Advertising Be Banned?
• What Are the Six Food Borne Diseases?
• What Are the Ten Main Reasons for Food Poisoning?
• Should Fast Food Chains Be to Blame for Childhood Obesity?
• Should Fast Food Only Be Sold to People Eighteen and Older?
• Should New Zealand Allow Genetically Modified Food?
• Should People Abandon Their Favorite Food and Stay Healthy?
• What Are Three Causes of Food Contamination?
• Were the Salem Witch Trials Spurred by Food Poisoning?
• McDonald’s and Its Decline & Crisis Due to the Healthy Food Trend The trend for healthy eating was born not so long ago but continues to cover more and more segments of the population around the world.
• Feasibility Plan for E-Commerce of Food Delivery The use of cell phone innovation can be viewed as one of the creative approaches to assist organizations in improving their business execution in the global market.
• Proposal for Providing Healthier Food Choices for Elementary Students This paper describes the necessity of having a properly balanced diet, and execute healthy exercising patterns in our routines, along with our children.
• Healthy Food Access for Poor People Through numerous studies, it is evident that the secret to good health lies in balancing of diet in peoples’ meals.
• Alaska Natives Diet: Traditional Food Habits and Adaptation of American Foodstuffs The Alaska Natives have retained their culture up-to-date in spite of their interactions with the wider American society.
• Impact of Food Waste and Water Use on Earth The paper explores how food waste and water use affect the food system and how agriculture affects the environment.
• Aspects of Muslim Food Culture Islam has many rules related to food. One of the most significant rules in Islam is the restriction on the consumption of pork.
• Role of Food in Marquez’ “One Hundred Years of Solitude“ and Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate” Laura Esquivel was born and raised in Mexico and may have written this novel with the hope of portraying to her readers some Spanish background and history.
• Consumption of Junk Foods and Their Threat to the Lives Junk foods dominate the grocery store aisles, are served every day in school lunchrooms and, in the form of fast-food junk, crowd every major intersection.
• Food and Family in the Hispanic Culture The notion of family is crucial to the Hispanic culture due to its encouraging idea of interdependence and belonging. The food became an integral part of family gatherings.
• The Trends of Natural and Organic Foods Organic food is primarily intended to appeal to financially well-off people who can afford to spend more money on food in exchange for its perceived superior quality.
• Agriculture and Food in Ancient Greece The paper states that agricultural practices and goods from Greece extended to neighboring countries in the Mediterranean as the dominance increased.
• Technical Description of a Food Processor A food processor seems like one of those kitchen gadgets that, once owned, makes a person wonder how they ever survived without it.
• Super Greens Organic Food Restaurant’s Business Plan ‘Super Greens’ restaurant is a new medium-sized restaurant to be located in a busy locality of Westminster in the neighbourhood of some aristocratic areas.
• Right to Food as a Fundamental Right Right to food is an important human right issue today. Advocates for the right to food use the phrase “Food first” to show the importance of availability to food above other priorities.
• Food Waste Reduction Strategy The Strategy aims to raise society’s awareness and bring the food value back to reduce the volume of food waste generated.
• Food Safety Sanitation Requirements for a Child’s Health To maintain optimal diet and nutrition for a child’s health and welfare, emphasis must be made on sanitary criteria for food safety, storage, preparation, and food presentation.
• Statistics on Food Disorders in the US and Puerto Rico The purpose of this paper is to analyze the statistics on food disorders in the United States, compare it with the situation in Puerto Rico, and suggest measures to tackle the problem.
• Pet Food Product Marketing Strategy This paper outlines the marketing strategies that will be used for launching my pet food product: SWOT analysis, target market, market needs, and other market strategies.
• Food Safety and Hazards Manufacturers are obligated to maintain safe control measures to ensure products are fit for human consumption.
• Discussion of Food Safety Issues The paper discusses food tampering and bioterrorism are those issues that can result in fundamental problems in food safety area.
• Healthier Cookie Version: The Challenges to the Food Industry A meal can enhance a healthy body development and, if not well censored, can result in health-related problems such as high blood pressure.
• National Food Products Company: Marketing Segmentation NFPC has gained the reputation of a company that has been striving in the UAE market quite successfully by delivering essential products such as milk, water, plastic carriers.
• Fast Food Harmful Effects on Children This paper states that the exposure of children to fast food early on has an adverse effect on them, resulting in the need to prevent the sale of fast food in schools.
• The Use of Biodegradable Straws in Food and Beverages Business Plastic straw usage is part of the problem of plastic pollution and its adverse impact on the planet’s ecology. Nature is dying, and all new consequences of plastic are manifested.
• The Indigenous Food Sovereignty Concept The indigenous food sovereignty concept is broad in essence, and it perceives food as integrating all aspects of existence – mental, spiritual, cultural, and intellectual.
• Indian Cuisine: Food and Socio-Cultural Aspects of Eating Many social and cultural aspects of Indian cuisine are different from American foods. In Indian culture, eating is a significant social occasion.
• Local Food Venture and Its Operations Management Building a small business enterprise is a complex task. This case study examines a model of expanding a local food venture to a permanent location and franchise.
• Nutrients: The Distribution in the Food Groups This essay associates nutrients to their specific food groups justify their nutritional composition and explains their significance.
• Hospitality Management: Food and Beverage Management A person is preparing for their last high school exam and looking forward to a career in hospitality management, which is currently one of the best in the field.
• Food Innovation: Ayran Yogurt in the Scandinavian Market This study researches the suitability of Ayran yogurt product and how to introduce it as a healthy alternative to soft drinks in the Scandinavian market.
• Kenya, Its Tourist Attractions and Food Culture Kenya is one of the most beautiful African countries I have ever been. I am always thrilled to visit it. However, it has taken some time since I was there.
• Fast-Food Industry’s Market Place and Environment The fast-food industry is experiencing a revenue of over $15 billion growth a year, and the future growth rate at an average of 2.7%.
• Food Donation and Food Safety: Environmental Health Food safety is often taken for granted, with most people relying on basic practices and following essential hygiene standards without giving a second thought.
• Food-Borne Salmonella Epidemiologic Triad Diseases emerging in the population do not occur randomly but usually have prerequisites and conditions for development.
• Fast Food Popularity in America: Cause and Effect The popularity of fast food affects Americans in many ways, but the threats of obesity, chronic diseases, and unstable immunity remain critical effects.
• Human Geography: Food Insecurity The problem of food insecurity is a significant bother of humankind. Various international organizations were created to address the matter.
• “Chinese Restaurant Food” : The Article Review The article ‘Chinese Restaurant Food’ educates the general public about the hidden dangers and harm of eating too much Chinese food.
• Product Design in Food Industry: A McDonald’s Case Article Critique In “Product Design in Food Industry – A McDonald’s Case,” authors consider McDonald’s recent launch of new products along with some of the aspects of its production process and innovativeness.
• Fast-Food Restaurant’s Capacity Increasing Options The fast-food restaurant is experiencing a booming business and looking for ways to increase its capacity to serve more customers. The management has come up with two options.

If you need a good idea for your argumentative essay, check out some food related topics to debate:

• Should fast food be regulated?
• Should GMO labeling be mandatory?
• Is there a need for stricter regulation of food advertising?
• The link between processed food and obesity.
• The role of meat consumption in climate change.
• The pros and cons in functional foods.
• Can cities become self-sufficient in food production?
• Why should we promote Meatless Mondays?
• Are food additives and preservatives evil?
• The impact of food packaging on plastic pollution.
• Food Waste Management Importance The world is gradually losing its beauty and is constantly coming under pressure from different problems every other day.
• Cause and Effect of Genetically Modified Food The paper states that better testing should be done on GMOs. It would lead to avoiding catastrophic health issues caused by these foods.
• Fast-Food Expansion Strategy for Indian Market With the increasing globalization of the world economy and the fast-food industry, in particular, major fast-food chains continuously seek new markets to expand their operations.
• Food Additives and Problem of Safety Certain food additives are believed to have side effects in adults and most importantly in children, such as increased hyperactivity, allergies, asthma problems, and migraines.
• Healthy Fast Foods: Sector Analysis Health consciousness is fast becoming an important trend in the fast-food restaurant industry. The paper concerns sector analysis on profitability in the said marketplace.
• Food in Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” The readers of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” cannot overlook the fact that the motif of food consumption does resurface throughout the play’s entirety.
• Food & Beverage Companies’ Input to Global Food Consumption The reported data is usable for analysis the industry dominance and structure of both the packaged foods and beverage.
• “The Future of Food” Documentary The documentary “The Future of Food” is shocking by the revelation of how food is made in America. This work describes two main issues that this film focuses on.
• Nutrition: Causes and Effects of Fast Food In modern world productions of fast food and access to take-out combined with little exercise have raised very many health concerns.
• Taiwanese Culture, Foods, and Tourism This paper provides a brief overview of Taiwan, including its location, culture, food, and tourism industry and its significant economic impact on the country.
• Food and Agriculture of Ancient Greece The concepts of agriculture and cuisine both have a deep connection to Greek history, culture, development, and social trends.
• Chinese Food in the United States The Chinese brought their traditions, customs, ingredients and recipes to the United States, sparking a renaissance in food culture.
• Japan’s Food Patterns and Nutrition Habits The most commonly consumed foods among the Japanese people include sushi and sashimi, ramen, Tempura, Kare-raisu (curry rice), and okonomiyaki.
• A Qualitative Study of Independent Fast-Food Vendors Near Secondary Schools “A qualitative study of independent fast-food vendors near secondary schools” primarily sought to explore and navigate the barriers toward offering healthier menu options.
• Ban on Genetically Modified Foods Genetically modified (GM) foods are those that are produced with the help of genetic engineering. Such foods are created from organisms with changed DNA.
• The Food Chain: Groups and Functions Producers, consumers, and decomposers are the three groups of organisms that comprise a food chain in an ecosystem.
• Fast Foods Lead to Fast Death: Informative Speech The fast-food industry has expanded at a rapid pace during the past half-century. The consequence has been the rapid expansion of the nation’s collective waistline.
• Chick-fil-A Inc.’s Entry into Qatari Food Industry The report presents three elements (political, economic, and legal) of PESTEL for Chick-fil-A to use in its decision to expand in the Qatari fast food industry.
• Fast Food Nation: Annotated Bibliography Zepeda’s Bad Choices in Our Food System book explores how the food system, including relevant policies in the US, influences consumer food choices.
• Nutrients in Different Food Groups The essay explains the variety of nutrients in different food groups, the reasons for these variations, and the health benefits associated with the nutrients.
• Food Insecurity in the United States Food insecurity is one of the most pressing global problems that is also relevant for the United States today.
• How Do Fried Foods Affect Nutrition for Young Adults? An annotated bibliography on the topic how fried foods affect nutrition for young adults, the effect of television, the effect of dietary patterns on young adults’ health.
• Firefly Burger Fast Food Marketing Plan The project aims to examine the internal and external environments that affect the success of Firefly restaurant and the need for changing its marketing strategy.
• The Use of Low Fat Food This short essay will demonstrate that many of the foods we are eating today are in reality not that low in fat as they claim.
• “Fast Food Nation” the Book by Eric Schlosser In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser argues that fast food has greatly influenced American society and culture.
• Business Within Society: Food Truck The business in this instance is a food truck that specializes in selling affordable yet clean meals to various workers in and around.
• Advertising Promoting Organic Food and Beverages To turn the world more organic, one has to resort to using organic supplies. Creating ads on the way people can improve environmental conditions will change the position.
• Global Food Supplies, Overpopulation and Pollution The essay explores the problem of the threats to global food supplies and presents solutions and a critique of their effectiveness in alleviating this challenge.
• World Hunger and Food Distribution as Global Issue World hunger is a serious issue that affects the development of many countries, impairing the overall health of their populations and increasing child mortality.
• Food Processing: Principles and Controversies Food processing is a currently applied trend to turn fresh food into different food products through such methods as washing, pasteurizing, freezing, cooking, or packaging.
• Food Behaviors Among Mexicans and South Americans People from diverse backgrounds eat different foods influenced by factors such as geographical location, religion, family values, and beliefs about health.
• Code of Ethics in Food Tracks Business A transformation in the way that food is prepared and enjoyed can be seen in the vast development in the prominence of food trucks.
• Indian Culture and Food Supply India has the world’s second-largest population. Population explosion presents the problem of food insecurity in India.
• Food and Water Security Management The purpose of this article is to evaluate the current methodologies for addressing food and water security issues and propose sustainable solutions based on scholarly evidence.
• Researching Food Service in Hospital Combining medical and gustatory qualities in hospital food is one of the most common difficulties in the healthcare sector worldwide.
• Digitization in Improving the Food Supply Chain Technology plays an essential role in shaping the food markets by improving the affordability, productivity, and diversity of agricultural products.
• The Importance of Nutritional Labeling on Packaged Food It is essential to embrace nutritional labeling on packaged food, as they are meant to educate consumers about the products and their content.
• Food and Beverage Plan: The COVID-19 Pandemic Influence The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many social spheres. The food and beverage industry is still in the conditions of many restraints and limitations.
• Fast Food Restaurants in the US Convenient locations play a critical role in the success of fast-food kiosks. These points include the busy commercial strips, shopping malls, and high-traffic areas.
• Food Policy Action and Food Security Legislation Food Policy Action was created from efforts of the US food policy leaders for holding legislators accountable for those votes that have a direct impact on the food industry.

Do you want to write a paper on the latest advancements in food science and technology? Here are some current food-related research topics to discuss:

• Potential health benefits of plant-based diets.
• Nanotechnology in food packaging.
• The application of 3D printing in the food industry.
• The benefits of bioprocessing of food waste.
• The impact of fermented foods on gut health.
• Current techniques for clean meat production.
• Food traceability: why does it matter?
• Alternative sweeteners as a sugar reduction strategy.
• Emerging trends in food packaging materials.
• The use of robotics in the food industry.
• Healthy Food in U.S. Schools The main reason for choosing this topic is the need to establish the reasons why young people in schools are provided with unhealthy food that have negative health effects.
• Whole Foods Market’s Strategic Position and Goals Whole Foods Market is an American company specialized in foods without artificial hydrogenated fats, colors, flavors, and sweeteners.
• Food Safety: A Policy Issue in Agriculture Today Food safety constitutes proper preparation, storage and preservation of all foods. Markets are increasingly calling for improvement in the quality and safety standards of food crops.
• The “Food Inc.” Documentary by Robert Kenner In his film “Food Inc.”, documentary film producer Robert Kenner explores how massive businesses have monopolized every part of the food supply chain in the United States.
• The Environmental Impacts of the Food and Hospitality Industry The food wastage issue in the food and hospitality industry in Australia remains to be consciously considered as it may adversely affect the environment.
• Food Poisoning Case at Air China Flight On October 6, 2013, nearly 50 passengers on an Air China flight that was bound for Beijing fell ill with symptoms such as vomiting, stomachaches and diarrhea.
• Soul Food: An Original American Art Form Food has always been an important part of people’s lives, and one of the mirrors reflects some national, cultural, and regional peculiarities.
• Fast Food Chain Locations, Non-Chain Restaurants and Bars As discussed in prior sections of the report, the competition for Moma Monaz can be distinguished into three categories: fast food chain locations, non-chain restaurants, and bars.
• The Case of Salesforce and Wegmans Food Market Companies’ ranking based on their employee satisfaction levels has seen many employees leave their organizations in search of better opportunities.
• Sociology of Food and Eating The challenge presented a menu that was repetitive and lacked variety. Since I had no other option, I had to consume the available food.
• Food Chain: Ricotta Cheese Production The choice was made in favor of Ricotta cheese, because it makes the basis for and is added to a range of products, such as cheesecakes, cookies, pancakes, pizza.
• Eco-Friendly Packaging Design for Food and Drinks The paper will focus on the issues of eco-friendly packaging. The topic will be narrowed to the food industry, i.e. food and beverage production.
• Food and Drink Industry’s Innovation and Barriers The paper provides the reasons that influence the need to innovate in the industry and the barriers that stop innovation from taking place.
• Food: National Identity and Cultural Difference This paper examines Ukrainian salo and Japanese sushi to verify if food’s actual taste and ingredients help understand the affiliated people’s mentality.
• The Food Truck Business Models Development This paper examines the following models for the food truck business: operating model, value model, service model, experience model, cost model, and revenue model.
• Powerade Food Myth Buster: Investigating Health Claims Powerade makes a statement on the bottle that it helps replenish four electrolytes lost in sweat. Powerade food myth buster aims to investigate its health claims from ingredients.
• Junk Food Taxation in the United States This paper aims to study junk food taxation in the US, define the related problems, present solutions, and provide recommendations.
• A Typical American Dinner Plate: Origins of Food A plate with tater tots (fried potatoes), chicken wings, spinach soup, and a piece of watermelon for dessert would qualify as ideal in any American household.
• Personal Response About the Documentary “Food Inc.” The documentary, “Food Inc.”, argues that the production of today’s food choices is solely profit-based and that there is insufficient government regulation on agriculture.
• Genetically Modified Foods: How Safe are they? This paper seeks to address the question of whether genetically modified plants meant for food production confer a threat to human health and the environment.
• Negative Impact of Soil Erosion on the World`s Food Supply This paper tells about soil erosion as a process whereby soil-mostly the top fertile soil is transported or swept away from its natural environment then deposited in other places.
• Competition in the Australian Food Industry: Case Analysis This article focuses on an analysis of the performance of Weight Watchers Comapny and Paradise Food Industries to identify the de facto leader in the health food market.
• Genetic Engineering in Food and Freshwater Issues The technology of bioengineered foods, genetically modified, genetically engineered, or transgenic crops, will be an essential element in meeting the challenging population needs.
• Organizational Design Factors in the Food Industry The analysis of this environment is the first thing to do when redesigning the organizational structure of an international corporation.
• Indian Culture and Food in the Raaga Restaurant Before visiting Raaga, a restaurant of Indian cuisine, I tried to consider what I knew about this culture and whether I would eat what I would be served.
• Biofoam: The Snack Food That’s Packing America Biofoam is likely to succeed due to its product nature. It is a resilient, lightweight, and inexpensive product. It resists the urge to shift in transit.
• Costly Healthy Food and State Policies The paper explains a problem of high prices for healthy food giving causes and outcomes, describing relations of costly healthy food and state policy and offering solutions.
• How Canadian Government Could Improve Food Safety? The paper points out how the government can cooperate with other stakeholders in the food industry to improve the existing standards.
• Drug-Drug and Food-Drug Interactions Drug-drug interactions occur when a medicine interferes or affects the activity of a second drug when administered together.
• Pizza as One of the Most Famous Food in London The most revolutionary thing about pizza is that it combines three key ingredients to become one of the tastiest foods to date. This dish utilizes our London-made bread.
• Food Science: How to Make Butter Fresh milk is made up of a combination of milk and cream; since the cream is less thick than the milk, it separates and rises to the top, where it may be scrapped.
• Factors Influencing Food Choices and Their Impact on Health Many people have access to various food options, while some are limited to the highly available and affordable unhealthy food choices.
• Scientific Approach to Food Safety at Home The paper states that a scientific approach to handling, preparing, and storing food that explains how to prevent sickness is known as food safety.
• Buffalo Skies Aki Forest Food Sovereignty Pilot Project The primary purpose of the Buffalo Skies Aki Forest Food Sovereignty pilot project is to transfer knowledge to younger people to reclaim their indigenous voice.
• Amazon and Whole Foods Merger This paper studies the contribution that the acquisition of Whole Foods Amazon has made and what barriers the organization had to face in this process.
• Effects of Climate Variability on Water Resources, Food Security, and Human Health Evaluating the effects of climate variability on water, food, and health will help identify the areas for improvement and offer solutions to current environmental challenges.
• The Issue of Food and Water Security The global issue for the analysis is food and water security. This is a topical problem nowadays, especially in light of climate change and population growth.
• “Maple Leaf Foods”: Company’s Issues and Their Management Maple Leaf Foods faces the issue of the lack of a sustainable vision due to poor leadership and contamination of products, adversely affecting consumers’ health.
• Food and Cultural Appropriation Article by Cheung The article Cultural Appropriation by Helier Cheung focuses on the case of Lucky Lee restaurant, which started the discussion about the cultural appropriation of food.
• Solutions for Food and Water Security Issue With many nations encountering food and water security problems, the consequences of such events have become global, giving rise to multiple outcomes this insecurity.

If you’re looking for persuasive topics about food to talk about, here are some suggestions for you:

• The benefits of eating organic foods.
• Fast food advertising to children should be banned.
• Food waste reduction is everyone’s responsibility.
• The importance of clear and informative food labels.
• The need for stricter regulation of junk food sales in schools.
• Why should the government impose a soda tax?
• The role of food companies in addressing childhood obesity.
• The impact of social media on eating behaviors.
• Home cooking is essential for health and family bonding.
• The role of food companies in addressing food allergies.
• Fortified and Aromatic Wines and Accompanying Food
• Foreign Market Entry of Electronic Food Delivery Service in Nigeria
• Food and Water Security as Globalization Issues
• Discussion of Food Security Technologies
• McDonald’s: The Most Popular Fast-Food Restaurant
• A Plan for Receiving and Handling of Food Products Based on HACCP
• Food Voice of the Bangladeshi
• Fast-Food Marketing and Children’s Fast-Food Consumption
• Fast Food and Health Relations
• Fast-Food Industry’s Influences on Children
• The Process of Food Poisoning in General
• A 3-Day Diet Analysis With the USDA Food Pyramid
• The Impact of Food Choices on the Economy and Environment
• Teens ‘Especially Vulnerable’ to Junk Food Advertising
• Schieffelin: Rainforest Environment and the Kaluli Food Production
• Advantages of Using Genetically Modified Foods
• Visual Communication. Natural Food Packaging Colors
• Behavior-Based Safety in the Food Industry: DO IT Method
• Food Safety Issues and Standards
• White Thinking Hat Fast Food: Overview
• Genetically Modified Food as a Current Issue
• Proposal for Lowering the Intake of High-Calorie Food
• McDonald’s Fast-Food Restaurant’s Analysis
• McDonald’s Company: The Flawed Fast Food Tax
• Nature’s Best Pet Food Brand’s Target Market
• Childhood Obesity Causes: Junk Food and Video Games
• Food Ads Ban for Childhood Obesity Prevention
• Slow Food Movement in USA
• Food Allergies and Obesity
• Genetically Modified Foods and Their Impact on Human Health
• Food Security: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
• Climate Change and Food Production Cycle
• Discussion of Freedman’s Article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”
• Aspects of Food Insecurity
• Whole Foods Company’s Product Marketing in France
• Whole Foods: An Organizational Needs Analysis
• Eating Fast Food and Obesity Correlation Analysis
• Nitrates and Nitrites in Food
• Neighborhood Deprivation and Exposure to Fast Food in a Large Rural Area
• Food Insecurity Assessment in Miami
• The History of Soul Food Cuisine in the United States
• The Actual and Budgeted Food Costs
• Food and Wine Pairing Menu
• First in Show Pet Foods: Case Analysis
• Food Festival Event for Westboro Residents
• Analysis of Nutrition and Food Studies
• The Importance of Variability in the Food Industry
• The Origins of the Soul Food and Barbeque in the USA
• Food Safety in the Commercial Industry
• Working in a Food Pantry
• How the Fast Food Industry Has Changed the Environment and the Health of American Society?
• Fast Food Nation: Business Analysis
• The Importance of Sustainable Development in the Food Retail Sector
• Food Choices in Food Deserts: Sociological Analysis
• Supply Chain Management in the Food Industry
• Food in the 20th Centure
• Nutrition, Healthy Food Choice, and Nutritional Value of Fast Foods
• Canada’s Food Guide Discussion
• The American Diet Influenced by Fast Food Ads
• The Meat Inspection and Food Safety Issues
• Food Deserts’ Impact on Children
• Food Deserts Control in the United States
• The Salmonella Bacterium as a Food Borne Illness Pathogen
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma Regarding Sources of Food
• Availability of Healthy Food
• Improper Food Handling Practices in Kansas City Restaurant
• Food Sustainability Assessment
• The Age of “Nutritionism”: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• The Food Insecurity Issue and Methods of Solving
• Food Ingredients: Molecular Reactions
• Food Preparation in Upper Paleolithic Ohalo II
• Agriculture, Water, and Food Security in Tanzania
• Food, Inc., Produced by Kenner Review
• Jewish Dietary Patterns: Kosher Food and New Meat
• Improper Food Handling Practices in Kansas City
• The Lack of Food Safety in Kansas City, Missouri
• Food Poisoning Caused by Staphylococcus Aureus
• Effects of Food-Medication Interplay on Recovery
• The Reaction to the “Food, Inc.” Documentary
• Food Insecurity Health Issue: How to Mitigate It
• Food Habits and Acculturation of Immigrants
• Hazard Analysis in Food Safety
• Discussion: Whole Foods ‘Teaming Up’
• The Challenges in Food Supply Chain During COVID-19
• Nike, Whole Foods, and Mcdonald’s: The Use of Information Systems
• Food Insecurity and Associated Environmental Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Food Industry: The Safety Issues
• Food Insecurity in New York City
• Agriculture-Led Food Crops and Cash Crops in Tanzania
• Food Insecurity’s Causes and Implications
• Protecting Ourselves from Food Article by Sherman & Flaxman
• Food Deserts and Related Challenges
• The Baby Food Shortage: Public Service Announcement
• Examining Solutions for Mitigating the Food and Water Security Issue
• Restricting the Volume of Sale of Fast Foods and Genetically Modified Foods
• Agriculture and Food Safety in the United States
• Expanding Access to Food Interview Plan
• Liability of Death from Food Poisoning
• Food Labeling Affecting Sustainable Food Choices
• Behavioral Reasoning Perspectives on Organic Food Purchase
• Analysis of Freeman’s Promotion of Junk Food
• Morals and Using Animals for Food
• Fast Food Addiction: Comparison of Articles
• Evaluation of Articles on Food and Water Security
• Food Administration on Sustainable Palm Oil
• Food Cost Issues in the Hospital
• Issues of Obesity and Food Addiction
• Global Societal Issue: Food and Water Security
• Addressing Food Insecurity in Wyandotte County
• “Can You Be Addicted to Food?”: A New Problem Faced by North Americans
• The Connection Between Food Allergies and Gut Microbiome
• Food Facility Design: Sustainable Kitchen for Delight Restaurant
• Successful Institutional Food Management & Delivery Systems
• Trade Peculiarities in Food and Agriculture
• The Discrepancies in Unhealthy Food Advertising: Hispanic and Black Consumers
• The Biofuel and Food Industry Connection
• “Societal Control” Over Food and Weight Gain
• Food Deprivation in the United States
• “Fast Food Nation”: The Development of the Food Industry in the USA
• The Connection Between Food Choices, Identity, and Nationalism
• Healthy Food for Learning Achievements in School
• Introduction to Food: Macromolecules Analysis
• Discussion of Food Foraging History
• Botulism Prevention and Food Security Approaches
• Should Food Manufacturers Label All GMOs?
• Donating Restaurant Food to Poor People in Peru
• “Food Stamped” and Its Main Shortcomings
• Proper Food Rotation Overview
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Globalization
• Sustainable Agriculture Against Food Insecurity
• Food Allergies and Eating Disorders
• Supply Chain Strategy for the Foods and Drinks Sector
• Organic Food Purchases Among Customers of Different Ages
• Food Deserts and Their Impact on Local Communities
• Introduction and Politics of Food Discussion
• Food Security: Global Health Issue Comparison
• Are Food Manufactures Killing Us?
• A Community Mobile Food Truck to Serve Disadvantaged Children’s Needs
• White-Collar Crimes: Unsafe Food
• The Class About Nutrition to Real Life Situations When Making Food Choices
• Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food
• Food Supplements in Preventing Long-Term Illnesses
• Logistics Network of the Food and Beverage Production Industry
• Quality of Food Served to Children
• Food, Health and Environment Relations
• The Home Food Environment and Obesity-Promoting Eating Behaviours
• The Effects of Food on ADHD
• Genetically Modified Organisms in Human Food
• Nursing: Issue of Obesity, Impact of Food
• When Food Costs More Than It Is Supposed To
• Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Amendment
• American Food Industry in the “Food, Inc.” Movie
• Obesity Treatment – More Than Food
• Nurse-Led Program on Food Safety Problem
• Halal Food in Other Religions
• Bacteria That Cause Food Toxicity
• “The Food Matters” by James Colquhoun
• “The Future of Food” produced by Catherine Lynn Butler
• Comfort Food as a Quarantine Trend
• Food Consumption: Enjoyment and Ethics
• Reducing Food Packaging Litter in Ireland
• TQM, Six Sigma and Product Liability in Perishable Food Industry
• Food Labeling and Concordia University’s Food Sphere
• The Downtown Rideau Area: Food Segway Tours
• The Words on Your Plate: Analysis of the Food Words
• Expanding Ultima Foods in China
• Escherichia Coli Infection: Preventing Food Borne Illness
• National Food Policy Guaranteeing Healthy Food Marketing
• Modeling Sustainable Food Systems
• Macronutrients Consumption: The Best Food Sources
• “Women, Food, and Learning” by Claudia Setzer
• Food Additives Use in Agriculture in the United States
• Food and Sustainable Environmental Issues in Campus
• 2019 Brooklyn Crush Wine & Artisanal Food Festival
• America Express Charity Food Overview
• Food, Body, and Weight Issues Exploration and Family Dynamics in Ireland
• Is Fast Food Really Harmful and Can It Be Healthy?
• The Current American Food Situation Influenced by the Immigrant Farmers
• Traditional Lakota Food: Buffalo
• Organic Foods Issue of “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan
• Testing Food Service Employees: Policy Assessment
• How Tesco a Leading Food Retailer Globally
• Food Habits and Dietary Practices: Honey as Food
• Food and Drug Administration History
• Climate Change and Its Potential Impact on Agriculture and Food Supply
• Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation”
• The Fast Food Restaurants History in the United States
• Delectability of Foods Within the Context of Children
• Concerns Regarding Genetically Modified Food
• UK Business Sourcing Extensive Food Materials from Greece
• Time and Food: Chrononutrition & Night Eating
• Obesity Caused by Fast-Food as a Nursing Practice Issue
• Food and Drug Administration – Regulatory Agency
• Do Marketers Condition Us to Buy More Junk Food?
• Bologna-Surface Bacterial Analysis: Bacterial Contamination on Two Food Contact Surfaces
• Food Insecurity Intervention and Its Effectiveness
• Food Company Managing Business Activities
• Granite City Food & Brewery Company’s Analysis
• Global Food Security: UN Speech
• Australian Consumers Strategies to Reduce Food Waste
• Genetically Modified Food Safety and Benefits
• Waste, Food and Transportation: Sustainable Development
• Food Stamps: Rationale for Tightened Conditions
• Granite City Food & Brewery Company’s Environment
• Granite City Food & Brewery Company’s Market Capitalization
• Food Labeling Changes in the United States
• Start Up Company: Genetically Modified Foods in China
• Granite City Food & Brewery Company’s Value Chain
• The Currency Devaluation Concept in the Food Industry
• Healthy and Nutritious Food for Young Children
• Food in Reducing Risks and Improving Health
• Food and Drug Administration Fast-Track Approval
• Dietary Laws and Food Products for Health
• Fast Food as a Cause of Obesity in the US and World
• Labeling Food With Genetically Modified Organisms
• Ethical Eating in Daily Food Practices
• Food Diversion as a Type-2 Diabetes Treatment
• Food Producing Company and Its Key Processes
• Saddle Creek Corporation: Food Company Analysis
• IES Lean Systems Ltd. in the Food Industry
• Packaging in Marketing, Food Safety, Environment
• Food for the Working-class Americans
• Fast Food and Obesity Link – Nutrition
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• Food Science and Technology of Genetic Modification
• Food Across Cultures: Asida (Jamza) Meal Project
• Food Safety and Information Bulletin
• Nutrition and Food Security within the Aboriginal and Remote Communities of Australia
• Nutrition: Foods Containing Calories

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StudyCorgi. (2021, September 9). 449 Food Essay Topics & Research Questions to Write about. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/food-essay-topics/

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StudyCorgi . 2021. "449 Food Essay Topics & Research Questions to Write about." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/food-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Food were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 22, 2024 .

Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Guide

• Intro to Research

How to Write a Research Question

• Scholarly Literature, News
• Grey Literature, Data
• Writing & Publishing
• Citation Tools
• Networking & Careers
• Keeping Current
• Food Systems, Nutrition, & Health Toolkit This link opens in a new window
• Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health at the UW This link opens in a new window
• Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Major at the UW This link opens in a new window

Introduction

What characterizes a good question.

• Well-conceptualized
• Direct and clear
• Includes all components (main concepts)

Why should I formulate a structured research question?

• To point you in a specific direction (narrowing your scope/focus to ask a manageable question)
• To identify the main concepts of your question
• To help build your literature search strategy
• To improve your information retrieval
• To be able to evaluate the usefulness/appropriateness of the information retrieved 

Identifying Key Concepts and Search Terms

Using a framework to develop your research question can help to identify the main concepts of your review topic (see further down the page). Whether you use a framework or not, the goal is to identify the main concepts of your question and the synonyms / similar terms that might be used to describe each of those concepts:

Combining search terms with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and parentheses:

Use AND to combine different main concepts of your search: Childhood AND Asthma. Narrows results (see gray overlapping section of Venn diagram). 

Venn diagram of Childhood AND Asthma:

Use OR to include similar terms / synonyms (and sometimes antonyms) for a concept: childhood OR adolescence. Fertility OR infertility. Broadens results (see Venn diagram with all sections shaded in gray). 

Venn diagram of Childhood OR Adolescence: 

Parentheses

When you use synonyms and different concepts, you will need parentheses similar to the order of operations in math. Example: (childhood OR adolescence OR children) AND (asthma OR wheezing). This tells the database that any of the child terms must be in the article along with any of the asthma terms, but an article may not have just a child term or just an asthma term.

Use the Boolean operator NOT with caution. You will miss out on articles that talk about both concepts. For example: Child NOT Adult will miss articles that talk about children and adults, which may mean you don't see a key piece of information about your topic. To find information about children, the safer method is to include Child as a concept (e.g., AND (child OR childhood OR children OR kids)) to your search instead of 'NOTting' out Adults. 

Venn diagram of NOT Adult when you want to see information about children; the center slice could contain relevant information about children that you would miss by using NOT Adult:

Another example from Slippery Rock University Bailey Library using Peanut Butter and Jelly  may further clarify the use of Boolean operators and parentheses. 

Considerations for searching:

It is not always necessary to include all of your main concepts in the search. In some PICO questions, the outcome (O) is implied and does not need to be included. In other cases, any and all outcomes might of interest and so the search strategy can leave this out to keep it open.

Example research question: In seniors with dementia, does a falls prevention program, compared to no falls prevention program, result in decreased falls?

• In the above PICO question, the comparator (C) can be left out of the search strategy as there is no great way to search for "not" having the intervention (in contrast to when there is a placebo or an alternate intervention as a comparison)
• Also, the intervention (I) somewhat implies the outcome (O), so the outcome (decreased falls) can be left out of the search strategy
• The main concepts that should be included in this particular search are: seniors (P1), dementia (P2), and falls prevention (I). Keep in mind though that there are different ways of describing these three concepts and so synonyms / similar terms are important to include in the search as well

Frameworks for Research Questions

Applying a framework when developing a research question can help to identify the key concepts and determine inclusion and exclusion criteria.

• PICo: Population/Participants, phenomenon of Interest, Context
• PICO(S): Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, (Study design)
• PECO(S):  Patient/Problem, Exposure, Comparison, Outcome, (Study design)
• PESICO: Person, Environment, Stakeholders, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
• PIPOH: Population, Interventions, Professionals/Patients, Outcome, Healthcare Setting
• PS:  Population, Situation
• SPICE:  Setting, Perspectives, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation

Example: PICO Questions

Example: spice question.

Example from: Booth, A., Noyes, J., Flemming, K., Moore, G., Tunçalp, Ö., & Shakibazadeh, E. (2019). Formulating questions to explore complex interventions within qualitative evidence synthesis . BMJ Global Health, 4(Suppl 1), e001107.

Example: Nutritional Sciences

Search strategy development in the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Guide .

Formulating Research Questions

Underdeveloped question: .

What interventions help against vaping in youth?

Refined research question:

What strategies are effective for preventing nicotine vaping in youth?

The content of this page is almost entirely from  Queen's University Library's Public Health Guide .

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Culinary and Food Research Topics: 100 Tasty Ideas for Students

The world of food is intriguing because of how it permeates every aspect of our life. In today’s fast-paced digital world, processed and fast food have risen to become the dominant options in the culinary scene.

The convenience of these choices is appealing, but they have also raised some health concerns. Therefore, it is crucial to look into food research paper topics. Research in this area is very important for a variety of reasons, including ensuring food safety, understanding the effects of the food industry, and discovering new sources of healthy food.

Here, we explore the varied world of food to provide you with some interesting research paper topics on this fascinating subject.

Food Research Paper Topics on Nutrition

Understanding the effects of food on our health requires extensive research on nutrition-related subjects. Included in the broad category of food research paper topics are issues like food safety, fast food, organic food, and even the food industry.

Exploring this topic via study helps us learn more about healthy food options, food science, and dietary practices. In addition, Edusson writing service can offer professionally written research papers on these subjects, with reliable sources and organized analysis.

• The Role of Dietary Fiber in Preventing Chronic Diseases.
• The Impact of Fast Food Restaurants on Eating Habits and Nutritional Intake Across Age Groups.
• Prevalence and Causes of Food Allergies in the Modern Population.
• Fast Food Intake and the Risk of Obesity and Chronic Diseases.
• Nutritional Education on Food Choices and Dietary Habits.
• Effects of Food Poisoning Outbreaks on Consumer Trust in the Fast Food Industry.
• Factors Influencing Food Safety Practices in Fast Food Establishments.
• Investigating the Impact of Organic Foods on Human Nutrition
• Organic Food Versus Conventionally Grown Food in Terms of Nutritional Value.
• Relationship Between Junk Food Consumption and Mental Health Outcomes.

Research Paper Topics on Food Safety and Quality Control

Topics for food research papers on food safety and quality control are very important for resolving issues in the food industry, as a whole. These discussions dive into food science and other related fields to find solutions to problems with food quality and safety.

A safer food system and greater public health are the direct results of research paper efforts to identify potential risks, and strengthen relevant laws. Listed below are some suggestions for research paper topics on the subjects of Food Safety and Quality Control:

• Investigating the Relationship Between Food Allergies and Food Safety Measures.
• Junk Food Intake on Food Safety Standards.
• Quality Control Systems in the Food Industry.
• The Role of Food Science in Enhancing Food Safety and Quality.
• Nutritional Profile and Safety of Fast Foods.
• Food Safety Regulations on the Fast Food Sector.
• Food Safety Measures and Waste Reduction.
• Food Safety and Quality Control in Preventing Foodborne Illnesses.
• Consumer Perceptions of Organic Foods and Food Safety.
• Food Safety Practices and Food Industry Sustainability.

Culinary Traditions and cultural heritage

Food research paper topics on culinary traditions and cultural heritage include a society’s history, values, and identity via food customs and recipes. Culinary research paper topics are important because they show how food has influenced different civilizations and foster understanding.

Fast food’s health impacts, food science, human nutrition, and overlooked regional cuisines are research paper topics in this area. Explore the paper topics samples below to help spark ideas for your next research paper:

• Culinary Traditions in Preserving Cultural Identity.
• Rediscovering Forgotten Culinary Traditions.
• Traditional Diets and Nutrition.
• Protecting Culinary Traditions and Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Diaspora Food Traditions: Migrant Food Practices.
• Cultural Appropriation vs. Culinary Appreciation.
• From Antiquity to the Present: A History of Food and Cooking.
• The Impact of Globalization on Culinary Traditions
• Impact of Colonial Powers on Indigenous Food Practices.
• Culinary Traditions and Generational Shifts: Examining Age-Related Food Preferences and Preparation Methods.

Food Systems and Policy

The terms food systems and food policies refer to the intricate webs of relationships and rules that shape the food supply chain from farm to fork. Writing about food topics for research paper is important for a number of reasons. It aids policymakers in their quest for long-term, equitable answers to problems including fast food, junk food, food poisoning, and food science. Investigating food research paper topics in this field can  help us encourage constructive improvements to our food systems.

• Food Systems and Policies in Addressing Food Insecurity and Hunger.
• Organic Food Policies and Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Conservation.
• The Role of Government Regulations in Reducing Food Wastage Throughout the Supply Chain.
• Food Systems and the Promotion of Human Nutrition and Well-Being.
• Suggested Policies to Tackle Food Addiction and the Unhealthy Consumption of Junk Foods.
• Economic Implications of Organic Food Production and Marketing.
• Psychological Factors Contributing to Food Addiction and Its Implications for Policy.
• Possible Policies on Food Technologies on the Quality and Safety of Processed Foods.
• Agricultural Subsidies on Food Security and Sustainability.
• Social and Economic Implications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the Food System.

Culinary Innovations

Innovations in the kitchen are major steps forward for the food industry. They feature deviations from conventional cooking in the ways of method, ingredients, and presentation. Researching food related topics in this field is essential for making advances in fast food, the culinary arts, and other related fields. Improved food quality, sustainability, and health are all possible outcomes of selecting a food research paper topic in this field.

Exploring food research paper topics in this field helps us find ways to improve our diets and have more enjoyable dining experiences. Here are some examples of culinary arts research paper topics to get you thinking about your own research topic about food;

• Culinary Innovations and Healthy Fast Foods
• Plant-Based and Vegan Culinary Innovations: A Growing Trend in The Food Industry
• Culinary Innovations on Fast Food Employee Training and Skill Development
• Role of Molecular Gastronomy in Culinary Innovations
• Sustainability and Culinary Innovations: Exploring Eco-Friendly Food Production
• Culinary Innovations in Food Packaging and Preservation
• Role of Food Science in Culinary Innovations: From Molecules to Dishes
• Social and Environmental Implications of Culinary Innovations in Fast Food Industry
• Culinary Innovations in Food Education
• Nutritional Implications of Culinary Innovations in Fast Food Menu Items

Food and psychology, consumer behavior

The interesting relationship between food and our minds is explored in food research topics on psychology and consumer behavior. This research examines mental, emotional, and sensory variables that influence human diets, such as the media’s effect on fast food intake.

Food related research topics in this discipline aim to understand consumer behavior and create effective ways to promote healthier eating choices. The effects of social media on eating habits and the psychology of food cravings are among the many food research paper topics available.

• Fast Food Packaging Design on Consumer Perception and Purchase Behavior.
• Sensory Marketing and Its Influence on Food Choices and Consumer Behavior.
• Psychological Factors that Drive Food Intake During Times of Stress.
• Social Media and Its Influence on Food Choices and Eating Behaviors.
• Food Advertising and Its Effects on Children’s Food Preferences and Consumption Patterns.
• Food Neophobia in Shaping Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors Towards New Food Products.
• Understanding Its Influence on Dietary Choices and Well-Being.
• Food Imagery and Visual Cues in Shaping Consumer Perceptions and Preferences.
• The Effects of Different Labeling Strategies on Consumer Behavior.
• Mood and Emotions in Food-Related Decision-Making and Consumption Behaviors.

Research Topics on Food Science

Among the many things that go under the umbrella of food science topics are nutritional analysis, sensory assessment, and various methods of safety and preservation of food. Improving food quality, addressing new issues, and creating novel solutions all need more study in this field.

If you’re interested in making a significant contribution to the development of food science, consulting a research paper guide might be a great resource for doing so. The following are some examples of potential food science research topics:

• Food Processing Techniques on Nutrient Retention and Bioavailability.
• Exploring the Potential Health Benefits of Functional Foods Fortified with Probiotics.
• Factors Influencing Consumer Acceptance of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods.
• Role of Antioxidants in Preventing Food Deterioration and Extending Product Shelf Life.
• Fast Food Production Practices on Food Safety and Microbial Contamination.
• Potential of Plant-Based Proteins as a Sustainable Alternative to Animal-Based Proteins.
• Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits of Traditional Fermented Foods.
• The Role of Food Additives in the Development of Food Allergies and Intolerances
• Food Storage Conditions and the Formation of Harmful Substances, Such as Acrylamide and Aflatoxins
• Fast Food Packaging Materials and The Migration of Harmful Chemicals Into Food Products

Argumentative Food Research Topics

In the realm of argumentative food research, a wide variety of controversial food topics are examined and argued. This field lays the groundwork for food argumentative essay ideas, allowing us to dive into the nuances of food-related problems and examine their effects on people, the planet, and agriculture.

Delving into argumentative essay topics about food, allows us to learn more about the pros and cons of various dietary options. Our selection of theme ideas might assist, whether you’re looking for fast food argumentative essay topics or more traditional food arguments topics.

• Should Genetically Modified Crops Be Embraced or Banned? Assessing the Implications for Agriculture and Food Security.
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Human Health: Examining the Evidence and Debunking Misconceptions
• Sugar Consumption on Obesity and Chronic Diseases: Is Sugar the Main Culprit?
• Organic vs. Conventional Farming: Evaluating the Environmental and Health Implications
• Benefits and Drawbacks of Meat Consumption: Is a Plant-Based Diet Superior?
• Fast Food Chains and the Global Obesity Epidemic: Is Regulation the Solution?
• Are Food Allergens Safe and Health?
• Is the Western Diet Responsible for The Rise in Chronic Diseases? Investigating the Link Between Diet and Health Conditions.
• Should Food Education Be a Mandatory Part of the School Curriculum? Assessing the Importance of Nutrition Knowledge for Children.
• Is There a Connection Between Food Insecurity and Obesity? Investigating the Paradoxical Relationship and Potential Solutions.

Interesting Food Research Paper Topics for College/University Projects

There is a plethora of interesting food topics available in the realm of food research, making it ideal for use in academic writing. Students that are interested in nutrition, food science, sustainability, and the culinary arts can find many food topics to research to investigate.

To better understand food-related concerns, boost public health, and tackle global difficulties like food security, research topics about food are crucial. Buying research papers for sale might be helpful for students looking for both speed and quality. It helps them save time, gives them access to articles produced by experts, and provides useful information that may direct their own studies.

• Relationship between Dietary Patterns and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors.
• Cultural and Social Significance of Traditional Foods in Different Ethnic Communities.
• Impact of Climate Change on Food Production and Global Food Security.
• Relationship between Food Allergies and the Gut Microbiome.
• School-based Nutrition Interventions on Students’ Dietary Behaviors and Academic Performance.
• Relationship between Food Wastage and Environmental Sustainability.
• Genetic Engineering in Food Production: Benefits, Risks, and Ethical Considerations.
• Potential Health Benefits of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
• Food Additives and Human Health.
• Safety and Efficacy of Novel Food Ingredients and Food Supplements.

Food Sustainability and Waste Reduction

The food industry is an important framework in which to consider the themes of food sustainability and waste reduction. They are concerned with the sustainability of our food system, including its production, distribution, and consumption.

Researching the problems associated with fast food and related themes, such as fast food research topics or fast food essay topics, is crucial. We can reduce food waste, save resources, and build a more resilient food system for future generations if we work together to find new ways to do things and get the word out.

• Analyzing the Role of Technology in Reducing Food Wastage.
• Organic Farming and How It Fosters Reducing Food Wastage.
• Packaging Design and Minimizing Food Wastage.
• Promoting Sustainable Diets for Reducing Environmental Impact.
• The Impact of Food Wastage on Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
• Economic Implications of Food Waste Reduction.
• Potential of Edible Food Packaging Materials.
• Sustainable Approaches to Managing Food Surplus.
• Sustainable Strategies for Reducing Food Loss During Transportation.
• The Efficiency of Composting Systems for Food Management.

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Top 50 Food Research Paper Topics For Students

Choosing a suitable topic for a research paper is usually the hardest part of the research. The same is true in choosing food research paper topics. In reality, however, there are numerous food topics to choose from for research. Once you’re able to select food topics to write about, the going gets much easier! In choosing food research topics, it is vital that you select food topics that pique your interest. This way, you’ll be able to go the extra mile to write an excellent paper.

Without further ado, we would like to save you the stress of brainstorming too much for a topic. This is why we have written this article that contains 50 topics about food. These interesting food topics and other food related topics are all captivating and will get your audience hooked. Let’s get started!

Food Topics For Research Paper

Are you in need of some awesome research topics about food? Well, you’re in the right place!

• Fatty foods: Why do children need more fats than adults?
• Bone density and poor nutrition: the correlation
• Is it safe to use nutritional supplements to help bone density?
• Are organic foods better than inorganic foods in the body?
• Why are antioxidants important dietary substances to our bodies?
• How affordable are nutritional supplements for poor people?
• Can chocolates be addictive?

Controversial Food Topics

Some food controversy topics are so controversial that they end friendships. Ready to explore some controversial food topics? Here are some food controversies topics for you!

• What is the best way to cook eggs?
• Is corn-fed beef better than grass-fed beef?
• What is the best way to eat pizza?
• Where should food sauce be stored?
• Vegetarianism versus veganism.

Food Essay Topics

In this section, we shall consider some fast food topics. One can tweak these fast food research paper topics and make them fast food essay topics. Ready to explore some fast food research topics? Let’s delve right in!

• Do we need more fast food restaurants in society?
• The effects of fast food in society
• Can people maintain a balanced diet if they eat at quick-service restaurants?
• Should fast foods be sold in hospitals?
• An analysis of the socio-economic benefits of the fast-food industry.

Food Debate Topics

In a subject area as wide as food, it is impossible to avoid arguments and debates. People see foods from different angles and through different lenses. For this reason, we have crafted some food arguments topics, and food debates topics for you!

• Should chili have beans?
• Should you use ketchup on a hot dog?
• What’s the best way to boil rice?
• Are burgers sandwiches?
• Which part of chicken wings is better?

Food Safety Topics

Food safety is an important aspect of food research. It is the scientific aspect and discipline that describes the preparation, handling, and storage of food. These food handling processes are important to prevent food-borne illnesses. Do you have a meeting where you need to make a presentation on food safety? Well, you just hit the jackpot! Here are some food safety topics for meetings!

• Are color additives safe? How safe?
• How to effectively reduce the risk of food allergies
• What consumers must know about Avian Influenza
• Food and antimicrobial resistance
• How to reduce the risk of botulism?
• Health concerns for the use of coffee and caffeine

Food Science Research Topics

Food science is a combination of both basic and applied science of food. Food science is the complex enmeshment of agricultural science, nutrition, and the scientific aspects of food processing and safety. Findings from studies in food science dictate the development of various food technologies. If you need some food science research topics, then you’ve come to the right place. You can also check out our bioethics topics . Here are some food science topics for you!

• Why food science is important in human nutrition
• What happens to stored foods?
• How to effectively prevent food poisoning
• How dietary habits of females affect their overall nutrition
• Factors that influence the taste of wine
• How to influence the psychology of eating?

Food Justice Topics

Food justice when communities exercise their right to grow, eat, and sell healthy food. Food justice ensures access to food that is healthy, fresh, and locally grown. It also seeks to provide living-wage jobs for the farmers and helps to boost community control. Here are some food justice topics for you.

• Finding common ground through food justice
• How to increase government involvement in food justice?
• How to get more land and animals to facilitate food justice?
• Why is food justice important? Should their voice be heard?

Food And Nutrition Topics

Food and nutrition remain pivotal to the survival of all living species. This is because these are the channels and ways that we get fuel and energy for our bodies. There are many important nutrients in the body, such as fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and even water. These nutrients need to receive new supplies every day. If you’re interested in food and nutrition topics, then this is the place to be. Here are some food and nutrition topics for you!

• An exhaustive definition of nutritional deficiency and the critical diseases malnutrition can cause.
• Why are amino acids important to the growth of muscles?
• Should children be fed more dietary products like milk or less?
• What are the most important types of nutrition to help body development?
• Women and diet around the world.

Food Related Research Topics

Food research also covers aspects that do not directly relate to the food substance itself. These areas of food research cover some aspects such as food arrangement, food preservation, food processing, etc. If you want to research some food-related aspects, here are some food-related research topics for you!

• The best way to organize a refrigerator
• The best spices and their corresponding health benefits
• Organizing a spice cabinet: Best practices
• How to effectively fight food-borne bacteria
• Is slow cooking safe?
• How important is it to take breakfast?
• Which foods should you not freeze?

So here we are! Fifty food research paper topics from our thesis writers for your research work! Don’t forget to show them what you’ve got. We wish you the best of luck in your topic selection and research writing.

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Conceptual Models of Food Choice: Influential Factors Related to Foods, Individual Differences, and Society

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2 Division on Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services (IAFES), CMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, Viale Trieste 127, 01100 Viterbo, Italy

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Understanding individual food choices is critical for transforming the current food system to ensure healthiness of people and sustainability of the planet. Throughout the years, researchers from different fields have proposed conceptual models addressing factors influencing the food choice, recognized as a key leverage to improve planetary and human health. However, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to better understand how different factors are involved and interact with each other in the decision-making process. The present paper reviews and analyzes existing models, providing an intact point-of-view by integrating key elements into a bigger framework. Key determinants of general food choice are identified and categorized, including food-internal factor (sensory and perceptual features), food-external factors (information, social environment, physical environment), personal-state factors (biological features and physiological needs, psychological components, habits and experiences), cognitive factors (knowledge and skills, attitude, liking and preference, anticipated consequences, and personal identity), as well as sociocultural factors (culture, economic variables, political elements). Moreover, possible directions of influence among the factors towards final food choice were discussed. The need of multidisciplinary impulses across research field with the support of empirical data are crucial for understanding factors influencing food choice as well as for enriching existing conceptual models. The framework proposed here would serve as a roadmap for facilitating communications and collaborations between research fields in a structural and systematic way.

1. Introduction

1.1. consumer food choice: an important role in achieving healthy and sustainable food system.

Global food systems possess a complex and multi-faceted set of challenges, regarding both human and environmental health, from farm to fork. From a human society point of view, there are still 690 million people who suffer from hunger while food insecurity is predicted to increase due to the present Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the consequent economic shock [ 1 ]. Meanwhile, 677.6 million adults, equal to 13.1% of the population worldwide, are obese [ 2 ], resulting in a double burden of malnutrition. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in urban areas, can be related to a change in lifestyle, low levels of physical activity [ 3 ], and unhealthy diets [ 4 ] based on the interaction between individual characteristics on food choices and obesogenic environments. Especially, obesogenic environments are recognized as crucial drivers of the increasing prevalence of obesity epidemic [ 5 , 6 ], including microenvironments at individual level (e.g., school, workplace, home, neighborhood) and macroenvironments at societal level (e.g., education and health systems, government policy, society’s attitudes and beliefs) [ 7 ]. The outcome of food choice is based on interactions between environmental and individual factors [ 8 ].

Individual food choices, embedded in the pattern of food consumptions, evolved according to the changes of natural environment, biological basis, physical need, lifestyle, and development of technology [ 9 ]. In the modern society, owing to increasing national wealth and urbanized living, people consume more animal proteins as well as processed food. At the same time, consumptions of whole food or minimally-processed foods such as whole grains, legumes, and other sources of fiber decreased [ 10 ]. Some studies have highlighted that eating patterns and food choice have changed with the change of global food systems and food supply, resulting in a shift toward increased intake of unhealthy food [ 11 ]. The change of global food supply chains influences the food environments, [ 12 ]. Particularly, food choice with ultra-processed food significantly increased, owing to the easy access, cheap price and marketing strategies [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. The vicious cycle has been created between food choice and the consequence of food choice as it is confirmed that consumption of heavily-processed foods is significantly associated with higher BMI and increased likelihood of being obese [ 13 , 14 , 16 ]. On the other hand, overweight and obese individuals tend to show more liking and to select more energy-dense foods [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].

Given that negative impacts on human beings as well as on the planet (e.g., pre- and post- production activities in food system produces up to 37% of the total anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas emissions [ 20 ]) have considerably grown, promoting healthier and more sustainable food choices and better diets have been a new multidisciplinary research impulse [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. According to Food and Agriculture Organization [ 26 ], sustainable healthy diets are dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe, and equitable; and are culturally acceptable. Grunert [ 22 ] has pointed out that consumers have great potential in making food chains more sustainable by choosing more sustainable food production and rejecting less sustainable alternatives through their food choices. For example, choosing low-impact foods (e.g., minimally-processed plant-based foods) and increasing use efficiency of agricultural input offer larger environmental benefits [ 27 ]. While food choices with heavily-processed food have negative impacts on the environment [ 28 ], lowering consumption of more discretionary products (e.g., oils and sugar) can reduce land use, emission, and freshwater withdrawals [ 29 ]. Thus, promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns, rooted in food choices at individual level, has been recognized as a potential and crucial solution [ 30 ]. A number of multidisciplinary studies have shed light on the importance of addressing the role of individual food choice in tackling the current nutrition and also environmental crisis [ 31 , 32 , 33 ].

1.2. Exploring Factors Influencing Consumer Food Choice and Constructing the Conceptual Models

1.2.1. three main categories of factors influencing food choices: food-related features, individual differences, and society-related features.

A rich body of literature has focused on exploring factors influencing individual food choice. Due to the complex nature of food choice, proposed factors as well as the categorization of factors differed from one study to another. However, although works from different research fields (e.g., nutrition, psychology, social science, marketing, etc.) provided evidence with different perspectives, the factors affecting food choices can be leveled into three main categories: (1) Food-related features: intrinsic features such as color and aroma, and extrinsic features such as information and packaging [ 34 , 35 ]); (2) individual difference: biological (e.g., hunger, appetite, and taste), physical (e.g., access, skills of cooking, and time), psychological (e.g., mood and stress), cognitive (e.g., attitudes or preference, beliefs, and knowledge), and social (e.g., family, and peers) factors (see [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]); (3) society-related features: culture, economic variables such as price and income, and policy, e.g., [ 39 ].

1.2.2. The Role of Food Environments as Factors Influencing Food Choices

In addition to the three main categories, in recent years, ‘food environments’ have been defined and recognized as important factors influencing people’s food choice. According to Swinburn, et al. [ 40 ], food environment equals to the collective physical, economic, policy, and sociocultural surroundings, opportunities, and conditions that influence people’s food choices and nutritional status. In fact, ‘food environments’ include different factors from the aforementioned three main categories, such as physical and social environments as well as economic, policy, and sociocultural environments. Some studies attempted to provide a more holistic point of view by integrating the role of food environments. For example, an early paper [ 41 ] proposed that food consumption is based on food preference, under the influence of food characteristics (e.g., taste, texture, and cost), individual characteristics (e.g., nutritional status, knowledge, and attitudes to health), and environment characteristics (e.g., season, degree of urbanization, and size of family). Rozin [ 42 ] specified the influence of biological (physiological and evolutionary/adaptive), psychological (preference and context), social (sociology), and cultural (anthropology) factors on food choice.

It has been concluded that there are social and environmental influences on food choice (e.g., modelling influences, eating competence family environment, food labels, taste, appearance, personal food history, habits, and familiarity) as well as psychological influences on eating behavior (perceived behavioral control and motivation) [ 43 ]. Leng, et al. [ 44 ] pointed out the determinant of food choice, including dietary components (e.g., highly palatable foods), physiological mechanisms (e.g., neural mechanism of hunger and satiety as well as motivation and reward based on foods), cognitive-affective factors (perceived stress, health attitude, anxiety, and depression), familial, genetic, and epigenetic influences on personality characteristics, and diverse cultural and social pressures. Castro, et al. [ 45 ] focused on factors influencing choice in food retail environments such as shelf display and product factors (shelf display, branding, nutrition labeling, and food sampling), pricing and price promotion factors, in-store and customer decision-making factors (customers’ implicit beliefs about the relationship between taste and healthfulness), and store environment factors (e.g., smaller aisles). Bauer and Reisch [ 46 ] summarized that food decisions are affected by individual (psychological, physical, neurological), social, and environmental factors.

1.2.3. Development of Early Conceptual Models of Food Choice as the Prototypes

It is recognized that food choices are multifaceted, situational, dynamic, and complex [ 47 ]. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach and a holistic picture are needed to understand not only how different factors are involved but also how the factors are structured and interact with each other in the decision-making process. To this aim, comprehensive conceptual models of food choice behavior have been developed for understanding the process of making food choices. Furst, et al. [ 48 ] proposed the model with factors involved in food choice being categorized into three components: life course, influences, and personal system. According to the authors, the life course includes the personal roles and the social, cultural and physical environments to which a person has been and is exposed. A person’s life course generates a set of influences: ideals, personal factors, resources, social framework and food context. These influences inform and shape people’s personal systems, including conscious values, negotiations and unconsciously operationalized strategies that may occur in a food-related choice situation. In another model [ 49 ], features of food, personal state, and socio-economic factors were included. The features of food (e.g., chemical properties and nutrient content) can trigger physiological effects (e.g., hunger) that directly influence food choice. Moreover, food features can influence a person’s perception (e.g., taste and texture) which contribute to the formation of attitudes under the influence of socio-economic context (e.g., price, brand, and culture). The attitudes then influence the output of food choice. Finally, personal psychological factors such as personality, mood, and beliefs can influence final food choice directly or by affecting the attitudes. Similarly, the model proposed by Steenkamp [ 50 ] demonstrated that properties of food (physiological effects and sensory perception) personal-related factors (biological, psychological, socio-demographic), and environmental factors (economic, cultural, marketing) all contribute to the food decision process which involves need recognition, search for information, evaluation, and the final food choice.

In addition, Grunert, et al. [ 51 ]’s total food quality model distinguishes “before” from “after” purchase evaluations. Cost cues, extrinsic quality cues, intrinsic quality cues, and the perception of these cues all contribute to expected quality (taste, health, convenience, and process), which influence purchase motive fulfillment and intention to buy. Moreover, this model includes the time domain, showing the important influence of experienced quality after purchase on future choices. So far, all these models focus on individual and social determinants of food choice. Sobal, et al. [ 52 ] proposed that factors in the bio-physical environment (e.g., biodiversity, land, air, water, energy) as well as in the social environment (e.g., knowledge, capitals, policy) affect the consumer behavior.

These conceptual models of food choice can be seen as the prototype. They introduced not only factors involved in the food decision-making process but also constructed the model emphasizing the relationship among the factors and indicating the process or pathway contributing to the final food choice.

1.3. Aim of This Review and the Proposed Framework

Individual food choice is crucial as it largely affects our health and our planet, with multifactorial determinants rooted in food-related features, individual differences, and society-related features. Moreover, interactions between factors also contribute to the final food choices via direct and/or indirect mechanisms. It is important to understand factors influencing our food choice and thus possible interventions and policy recommendations can be applied for improving food choice to successfully transform the food systems. In addition to early conceptual models of food choice, in recent years, there is abundant literature focusing on expanding and enriching the conceptual models of food choice. However, no single perspective, theory, framework, or model can provide an entire picture of food choice mechanism and properly explain it as influential factors have been categorized in different ways. For example, even though most of the models considered physiological factor as individual difference, some models referred it as a factor of properties of food e.g., [ 50 ]. Factors influencing food choice are not clearly leveled across domains of food itself, individuals, and society. Thus, the present paper aims to (1) systematically review existing conceptual models of food choice; (2) summarize and re-categorize factors affecting food choices following the three main categories: food-related features, individual differences, and society-related features; (3) analyze the direction of influences among factors in the conceptual models; and (4) develop and provide a conceptual framework which disentangles the complex and multifactorial nature of individual food choice. Our framework is developed from Eertmans, Baeyens and Van Den Bergh [ 34 ]’s model with the categorization of factors influencing food choices as follows: food-internal factors, food-external factors, personal-state factors, cognitive factors, and sociocultural factors.

2. Materials and Methods

The present review aims at introducing factors influencing individual food choice with a proposed conceptual model by including academic publications as well as gray literature. The inclusion of publications is based on the following criteria: (1) studies had to be published in English; (2) studies which were based on healthy adult population; (3) studies focused on general food choice instead of specific food choice (e.g., ethnic food and functional food); (4) studies which were conducted not within specific social cultural context (e.g., specific to certain community or town); (5) studies which proposed at least a conceptual model of food choice. The following databases were used for our search: PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar with keywords as follows: ‘Consumer food choice factor’ and ‘Food choice conceptual model’. The selection process followed the PRISMA guideline ( Figure 1 ). In total, 280 records were screened, and 61 records were excluded (1 non-English publication, 1 comment, 59 unrelated to the topic of factors influencing consumer food choice). For full-text articles assessed for eligibility, first, 32 publications discussing factors affecting food choice without proposed conceptual models were excluded. A total of 18 publications reported non-conceptual models (e.g., economic-psychological model, computation models, predictive models, etc.) were not included. A total of 21 publication focusing on factors affecting other food-choice-related dependent variables (e.g., willingness to pay, nutritional label use, choice of brand, etc.) were rejected. Second, 11 publications targeting non-healthy-adult population (preschoolers, adolescents, order adults, people with eating disorder, etc.) and 31 publications addressing food choice within specific sociocultural context (e.g., Brazilian Amazon, two urban food deserts, low-income consumers, etc.) were excluded. We excluded also 16 publications addressing food choice of specific food (e.g., traditional food, functional food, snacks, etc.). Finally, 22 publications emphasizing the intervention for improving food choice and 10 publications examined the methodology or tools (e.g., questionnaire and interview) for measuring food choice were not included. A final set of 59 publications has been analyzed. The analysis focuses on two outcomes. First, we summarized the factors influencing food choice including intrinsic and extrinsic features related to food, individual differences in personal state and in cognitive functions, and factors at societal level such as culture, economy, and policy. Second, we introduced the structures of conceptual models of food choice and indicated the direction and interaction of aforementioned factors in the decision-making process. Details on papers included in the review are reported in Supplementary Materials Table S1 .

PRISMA flow diagram indicates the selection process of publications related to conceptual models of food choice: 1 61 records were excluded (1 non-English publication, 1 comment, 59 unrelated to the topic of factors influencing consumer food choice); 2 32 publications discussing factors affecting food choice without proposed conceptual models were excluded; 18 publications reported non-conceptual models (e.g., economic-psychological model, computation models, predictive models, etc.) were not included; 21 publications focusing on factors affecting other food-choice-related dependent variables (e.g., willingness to pay, nutritional label use, choice of brand, etc.) were rejected; 11 publications targeting non-healthy-adult population (preschoolers, adolescents, order adults, people with eating disorder, etc.) and 31 publications addressing food choice within specific sociocultural context (e.g., Brazilian Amazon, two urban food deserts, low-income consumers, etc.) were excluded. We excluded also 16 publications addressing food choice of specific food (e.g., traditional food, functional food, snacks, etc.) and 22 publications emphasizing the intervention for improving food choice and 10 publications examined the methodology or tools (e.g., questionnaire and interview) for measuring food choice were not included. A final set of 59 publications has been analyzed.

Each conceptual model of food choice was analyzed with factors included in the models being categorized into the following main factors affecting food choice according to our proposed framework developed from Eertmans, Baeyens and Van Den Bergh [ 34 ]’s model ( Figure 2 ): food-internal factors, food-external factors, personal-state factors, cognitive factors, and sociocultural factors. Table 1 lists in detail all the factors included in these main factors. We also summarized the directions of influence among the factors from available models.

The proposed framework of factors influencing food choice developed from Eertmans et al. (2001)’s model [ 34 ]. The lines in the figure indicate the interactions between different factors.

Factors influencing individual food choice included in our proposed framework.

3.1. Factors Influencing Food Choice in Conceptual Models

In this section, we summarize the basic factors included in the conceptual models of general food choices.

3.1.1. Food-Internal Factor: Sensory and Perceptual Features

Food-internal factor is defined as features possessed by the food itself such as sensory (e.g., flavor, taste, smell, and texture) and perceptual (e.g., color, portion size, nutrition and health value, and quality) properties. Twenty-six models have proposed that the sensory and perceptual features influence the food choice [ 21 , 32 , 34 , 41 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. A review paper summarized that visual and odor cues contribute to identifying food in the near environment, guiding food choice and memory for eating, while tastes and textures influence meal size and the development of satiety after consumption [ 72 ]. Another literature review concluded that odor exposure induces appetite while taste and texture contribute to satiation based on eating rate and oral exposure duration of food in the mouth, playing an important role in a (macro)nutrient sensing system [ 73 ].

3.1.2. Food-External Factors: Information, Social Environment, Physical Environment

In our definition, information about the food item (e.g., nutritional labels, health claims, packaging, aesthetics, ethics of production history, brand, and advertisement) is defined as one of the food-external factors. Twenty-eight models have included food-related information as factors influencing the food choice [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 32 , 34 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 65 , 70 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 ]. In addition to these models, there is a rich body of literature focusing on the effects of food label and food label use on food choice. Food labeling provides information on essential characteristics of food items and food label use has been recognized as an important component of strategies tackling unhealthy diets and obesity. For example, Cowburn and Stockley [ 84 ] reviewed papers reporting consumer understanding or use of nutrition labels and concluded that improvements in presenting and designing nutrition labeling could make a contribution towards making the existing point-of-purchase environment more conducive to the selection of healthy choices. Interpretational aid such as verbal descriptors and recommended reference values is needed to help consumers assess the nutrient information in order to improve overall diet. Cecchini and Warin [ 85 ] did a meta-analysis and confirmed that nutrition labeling, especially interpretive labels (e.g., traffic light labels), may be an effective approach to empowering consumers in choosing healthier products and in reducing calorie intake. More recently, a review explored how consumers value and response to nutrition information on food labels against information on environmental and/or social responsibility [ 86 ]. Consumers generally have a positive view of environmental and social responsibility food labeling schemes while the most preferred attribute was organic labeling, inferring to information related to health. In brief, interpretive nutrition labels with the combination labeling containing healthy and sustainable attributes can be propriate and effective in promoting healthy and sustainable food choice. Oostenbach, Slits, Robinson and Sacks [ 57 ] examined the effect of nutrition claims on food choice. The influences of nutrition claims depend on the type of claim and food with the claim. For example, nutrition claims can influence consumers’ perception that the product is healthier and less tasty. However, nutrition claims can make the appropriate portion size appear larger, resulting in the underestimation of the energy content of food products. Nutrition claims also influence food purchase intentions, moderated by the perceived healthfulness of the relevant food products and the health consciousness of individuals.

In addition to food-related information, the food environments are considered as food-external factors which also largely affect the food choice. We further divided food environments into two factors, namely social environment (e.g., intrapersonal factor and social norms from family, peers, and media including ethical concern, as well as social context when food choice is made) and physical environment (e.g., product availability, accessibility, and convenience; in-store characteristics such as shelf display, order, placement, and time). Thirty-four models indicated that social environment contributes to the food choice decision [ 21 , 23 , 34 , 41 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 70 , 71 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 82 , 83 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ]. In the social environment, family and the home food environment are important influences on dietary intake but this influence is more profound for children and adolescents, not adults [ 100 ]. Instead, for adults, individual food choices are influenced by interactions with others beyond the family unit (e.g., coworkers, peers, and close friends). It is suggested that not only the context of shared meals but also social norms and attitudes among members of a group have impacts on types or amounts of foods that individuals consume no matter whether people eat together or not [ 100 ]. Indeed, social modeling determines what and how much people choose to eat, using others’ eating behavior as a guide. The effect increases when individuals desire to affiliate with the model or perceive themselves to be similar to the model. The effect reduces for choosing specific food (e.g., healthy food or snack foods) as well as meals (e.g., breakfast and lunch) [ 101 ].

Twenty-eight models pointed out that physical environment contributes to the food choice decision [ 23 , 32 , 34 , 41 , 48 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 62 , 66 , 70 , 71 , 75 , 76 , 80 , 82 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 92 , 94 , 102 ]. For the physical environment, studies have indicated that food choices and eating behaviors, as well as risk for obesity, are influenced by the physical availability and accessibility of food products in the workplace, surrounding neighborhood, retail food stores, as well as restaurants [ 100 ]. A review done by Castro, Majmundar, Williams and Baquero [ 45 ] confirmed that food retail environments do shape customer food choices of healthy or unhealthy items and energy intake, including product location on the shelf, the appearance of the products on the shelf, the brands available (i.e., customers are more likely to choose familiar over unfamiliar brands), as well as product attributes. For example, feeling confined by smaller aisles may encourage consumers to make more varied choices [ 45 ]. Finally, some models also included ‘time’ as an influential factor, mainly referring to time availability for food preparation and home cooking [ 48 , 59 , 70 , 75 , 92 ]. According to a review, lack of time can result in changes in food consumption patterns such as a decrease in food preparation at home, and an increase in the consumption of convenience or ready-prepared foods [ 103 ].

3.1.3. Personal-State Factors: Biological Features and Physiological Needs, Psychological Components, Habits, and Experiences

In our definition, personal states which affect food choice include biological features (e.g., genetic factors, personal dietary patterns and metabolism, physical condition such as health) and physiological needs (e.g., hunger, appetite, and weight status), psychological components (e.g., emotion, motivation, personality), and personal habits and experiences. Sixteen models have included biological features and physiological needs as factors affecting food choice [ 21 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 53 , 55 , 57 , 61 , 66 , 71 , 77 , 83 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 95 ]. Except for biological features which are difficult to change, dietary decisions can be regulated by physiological functions such as circulating metabolic hormones and neural mechanism involved in food intake and appetitive behaviors [ 44 ]. Vice versa, extreme and narrow food choices could result in fluctuation and unbalanced weight and health status (i.e., the strongest predictors of weight gain were dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors) [ 44 ].

Psychological components appeared in twenty-nine models [ 21 , 23 , 25 , 34 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 66 , 71 , 74 , 79 , 80 , 83 , 88 , 89 , 91 , 93 , 95 , 98 , 102 ]. According to these models, the majority of studies focused on how emotion is involved in food decision-making. For instances, the model proposed by Gutjar, de Graaf, Kooijman, de Wijk, Nys, Ter Horst and Jager [ 74 ] was dedicated to exploring the role of food-evoked emotion in food choice. Food-evoked emotions, which can be sorted into two dimensions (valence and arousal), add predictive value to solely liking ratings, and may guide consumers’ choice behavior. For taste-based choice, the combination of liking and emotional valence had stronger prediction. For package-based choice liking, emotional valence and emotional arousal together have a stronger predictive value [ 74 ]. In addition to emotion, motivation is also frequently involved in the models. However, the motivation to choose one food over another is driven by the emotional, hedonic and metabolic properties of the foods [ 44 ]. In other words, the motivation is actually driven by other factors. Thus, we did not include “motivation” as a factor in our categories.

Comparably fewer models mentioned about previous experiences and/or habits [ 21 , 47 , 49 , 61 , 71 , 75 , 83 , 89 , 90 ]. In these models, experiences were categorized as a psychological factor related to the function of memory while habits were categorized as a situational factor. However, experiences and habits are composed by multi-factors such as emotion, memory, and learning [ 55 ]. Moreover, the process of consciousness needs to be considered [ 104 , 105 ]. Thus, in our opinion, when we include experiences and habits under the frame of food choice, it is better to categorize them into personal-state factor, stressing the contribution of experiences and habits to the person at the moment of making food choice.

3.1.4. Cognitive Factors: Knowledge and Skills, Attitude, Liking and Preference, Anticipated Consequences, and Personal Identity (Demographic Features, Belief, and Value)

Before reaching the final output of food choice behavior, cognitive factors have their impacts on food decision-making. Possessing knowledge (especially nutritional and food-related knowledge) [ 24 , 34 , 48 , 52 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 64 , 70 , 78 , 79 , 82 , 88 , 93 , 94 , 97 , 106 , 107 ] as well as food management skills [ 41 , 48 , 52 , 75 , 83 , 90 , 92 , 97 ] can have great influence on food choice. For example, nutrition knowledge has been shown to be a partial mediator of the socio-demographic variation in food intake, especially for fruit and vegetables, implying that knowledge is an important factor in explaining variations in food choice [ 108 ].

The second factor is evaluation-based [ 50 ], including attitude [ 21 , 24 , 25 , 41 , 48 , 49 , 56 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 79 , 82 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 102 , 107 , 109 , 110 , 111 ], liking [ 34 , 63 , 74 , 88 ], and preference [ 58 , 69 , 87 , 94 ]. The potential differences among these three components towards food choice can be as follows: attitude represents the implicit evaluation towards food items. Usually, the attitude is based on valence (positive and negative) but it can be also based on other concepts (e.g., healthiness) [ 112 ]. Liking, instead, focus on the sensory evaluation of food [ 113 ]. Finally, preference is based on comparison (i.e., preferring food item A than item B). For example, the preference of obese people for foods was affected more by fat content than by carbohydrate or sucrose content [ 114 ].

The third cognitive factor includes expected consequences [ 34 , 48 , 51 , 54 , 63 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 88 , 92 , 95 , 109 , 110 ] regarding the concern for health consequences (e.g., benefits or risks) of food consumption [ 34 ]. For example, consumers are prone to choose foods which give desirable consequences such as expected longer life [ 115 ].

Last but not least, personal identity, including demographic features such as age, gender, ethnic identity, and education [ 23 , 24 , 41 , 47 , 50 , 59 , 61 , 63 , 64 , 82 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 93 , 94 , 95 ] can also affect food choices. For instance, food choices represent personal identity as well as the story of families, migrations, assimilation, resistance, and changes over times [ 116 ]. Possessing a healthy eating identity was significantly associated with greater fruit and vegetable intakes [ 117 ]. Moreover, personal belief and value, shaped by culture and society, also contribute to the decision of food choice [ 21 , 23 , 25 , 48 , 49 , 52 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 64 , 70 , 75 , 77 , 78 , 82 , 83 , 90 , 95 , 96 , 107 , 111 ]. Indeed, two early studies have pointed out the potential role of personal belief and value in maintaining goal-directed behavior, especially for health-related food choice [ 118 , 119 ].

3.1.5. Sociocultural Factors: Culture, Economic Variables, and Political Elements

For previous factors, the influences are mainly at individual level. The final category, sociocultural factors, focuses on societal level. According to Larson and Story [ 100 ], the influence of macroenvironment on individual food choice includes (1) income, socioeconomic status, and price of food, reported by twenty-nine models [ 32 , 41 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 58 , 59 , 62 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 70 , 75 , 76 , 79 , 82 , 87 , 88 , 90 , 92 , 93 , 94 ]; (2) cultural norms and values are reported by seventeen models [ 41 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 58 , 70 , 71 , 76 , 88 , 89 , 94 , 97 , 98 ]; (3) agricultural and food policy and regulations, reported by nine models [ 52 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 76 , 88 , 89 , 94 , 98 ].

About income and cost of food, Larson and Story [ 100 ] specified that the monetary and time costs of buying and preparing foods (e.g., nutrient-dense foods cost more than foods that are higher in energy), especially ones with health values, are additional barriers to good nutrition for low-income groups. Indeed, higher cost of healthy choices or diets can strengthen socioeconomic disparities in diet quality [ 120 ]. Nevertheless, price elasticities for foods can be also a strategy in changing consumer demand, shifting the purchase of unhealthy food to healthier food. The example [ 121 ] showed that a 10% increase in soft drink prices should reduce consumption by 8% to 10%. Price and promotion in the food retail environment do affect consumers’ purchase intentions and choice [ 45 ]. The quantity and quality of food along the supply chain can be affected by agriculture and food polices, resulting in altered food price, directly or indirectly influencing the choice, affordability, as well as the right to nutritious food of the consumer [ 100 ]. Finally, we could not ignore the fact that food choice and eating behaviors are influenced by cultural factors, especially shared values and beliefs, which shape perceptions of food and the concept of healthiness [ 100 ].

3.2. Influences among Factors in Conceptual Models of Food Choice

Thirty-two conceptual models of food choice indicated possible directions of influence among the factors towards final food choice [ 41 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 74 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 87 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 102 , 109 , 110 ].

3.2.1. Possible Influences among Factors in Conceptual Models of Food Choice

For most of the conceptual models, the directions of influence among factors affecting food choice are demonstrated with theoretical basis or literature review e.g., [ 57 , 61 , 66 , 76 , 77 , 90 , 97 ]. The early-established models can be seen as the porotypes [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ], allowing consecutive research to expand or enrich the models with new data or evidence. About integrating and expanding existing models, as an example, Rose, Bodor, Hutchinson and Swalm [ 87 ] integrated the factor of accessibility around the neighborhood based on an economic model of food consumption. Food cost, taste, preference, and income influenced the food choice for purchasing. The food cost can be directly influenced by in-store price or indirectly affected by the placement of food store via travel cost. In-store characteristics such as product varieties as well as shelf space and placement had impacts on promotional effect and social acceptability, which then further influenced tastes and preferences. Tastes and preferences also can be directly influence by demographic variables such as age, race-ethnicity, and education. The framework proposed by Marreiros and Ness [ 56 ] combined main features of the Engel-Blackwell-Miniard model [ 122 ] regarding consumers decision-making, and the main constructs of the total food quality model [ 51 ] developed for food products concerning mainly consumers quality evaluation. The author bridged these two models with the emphasis on the relationships between them [ 56 ].

About adopting and enriching existing models, for instance, the models shown in Connors et al. [ 54 ] and in Sobal and Bisogni [ 47 ] were both adopted from Furst et al. [ 48 ] with modifications or elaborations. The life course and experience created influences including ideals, personal factors, resources, social factors, and context. In the model of Sobal and Bisogni [ 47 ], these influences then had an impact on personal food system built upon values, situation, and strategy. The personal food system affected food behavior, which then had a feedback loop in shaping the aforementioned factors (life course experience, the created influence, and personal food system). In the model, the personal food system was composite of value, managing relationships, health, taste, cost, convenience, and strategies. However, there was no feedback loop [ 54 ].

To briefly conclude, few models have clearly indicated the direction of influence among the factors with experimental data or with mathematical modeling. There is a need of empirical data to support and to disentangle the interactions between the factors.

3.2.2. Direction of Influence among Factors in Conceptual Models of Food Choice

In general, the more specific factors the model addressed, the clearer indications of directions of influence could be made, supported by experimental data. For example, in the model of Gutjar et al. (2015), both sensory (intrinsic) and packaging (extrinsic) information trigger emotional responses but liking was based on sensory information [ 74 ]. Both emotional responses and liking then contribute to the prediction of food choice.

Structural equation modeling is frequently used to investigate the directions of influence among factors towards certain food choice. For healthy food choice including fruit and vegetables, factors such as intention, action planning, and self-efficacy, with a person’s understanding of nutrition information, can better explain healthy food choice behavior [ 64 ]. The mediating roles of food mavenism, food knowledge, food involvement, and equality-universalist values were reported in increasing vegetable intakes [ 93 ]. Moreover, market availability, interest in healthy eating, and time pressure significantly influence choice of plant-based convenience foods [ 92 ]. Intention, self-identity and past behavior were proved as direct predictors of fruit and vegetable intake [ 91 ]. For food with environmentally-sustainable attributes, personal norms regarding the use of organic food affect attitudes toward the use of organic produce in institutional settings, which is partly mediated by own purchase of organic products [ 96 ]. Choice of convenience food with environmentally-sustainable attributes is positively related to consumer food shopping habits, food-related environmental behavior, gender, income, and knowledge [ 102 ]. Another study also pointed out that likelihood of buying healthy convenience food is affected by overall liking of the meal, which is affected by liking of sensory specific product attributes like appearance, flavor, and odor [ 63 ].

For newly emerged food such as genetically modified (GM) food, perceived benefits and risks play a significant role in shaping behavioral intentions towards GM food [ 110 ], the attitude to GM technology being the main driver of consumers’ beliefs about risks and benefits. Public attitudes toward GM food are being formed from trust in science and in public authorities under different cultural contexts, which determines consumer’s final purchasing decisions [ 109 ]. Finally, some studies examined factors affecting ethical food choice, suggesting that ethical consumption and purchase intention have a direct influence on choice behavior with significant association between social, emotional, and epistemic values with ethical consumption intentions [ 62 ]. In addition, universalism was shown having impact on food choices with less meat or free-range meat. This impact was mediated by prevention-oriented food choice motives and motive-congruent animal friendly attitudes [ 60 ]

Supplementary Materials Table S2 summarizes the directions of influence of factors affecting food choices based on publications with empirical data we included.

4. Discussion

4.1. main findings: the multifactorial nature of individual food choice.

In recent years, research as well as large scale initiatives have been launched, substantiating the imperative for individuals and governments to improve population health by taking substantial actions in the domain of individual food choice and eating behavior [ 11 ]. Since consumers’ daily food choices have great potential in transforming towards healthier and more sustainable food systems [ 11 , 22 ], the first and essential step before considering interventions is understanding factors influencing individual food choice in a structural and systematic way. The present paper provides an insight into the complex and multifactorial nature of individual food choice by analyzing factors included in conceptual models.

The early development of conceptual models of food choice can be dated back to the 1990s. There were three main types of models. The first one, which can be seen as the prototype of the models, already demonstrated three levels of factors influencing the final choice, namely food features, personal system, and environment [ 41 , 48 , 49 ]. The second type focuses on the effect of price, quality, and value [ 51 , 65 ]. While the third one, the model proposed by Sobal, Khan and Bisogni [ 52 ] took into consideration a broader view including relationships of the food and nutrition system to other systems such as environmental system, governmental system, health care system, cultural system, economic system, and even transportation system. The conceptual models we include in the analysis mainly follow the three-level framework of food features, personal system, and environment. However, different models might include different numbers of factors with different ways of categorization within and across these three levels. Thus, the present review analyzed existing conceptual models of food choice, summarized influential factors affecting food choice, then re-categorized and integrated the results from the literature into a proposed three-level framework of factors influencing food choice, namely food-related features, individual differences, and society-related features. The ultimate goal is to provide a clear and simple roadmap for facilitating future development of research in the field of consumer food choice and maximize the contribution from individual studies. Being on the same page, the framework may help researchers communicate the idea, compare research data, and replicate existing results with ease. In our framework, influential factors determining food choice are categorized into food-internal factor (sensory and perceptual features), food-external factors (information, social environment, physical environment), personal-state factors (biological features, physiological needs, psychological components, habits, and experiences), cognitive factors (knowledge and skills, attitude, liking and preference, anticipated consequences, and personal identity), and sociocultural factors (culture, economic variables, political elements).

In our samples, five most frequently addressed factors in the models are as follows: (1) social environment which belongs to food-external factors [ 21 , 23 , 34 , 41 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 70 , 71 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 82 , 83 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ]; (2) personal-state focusing on psychological component [ 21 , 23 , 25 , 34 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 66 , 71 , 74 , 79 , 80 , 83 , 88 , 89 , 91 , 93 , 95 , 98 , 102 ]; (3) economic variables such as income, socioeconomic status, and price [ 21 , 32 , 41 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 58 , 59 , 62 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 70 , 75 , 76 , 79 , 82 , 87 , 88 , 90 , 92 , 93 , 94 ]; (4) food-related information which also belongs to food-external factors [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 32 , 34 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 65 , 70 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 ]; and (5) physical environment which also belongs to food-external factors [ 23 , 32 , 34 , 41 , 48 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 62 , 66 , 70 , 71 , 75 , 76 , 80 , 82 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 92 , 94 , 102 ].

The results reflect the facts that (1) social environment is the most addressed factor influencing food choice; (2) due to the availability of research evidence, factors such as food information, food environment, and economic variables are easier to be manipulated and measured in the experimental settings. Thus, the role of these factors in influencing food choice is more carefully and clearly examined and concluded; (3) compared to studies from other field, the complex mechanisms and interactions between food perception (food-internal factor) and bio-physiological (personal-state) still need more investigation and the results should be integrated into the conceptual models of food choice; (4) while some factors affecting food choice could be universal (e.g., life course, (see [ 48 ]), large-scale and cross-cultural studies are needed to address factors influencing cultural-specific choices (see [ 123 ]). In addition, considering the obesogenic environment nowadays, despite the growing body of literature focusing on the role of cognitive function and food environment in food choice e.g., [ 124 , 125 , 126 ], we would like to emphasize the importance of understanding the complicated cognitive decision-making process (see [ 55 ]) and disentangling the interaction between cognitive functions and food environments, especially food-related information and physical environment (food-external factor) in order to develop effective intervention for helping individuals make better choice that is good for human health and the planet [ 127 , 128 , 129 ].

About the direction of influence among the factors in the conceptual models, fewer conceptual models are supported with empirical data [ 57 , 60 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 74 , 78 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 96 , 102 , 106 , 109 ].

Table S2 in the Supplementary Materials summarizes the directions of influence of factors affecting food choices based on publications with empirical data we included. We observed that factors proposed in theory of planned behavior (attitude, norms, and intention) and their effects are frequently examined with experimental settings and thus empirical data was obtained. Some other factors and the effects are also frequently investigated such as liking, food or nutritional knowledge, personal values, emotion, income, and sensory properties of food. Future studies should explore other factors and their effects on food choices.

In conclusion, the more specific factors the model addressed, the clearer indications of direction of influence could be made, supported by experimental data. We appreciate the multifactorial nature of individual food choice and the effort of including as many factors as possible in the models in providing a more intact and holistic view. However, the trade-off of expanding the models should be recognized too. In this case, interdisciplinary research is expected for constructing a holistic conceptual model of food choice supported by empirical data from studies in different fields (see [ 55 , 89 ]).

4.2. Implication of Factors Influencing Healthy and/or Sustainable Food Choice

In recent years, research has shed light on the factors affecting food choice towards healthier and more sustainable products. New conceptual models of food choice have been proposed to further depict how different factors essentially affect healthier and sustainable food choices. Through the literature review, the models were framed according to four types of choices: (1) healthier food choice [ 24 , 68 , 79 , 80 ]; (2) sustainable food choice [ 22 , 24 , 81 , 107 , 111 ]; (3) organic food [ 21 , 24 , 25 ]; and (4) fruit and/or vegetable [ 69 , 70 ].

For food-internal factors, the nutritional properties and the health value of the food items are especially important for the choice [ 68 , 69 ]. Health value [ 130 ] is an important index, including absence of contaminants [ 131 ]. For food-external factors, information based on nutrition facts, sustainability labels, and organic identity were included in the models as important drives [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 79 , 80 , 81 ]. Moreover, some studies pointed out that certification of origin and food miles, recycling packaging, as well as indications of local, traditional, ethic, and environmentally friendly products, can affect the food choice [ 130 , 131 , 132 ]. Social interaction and engagement in social institutions in social environment are important for making food decision, especially for fruits, vegetables, and organic food [ 21 , 23 , 70 ]. For physical environment, the availability of healthy or sustainable food products and the accessibility to nutrition environment, supermarket, or local stores are critical [ 23 , 80 , 130 , 133 ].

As personal-state factors, psychological components such as personality [ 23 ] as well as emotion [ 25 , 133 ] have impacts on healthier and organic food choice. Some other studies also mentioned motivation and intention as important factors contributing to the final food choice [ 23 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 ]. Cognitive factors such as belief, attitude, awareness, self-concept, and positive outcome expectation were addressed in determining food choice [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 107 ]. Finally, sociocultural context and familiarity based on cultural habits could affect food choices [ 69 , 70 ]. Income and economic situation are still a crucial determinant [ 69 , 79 ]. Food price heavily affects whether consumer will choose healthier and more sustainable food or not [ 69 , 70 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 137 ]. For making healthier and more sustainable food choice available, policy plays an essential role not only with healthy food eating policy but also with policies related to food supply chain, especially how food is produced, and environmental sustainability [ 35 , 88 ].

4.3. Future Research Directions

The present review provides an analytic framework of disentangling the complex and multifactorial nature of individual food choice with the aim of shifting towards healthier and more sustainable food systems. Recently, the European Commission has placed consumer food choice as one of the important targets for achieving a more healthy and sustainable EU food system. In 2017, over 950,000 deaths in EU (1/5 of population) were related to unhealthy diets. Thus, the “Farm to Fork” strategy [ 138 ], at the core of the European Green Deal, was launched in May 2020 which emphasized the importance of shifting towards healthier and sustainable diets in the EU by empowering citizens as consumers, to reverse the overweight and obesity trends, as well as to lower the environmental footprints. In addition, Outcome Report FOOD 2030 Pathways Workshop [ 139 ] indicated a pathway of research and innovation to develop innovative, healthy, sustainable and personalized nutrition solutions to reduce risk factors for Noncommunicable diseases, malnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. More importantly, consumers will be empowered to have a long-lasting, healthy, pleasurable, nutritional and sustainable diet tailored to individual parameters. It has been pointed out that there is a need for research to better understand the factors influencing consumer choice such as food environment, policies, gender, information, education, marketing, incentives, and lifestyles.

In line with the goal set by the European Commission in the transformation of food systems, we confirmed that citizens as consumers—and their choices—should be placed at the very center of the problem of both human and planetary health, which calls for urgent investigation and solutions from academic field in providing opportunities and possibilities. Thus, it is crucial to understand individual food choice, factors affecting the choice, and possible interventions. Haddad, et al. [ 140 ] have proposed a new global research agenda for food with ten research priorities suggested. Among them, identify entry points for change, agree on what constitutes a healthy diet, make more data on diets widely available, tackle different forms of malnutrition simultaneously, study supply and demand, and identify the economic levers for change are closely related to addressing the important role of consumers’ choices in realizing healthier and more sustainable food systems. Lusk and McCluskey [ 141 ] further identified priority areas for future research, including dietary-related diseases and efficacy of policies designed to improve dietary choice, trust in the food system and acceptance of new food and farm technologies, environmental impacts of food consumption, changing consumer preferences, and food safety. Regarding data quality and availability, uncertainty in underlying biological and physical sciences, as well as applications of behavioral economic remain as challenges. In our opinion, future research examining factors influencing individual’ food choice should also take into account: (1) the need of multidisciplinary impulses and collaboration across research field such as sensory science, cognitive science, social science, as well as business studies; (2) the structural and systematic way (e.g., using the proposed framework as guiding map) of investigating the effect of food-choice related factors as well as the interactions among the factors; (3) the trade-off between the number of factors included in the framework and the capability to investigate and clearly explain the effect of s single factor and the effect of combining different factors; and (4) enriching and improving the framework with empirical observation or data based on a feedback mechanism.

4.4. Limitations

The present review has three main limitations. First, we focus on the three-level categorization of factors influencing food choice, namely food-related features, individual differences, and society-related features. However, recent research also pointed out the important roles in determining food choice, played by natural environment such as climate change [ 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 ], natural resources [ 146 , 147 , 148 ], as well as food production and supply chain [ 149 ]. Ideally, these factors should be also included into the conceptual framework. Second, the present study summarizes factors affecting food choice proposed in the conceptual models. The keywords we used for literature search may limit the inclusion of publications investigating a single or fewer factor(s) with experimental settings and empirical data. Thus, more meta-analyses are needed for understanding how different but specific factors contribute to food choice. Finally, this review does not include publications focusing on methodology used for understanding factors affecting food choices such as the development and validation of questionnaires (e.g., food choice questionnaire), which contain valuable information about the constructs of factors that are crucial for food choice decision. Thus, further examination with the inclusion of the results of factor analyses from food-choice-related questionnaires is recommended.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contribution of Katarzyna Dembska in providing insightful comments and suggestions to the manuscript.

Supplementary Materials

The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/12/1898/s1 , Table S1: Factors included in the conceptual models of food choice. Table S2. Direction of influence of factors affecting food choices based on publications with empirical data.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, P.-J.C. and M.A.; methodology, P.-J.C.; formal analysis, P.-J.C.; writing—original draft preparation, P.-J.C.; writing—review and editing, M.A.; supervision, M.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Food and Nutrition

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Defining research questions

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To run a successful literature search, you need to frame your question in a way that brings back relevant results.  

You need to identify the main components of your research question and think about how they intersect.

You might break your research question into separate parts to see what relevant research has been done on each for your literature review, so you might need to run multiple searches.  Or, you might be looking for all the research on a specific question so you might run a single search (in more than one place) for your review.

Thinking about how specific to make your question(s) is important—if you frame your question as a very broad query, you can be overwhelmed by results. On the other hand, if you frame your question too narrowly, you risk missing important information.

Using a conceptual structure to frame your question helps you focus your search. In health fields, searchers often use the PICO framework.  PICO stands for Patient, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome.  Food science researchers can use a modified version of PICO to frame their search question.  Variations like PECO, PO, PIT, or PES (see chart below) can also be appropriate.  These structures help you identify what elements are key for your question.  

Note: do not include all the possible elements in your research question --doing that would make your question too specific, and make it extremely unlikely you'd find relevant literature.

A good search question contains three elements, but sometimes two is better, and sometimes four. It's good to identify the elements of your search question, and then, when you are structuring your search, experiment with how many terms to actually use in your search string. For instance research is often interested in an outcome, but you might leave that element out of the actual search.

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When framing your research question, it is also good to think about your inclusion and exclusion criteria. Remember, however, that limits may introduce bias.

Examples what you may want to cover include:

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• Language - If you only read English, remember that many databases translate titles and abstracts into English. This should give you enough information to judge if a study is relevant enough to have it translated in full into English.

Notice that limiting by date is not included on this list. As a rule, your literature review ought not to cover just the latest developments.  Sometimes critical research has been done decades ago and not repeated because researchers were aware of it. If you are new to a subject area, don’t make the mistake of overlooking seminal research.

Best practice recommendation : If you are looking at a recent development in research, you should also look back at the foundational, historical research that is key to understanding current research.

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STEP 1: Understand your research objective

Before you start developing your research question, think about your research objectives:

• What are you trying to do? (compare, analyse)
• What do you need to know about the topic?
• What type of research are you doing?
• What types of information/studies do you need? (e.g. randomised controlled trial, case study, guideline, protocol?)
• Does the information need to be current?

Watch the following video (6:26) to get you started:

Key points from the video

• All good academic research starts with a research question.
• A research question is an actual question you want to answer about a particular topic.
• Developing a question helps you focus on an aspect of your topic, which will streamline your research and writing.
• Pick a topic you are interested in.
• Narrow the topic to a particular aspect.
• Brainstorm some questions around your topic aspect.
• Select a question to work with.
• Focus the question by making it more specific. Make sure your question clearly states who, what, when, where, and why.
• A good research question focuses on one issue only and requires analysis.
• Your search for information should be directed by your research question.
• Your thesis or hypothesis should be a direct answer to your research question, summarised into one sentence.

STEP 2: Search before you research

The benefits of doing a background search :

• You can gather more background knowledge on a subject
• explore different aspects of your topic
• identify additional keywords and terminology

STEP 3: Choose a topic

The resources linked below are a good place to start: 

• UpToDate It covers thousands of clinical topics grouped into specialties with links to articles, drugs and drug interaction databases, medical calculators and guidelines.
• An@tomedia This online anatomy resource features images, videos, and slides together with interactive, educational text and quiz questions.
• Anatomy.tv Find 3D anatomical images; functional anatomy animations and videos, and MRI, anatomy, and clinical slides. Test your knowledge through interactive activities and quizzes.

STEP 4: Brainstorm your questions

Now you have explored different aspects of your topic, you may construct more focused questions (you can create a few questions and pick one later).

Learn more: 

• Clear and present questions: formulating questions for evidence based practice (Booth 2006) This article provides an overview of thinking in relation to the theory and practice of formulating answerable research questions.

STEP 5: Pick a question and focus

Once you have a few questions to choose from, pick one and refine it even further.

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The PICO framework (or other variations) can be useful for developing an answerable clinical question. 

The example question used in this guide is a PICO question:   How does speech therapy compare to cognitive behavioural therapy in improving speech fluency in adolescents?

Use the interactive PICO worksheet to get started with your question, or you can download the worksheet document.

• Building your question with PICO

Here are some different frameworks you may want to use:

There are a number of PICO variations which can be used for different types of questions, such as qualitative, and background and foreground questions. Visit the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Guide to learn more:

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Getting Started: What is Your Research Question?

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Use your own culinary knowledge to work through the following steps.

Identify the main concepts  in your research question.

Brainstorm keywords (a.k.a. search terms) that relate to your main concept.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are there more specific words or subcategories that relate to this main concept? (Example: Scotch is a kind of whiskey, so if you want information about whiskey, you might search for "Scotch")
• Are there more general/broad words or categories that relate to this main concept? (Example: whiskey is a kind of liquor, so if you want information about whiskey, you might search for resources about "liquor")
• Are there any synonyms (words that mean the same thing or almost the same thing) as the keywords I have already brainstormed? 

Build your search by combining some of the keywords you brainstormed. Include words from each of the main concept categories.

• Use quotation marks to group together words that represent a single idea, such as "West Michigan". 

Evaluate your initial search results.

Look at your initial search results, do you see the information you need?

• If yes- congratulations!
• Dig deeper into the results and don't be afraid to click around.
• You may need to move on to step 6.

Improve your search strategy.

If you didn't find what you needed in your initial search results:

• Try another set of keywords from your original brainstorming session.
• See if you can brainstorm better keywords based on what you did (or didn't) find in your initial search.
• Keep informal notes on what search terms you have tried and what you haven't tried so you don't end up doing the same unsuccessful search over and over again.

It is called REsearch for a reason. Sometimes you have to circle back to earlier steps and try different things. That is okay! It is all part of the research process.

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Dietetics & Nutrition

How to develop a question, developing a project, research process video tutorial.

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• The PICO Format Simple tool to help focus your research question on a specific issue (from the Evidence Analysis Manual)
• Template for Asking PICO(T) Questions handout This template can help you figure out how parts of your research question fit into the PICO(T) format.
• Tips for Writing a Good PICO What is a bad PICO vs a good PICO? From Meyer, M.N. (2017). Evidence-based practice: Success of practice change depends on the question. In T.L. Christenbery, ed., Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: Foundations, Skills, and Roles. Springer: New York, NY.
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• SRM Project Planner This tool is designed to guide you through your research project. First, think about what stage you're at in your research. If you've already gotten started, click on the stage below that best describes where you are. If you're just starting out, it might be helpful to read more about why we do research before getting started.

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Research Question Examples 🧑🏻‍🏫

25+ Practical Examples & Ideas To Help You Get Started 

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | October 2023

A well-crafted research question (or set of questions) sets the stage for a robust study and meaningful insights.  But, if you’re new to research, it’s not always clear what exactly constitutes a good research question. In this post, we’ll provide you with clear examples of quality research questions across various disciplines, so that you can approach your research project with confidence!

Research Question Examples

• Psychology research questions
• Business research questions
• Education research questions
• Healthcare research questions
• Computer science research questions

Examples: Psychology

Let’s start by looking at some examples of research questions that you might encounter within the discipline of psychology.

How does sleep quality affect academic performance in university students?

This question is specific to a population (university students) and looks at a direct relationship between sleep and academic performance, both of which are quantifiable and measurable variables.

What factors contribute to the onset of anxiety disorders in adolescents?

The question narrows down the age group and focuses on identifying multiple contributing factors. There are various ways in which it could be approached from a methodological standpoint, including both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Do mindfulness techniques improve emotional well-being?

This is a focused research question aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific intervention.

How does early childhood trauma impact adult relationships?

This research question targets a clear cause-and-effect relationship over a long timescale, making it focused but comprehensive.

Is there a correlation between screen time and depression in teenagers?

This research question focuses on an in-demand current issue and a specific demographic, allowing for a focused investigation. The key variables are clearly stated within the question and can be measured and analysed (i.e., high feasibility).

Examples: Business/Management

Next, let’s look at some examples of well-articulated research questions within the business and management realm.

How do leadership styles impact employee retention?

This is an example of a strong research question because it directly looks at the effect of one variable (leadership styles) on another (employee retention), allowing from a strongly aligned methodological approach.

What role does corporate social responsibility play in consumer choice?

Current and precise, this research question can reveal how social concerns are influencing buying behaviour by way of a qualitative exploration.

Does remote work increase or decrease productivity in tech companies?

Focused on a particular industry and a hot topic, this research question could yield timely, actionable insights that would have high practical value in the real world.

How do economic downturns affect small businesses in the homebuilding industry?

Vital for policy-making, this highly specific research question aims to uncover the challenges faced by small businesses within a certain industry.

Which employee benefits have the greatest impact on job satisfaction?

By being straightforward and specific, answering this research question could provide tangible insights to employers.

Examples: Education

Next, let’s look at some potential research questions within the education, training and development domain.

How does class size affect students’ academic performance in primary schools?

This example research question targets two clearly defined variables, which can be measured and analysed relatively easily.

Do online courses result in better retention of material than traditional courses?

Timely, specific and focused, answering this research question can help inform educational policy and personal choices about learning formats.

What impact do US public school lunches have on student health?

Targeting a specific, well-defined context, the research could lead to direct changes in public health policies.

To what degree does parental involvement improve academic outcomes in secondary education in the Midwest?

This research question focuses on a specific context (secondary education in the Midwest) and has clearly defined constructs.

What are the negative effects of standardised tests on student learning within Oklahoma primary schools?

This research question has a clear focus (negative outcomes) and is narrowed into a very specific context.

Need a helping hand?

Examples: Healthcare

Shifting to a different field, let’s look at some examples of research questions within the healthcare space.

What are the most effective treatments for chronic back pain amongst UK senior males?

Specific and solution-oriented, this research question focuses on clear variables and a well-defined context (senior males within the UK).

How do different healthcare policies affect patient satisfaction in public hospitals in South Africa?

This question is has clearly defined variables and is narrowly focused in terms of context.

Which factors contribute to obesity rates in urban areas within California?

This question is focused yet broad, aiming to reveal several contributing factors for targeted interventions.

Does telemedicine provide the same perceived quality of care as in-person visits for diabetes patients?

Ideal for a qualitative study, this research question explores a single construct (perceived quality of care) within a well-defined sample (diabetes patients).

Which lifestyle factors have the greatest affect on the risk of heart disease?

This research question aims to uncover modifiable factors, offering preventive health recommendations.

Examples: Computer Science

Last but certainly not least, let’s look at a few examples of research questions within the computer science world.

What are the perceived risks of cloud-based storage systems?

Highly relevant in our digital age, this research question would align well with a qualitative interview approach to better understand what users feel the key risks of cloud storage are.

Which factors affect the energy efficiency of data centres in Ohio?

With a clear focus, this research question lays a firm foundation for a quantitative study.

How do TikTok algorithms impact user behaviour amongst new graduates?

While this research question is more open-ended, it could form the basis for a qualitative investigation.

What are the perceived risk and benefits of open-source software software within the web design industry?

Practical and straightforward, the results could guide both developers and end-users in their choices.

Remember, these are just examples…

In this post, we’ve tried to provide a wide range of research question examples to help you get a feel for what research questions look like in practice. That said, it’s important to remember that these are just examples and don’t necessarily equate to good research topics . If you’re still trying to find a topic, check out our topic megalist for inspiration.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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How to Write a Good Research Question (w/ Examples)

What is a Research Question?

A research question is the main question that your study sought or is seeking to answer. A clear research question guides your research paper or thesis and states exactly what you want to find out, giving your work a focus and objective. Learning  how to write a hypothesis or research question is the start to composing any thesis, dissertation, or research paper. It is also one of the most important sections of a research proposal . 

A good research question not only clarifies the writing in your study; it provides your readers with a clear focus and facilitates their understanding of your research topic, as well as outlining your study’s objectives. Before drafting the paper and receiving research paper editing (and usually before performing your study), you should write a concise statement of what this study intends to accomplish or reveal.

Research Question Writing Tips

Listed below are the important characteristics of a good research question:

A good research question should:

• Be clear and provide specific information so readers can easily understand the purpose.
• Be focused in its scope and narrow enough to be addressed in the space allowed by your paper
• Be relevant and concise and express your main ideas in as few words as possible, like a hypothesis.
• Be precise and complex enough that it does not simply answer a closed “yes or no” question, but requires an analysis of arguments and literature prior to its being considered acceptable. 
• Be arguable or testable so that answers to the research question are open to scrutiny and specific questions and counterarguments.

Some of these characteristics might be difficult to understand in the form of a list. Let’s go into more detail about what a research question must do and look at some examples of research questions.

The research question should be specific and focused 

Research questions that are too broad are not suitable to be addressed in a single study. One reason for this can be if there are many factors or variables to consider. In addition, a sample data set that is too large or an experimental timeline that is too long may suggest that the research question is not focused enough.

A specific research question means that the collective data and observations come together to either confirm or deny the chosen hypothesis in a clear manner. If a research question is too vague, then the data might end up creating an alternate research problem or hypothesis that you haven’t addressed in your Introduction section .

The research question should be based on the literature 

An effective research question should be answerable and verifiable based on prior research because an effective scientific study must be placed in the context of a wider academic consensus. This means that conspiracy or fringe theories are not good research paper topics.

Instead, a good research question must extend, examine, and verify the context of your research field. It should fit naturally within the literature and be searchable by other research authors.

References to the literature can be in different citation styles and must be properly formatted according to the guidelines set forth by the publishing journal, university, or academic institution. This includes in-text citations as well as the Reference section . 

The research question should be realistic in time, scope, and budget

There are two main constraints to the research process: timeframe and budget.

A proper research question will include study or experimental procedures that can be executed within a feasible time frame, typically by a graduate doctoral or master’s student or lab technician. Research that requires future technology, expensive resources, or follow-up procedures is problematic.

A researcher’s budget is also a major constraint to performing timely research. Research at many large universities or institutions is publicly funded and is thus accountable to funding restrictions. 

The research question should be in-depth

Research papers, dissertations and theses , and academic journal articles are usually dozens if not hundreds of pages in length.

A good research question or thesis statement must be sufficiently complex to warrant such a length, as it must stand up to the scrutiny of peer review and be reproducible by other scientists and researchers.

Research Question Types

Qualitative and quantitative research are the two major types of research, and it is essential to develop research questions for each type of study. 

Quantitative Research Questions

Quantitative research questions are specific. A typical research question involves the population to be studied, dependent and independent variables, and the research design.

In addition, quantitative research questions connect the research question and the research design. In addition, it is not possible to answer these questions definitively with a “yes” or “no” response. For example, scientific fields such as biology, physics, and chemistry often deal with “states,” in which different quantities, amounts, or velocities drastically alter the relevance of the research.

As a consequence, quantitative research questions do not contain qualitative, categorical, or ordinal qualifiers such as “is,” “are,” “does,” or “does not.”

Categories of quantitative research questions

Qualitative research questions.

In quantitative research, research questions have the potential to relate to broad research areas as well as more specific areas of study. Qualitative research questions are less directional, more flexible, and adaptable compared with their quantitative counterparts. Thus, studies based on these questions tend to focus on “discovering,” “explaining,” “elucidating,” and “exploring.”

Categories of qualitative research questions

Quantitative and qualitative research question examples.

Good and Bad Research Question Examples

Below are some good (and not-so-good) examples of research questions that researchers can use to guide them in crafting their own research questions.

Research Question Example 1

The first research question is too vague in both its independent and dependent variables. There is no specific information on what “exposure” means. Does this refer to comments, likes, engagement, or just how much time is spent on the social media platform?

Second, there is no useful information on what exactly “affected” means. Does the subject’s behavior change in some measurable way? Or does this term refer to another factor such as the user’s emotions?

Research Question Example 2

In this research question, the first example is too simple and not sufficiently complex, making it difficult to assess whether the study answered the question. The author could really only answer this question with a simple “yes” or “no.” Further, the presence of data would not help answer this question more deeply, which is a sure sign of a poorly constructed research topic.

The second research question is specific, complex, and empirically verifiable. One can measure program effectiveness based on metrics such as attendance or grades. Further, “bullying” is made into an empirical, quantitative measurement in the form of recorded disciplinary actions.

Steps for Writing a Research Question

Good research questions are relevant, focused, and meaningful. It can be difficult to come up with a good research question, but there are a few steps you can follow to make it a bit easier.

1. Start with an interesting and relevant topic

Choose a research topic that is interesting but also relevant and aligned with your own country’s culture or your university’s capabilities. Popular academic topics include healthcare and medical-related research. However, if you are attending an engineering school or humanities program, you should obviously choose a research question that pertains to your specific study and major.

Below is an embedded graph of the most popular research fields of study based on publication output according to region. As you can see, healthcare and the basic sciences receive the most funding and earn the highest number of publications. 

2. Do preliminary research  

You can begin doing preliminary research once you have chosen a research topic. Two objectives should be accomplished during this first phase of research. First, you should undertake a preliminary review of related literature to discover issues that scholars and peers are currently discussing. With this method, you show that you are informed about the latest developments in the field.

Secondly, identify knowledge gaps or limitations in your topic by conducting a preliminary literature review . It is possible to later use these gaps to focus your research question after a certain amount of fine-tuning.

3. Narrow your research to determine specific research questions

You can focus on a more specific area of study once you have a good handle on the topic you want to explore. Focusing on recent literature or knowledge gaps is one good option. 

By identifying study limitations in the literature and overlooked areas of study, an author can carve out a good research question. The same is true for choosing research questions that extend or complement existing literature.

4. Evaluate your research question

Make sure you evaluate the research question by asking the following questions:

Is my research question clear?

The resulting data and observations that your study produces should be clear. For quantitative studies, data must be empirical and measurable. For qualitative, the observations should be clearly delineable across categories.

Is my research question focused and specific?

A strong research question should be specific enough that your methodology or testing procedure produces an objective result, not one left to subjective interpretation. Open-ended research questions or those relating to general topics can create ambiguous connections between the results and the aims of the study. 

Is my research question sufficiently complex?

The result of your research should be consequential and substantial (and fall sufficiently within the context of your field) to warrant an academic study. Simply reinforcing or supporting a scientific consensus is superfluous and will likely not be well received by most journal editors.  

Editing Your Research Question

Your research question should be fully formulated well before you begin drafting your research paper. However, you can receive English paper editing and proofreading services at any point in the drafting process. Language editors with expertise in your academic field can assist you with the content and language in your Introduction section or other manuscript sections. And if you need further assistance or information regarding paper compositions, in the meantime, check out our academic resources , which provide dozens of articles and videos on a variety of academic writing and publication topics.

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• Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Published on 30 October 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 12 December 2023.

A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper , dissertation , or thesis .

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

Table of contents

How to write a research question, what makes a strong research question, research questions quiz, frequently asked questions.

You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:

• Choose your topic
• Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
• Narrow your focus to a specific niche
• Identify the research problem that you will address

The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.

Using your research problem to develop your research question

Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research , the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.

Focused and researchable

Feasible and specific, complex and arguable, relevant and original.

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis – a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, it’s important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. Use preliminary evaluation to determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth.

This involves:

• Reading abstracts , prefaces, introductions , and conclusions
• Looking at the table of contents to determine the scope of the work
• Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarised in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (‘ x affects y because …’).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses. In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, December 12). Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/the-research-process/research-question/

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Other students also liked, how to write a research proposal | examples & templates, how to write a results section | tips & examples, what is a research methodology | steps & tips.

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• 60+ Great food survey questions to ask (+ free templates)

Şeyma Beyazçiçek

The food is an excellent source of pleasure for both eater and the maker . Witnessing the food is approved is such a happy feeling for you! To make them happier and increase the quality of the food, you only need to share survey questions about food.

A good food survey is a helpful tool for you to gain valuable feedback from your target audience, including service, restaurant, etc . Collecting their positive and negative reviews will let you know your strong and weak sides.

If you want to gather feedback about all the thoughts, feelings, and advice about the food, you are at the right place because we have collected the must-ask 60+ great food survey questions to ask and how to create one.  

• What is a food survey?

A food survey is a document that gathers any kind of customer experience that is related to food & drink, service, taste, restaurant, mobile/web apps, packaging, accessibility to the help center, speed, etc . All the feedbacks about these topics are vital for you because they affect the views on your brand.

The definition of a food survey

It is a well-known fact that most unsatisfied customers will stop choosing your business without complaining. This rate even goes as far as 91% and simply illustrates the importance of paying attention to your customer’s feedback before lettering them go.  

Food survey types

Food surveys are divided into some categories according to their contents. For that reason, the food questions of the survey will show differences from type to type. Food survey types can be listed as listed below: 

• Food quality survey
• Food habits survey
• Favorite foods survey
• Fast food survey
• Food survey questions about restaurant
• Food allergy survey
• Food waste survey
• New food product survey
• Food-app questions
• 60+ questions examples for your next food survey

A good food survey shows its difference with its question quality. Finding the proper and right questions for your food survey might be confusing since there are lots of things to rate or learn about your customers. However, we have collected the most useful examples of food survey questions to use in your food survey. 

Look at the excellent questions in the lists given below we’ve collected for you!

Food quality survey questions

Food quality questions ask the general question about the food to test the quality. The quality of the food is what customers make sure about eating healthily and protect them from the dangers of consuming tainted food. Here are your must-ask food quality survey questions:

1. From 1 to 10, how do you rate our food?

2. What do you like about our food the most?

• Healthy Options

3. Which food of ours was the least favored?

4. Do you believe the quality makes us different from others?

5. How are you likely to choose us again?

• Very Likely
• Very Unlikely

6. How are you likely to recommend us to your friends & family?

Food habits survey questions

The food habits of the consumers might answer many questions about their choices and frequencies. Also, you can learn their general habits from the survey responses related to your restaurant. If you want to learn these, have a look at the food habit survey questions:

7. How often do you eat here?

• Once a week
• Twice a week
• Three times a week
• Four times a week

8. Generally, what do you eat here?

9. Generally, what do you drink here? 10. Generally, with whom do you come here?

11. Do you order online or from the restaurant generally?

12. Since when do you choose us?

• Within the last 6 months
• 6 months to 1 year ago
• 1 to 2 years ago
• 2 to 3 years ago
• 3+ years ago

13. Do you like eating different meals?

Favorite food survey questions

Have you ever wondered about your most liked food? You can learn iy by asking your favorite food survey questions to your customers. Learning the most requested food will help you to invest better. For that reason, see the best favorite food survey questions given below:

14. Which dish do you like the most?

15. Which food do you dislike the most?

16. Which drink do you like the most?

17. Which drink do you dislike the most?

18. How often do you eat your favorite food?

• Once a month
• Twice a month
• Once a year

19. Do you recommend your favorite food to others?

20. Do you recommend your favorite drink to the others?

Fast food survey questions

Learning the most requested meals or aspects of fast food is only possible by presenting your customers with fast food survey questions. In order to learn their preferences, advice, or opinions about fast food, ask these most significant fast food survey questions:

21. How often do you eat fast food?

22. Which fast food menu do you order the most?

23. What makes us different from the other fast food chains?

24. What do you pay attention to in fast food the most?

• Quality of ingredients
• Nutritional value
• Speed of delivery

25. Do you find the prices of fast food affordable?

26. Which other fast food chains do you prefer?

• Burger King
• Dunkin' Donuts
• Chick-fil-A
• Other (specify)

27. Do you have any particular fast food preferences?

Food survey questions about the restaurant

Restaurants are vital for your business because it also reflects your brand. Creating a friendly atmosphere is so important because, in the restaurant, people do not only eat their food and leave; they also spend time there. So, the guests’ feedbacks really matter. Take a look at the most significant restaurant survey questions below: 

28. Are you satisfied with the general hygiene in the restaurant?

29. Did you use the toilets?

30. How do you rate the hygiene of the toilets?

• Below Average

31. Was the lighting enough?

32. How do you rate the design of the restaurant?

33. How do you rate the general order of the table?

34. Do you find the place family-friendly?

35. Do you enjoy spending time in the restaurant?

Food allergy survey questions

The guests’ experience with your food in terms of allergic reactions is really important. In order to learn if your food has any reactions or the allergic people can choose your food comfortably, you should definitely ask the food allergy survey questions listed below:

36. Do you have an allergy? 

37. Do you think you might have an allergy?

38. What are you allergic to?

39. Is the thing you are allergic to in our food?

40. While giving orders your food, do our staff pay attention to you about your allergy?

41. Do you have any dietary restrictions?

Food waste survey questions

Food waste is a big problem in the food industry. To decrease food waste, you can present your customers with a feedback survey to learn advice or comments on food waste. If you want to overcome the food waste problem, have a look at the food waste survey questions:

42. Do you think the portions are too big?

43. Do you always finish your meal?

44. Do you always finish your drink?

45. Do you pack the rest of your meal? 46. What do you think we should do to reduce food waste?

New food product survey questions

Presenting your customers with new food or updated version will make your business more lively. Moreover, gathering feedback about their opinions about the new food will enable you to take more confident steps for your following decisions. See the new food product survey questions: 

47. Did you try the new food?

48. How do you rate the new food’s portion?

49. What do you think about the new food?

50. Did you see our new food on social media?

51. Would you recommend our new food to your loved ones?

Food app survey questions

The usability of the survey is quite important. Moreover, you will learn the loved or disliked features of the food app. Apart from the questions, you can ask whether the customer got their food quickly. Check the usability of your app by asking these  food app survey questions:

52. What do you like about the app the most?

• The user-friendly interface
• The wide range of features
• The ability to customize the app
• The helpful customer support
• The frequent updates

53. What do you dislike about the app the most?

• Lack of features
• Poor user interface
• Buggy performance
• Lack of customization
• Difficult to use

54. Do you order on the app easily?

55. Did food arrive quickly?

56. Did you quickly find what you were looking for? 

57. Would you advise the app to your friends?

58. What is the best feature of the food app?

• Easy-to-use interface
• Wide variety of recipes
• Detailed nutritional information
• Meal planning capabilities
• Shopping list feature

59. Did you encounter any errors while ordering?

60. From 1 to 10, how do you rate the app?

• How to create your own food survey online

Once you decide to create your own food survey, the rest is relatively easy thanks to an online survey tool, like forms.app .  Now that you have lots of questions listed above, you can start creating your food survey.

As long as you follow the basic steps given below, you will have an excellent opportunity to gather feedback as you wish. You can design a well-prepared and smart survey if you follow these 3 basic steps:

1. Generate with AI, choose a template, or start from scratch

If you want to take advantage of the latest technology, use forms.app’s AI . Additionally, you can start from scratch if you wish to decide on the whole details. And if you want to save time, you can also choose ready-to-use food survey templates .

Choose how you like to start creating your survey

2. Edit & customize your survey

While deciding on the questions, you can choose multiple or open-ended questions based on your needs. You can edit your food survey as you wish. In this part, let your creativity speak for you! You can use the colors of your brands as the background or use your brand’s logo in the survey however you wish. 

Edit your food survey

3. Share your survey

In the final step, after checking your survey to prevent any mistakes, you can share your food survey on different platforms, including Wha tsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Mail, WordPress, and QR code. 

Share your food survey or embed it on a website

• Final words

To wrap it all up, food surveys are an excellent chance for your business. It can increase the engagement rate and collect data on different advertising opinions. Making your customers happy will make you happier, and this is possible with a good food survey.

So, that’s it: We have covered what a food survey is, shared 60 food survey questions that you can use as it is or customize for your needs, and talked about how you can create your own food questionnaire with free templates. Use the information available here and enjoy collecting data with your own survey.

Şeyma is a content writer at forms.app. She loves art and traveling. She is passionate about reading and writing. Şeyma has expertise in surveys, survey questions, giveaways, statistics, and online forms.

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10 Sample survey questions for a tasty new food product

Creating a successful food product depends on crucial market insights. Check out these sample survey questions for a new food product to get you started.

What is a new food product survey?

New food product survey questions, what information do you need to develop a successful food product, survey question examples for new food products , what are you bringing to the table next.

Whenever you try to build something new, it’s best done together, right? 

In your food product development process, you don’t just say ‘bon appétit’ when you market a new product and put it in front of your ideal customer. What if they don’t care for it at all?

Take a step back. Try to create something together .

How? No need to invite a bunch of hungry customers to your production facility and let them play with ingredients. With a new food product survey, you can perfectly gauge what they’re hungry for and create a product that’s a match made in heaven. 

We’re following up our recent guide on market research for product development with some practical examples of survey questions you can use. This article will focus specifically on food products, but make sure to also take a peek if you’re stuck on another type of product — we’re sure you’ll find some inspiration either way.

How exactly can you use a survey to create a new food product? It’s not like your customers know what resources and ideas you have. 

It’s all about timing. Once you’ve come out of the woods of the initial ideation phase and are playing with different options, it’s time to ask the public. You’ll be building on options that you’ve verified to be viable in that initial stage, based on your market research, of course. 

At the same time, you’ll use the survey to scratch away any ideas that your customer base doesn’t like, leaving you with a most-desirable product.

So essentially, a food product survey isn’t a build-your-perfect-snack survey for your customers. It’s a tool that will help you determine which options that you’ve already played with are most likely to form a recipe for success.

Regardless of if you’re sending out a survey vs a questionnaire , you’ll need to ask the right questions, or find out how to write good survey questions . These are some of the best:

1. What are you trying to solve by using our product?

2. What are you missing in food product category X ?

3. If you could substitute one of the flavours we sell, which one would it be and what for?

4. what foods do you like to combine product x with, 5. if you could adapt one thing in product x, which would be the first thing, 6. if you could magnify one aspect of our product, what would it be, 7. how would you like to put product x to some other use, 8. if you could eliminate something from your diet, what would it be.

9. What food habits would you like to replace, and with what?

10. How well do you think the idea for this particular product fits our brand?

Get reliable insights into your target customers

Check our list of the top market research providers to make sure you choose the right tool for your goals

A new food product survey shouldn’t be a carte blanche with all the options your food scientists can create. You make it more specific and tie it to, ideally, one objective.

Before we get into the list, here are some of the most exciting direct-to-consumer food brands to whet your appetite. And insightful new product research isn’t limited to food products—here are some successful brands who’ve tested beverage branding ideas with consumer research.

What are you trying to achieve from the survey? 

Let’s look at some of the factors that play a role in food products.

• Taste: salted caramel, cheesy onion… you name it. What taste are your customers missing in the shelves from your brand — and others?
• Size: would your customers like to have a travel-sized version of some of their favourite foods — or would they like a bag of crisps that’s larger than life?
• Nutrition: how well does a certain product fit into the lifestyle and goals of your customers? What are they missing that would get them to reach those goals faster?
• Occasion: when is the product being consumed? For what moment does a consumer need something extra?

You can’t ask your customers to fill in all the blanks. You should use the survey to fill in the blanks you can’t just assume. Let’s say your market research has shown that there’s a considerable demand for one-person portions of healthy vegan meals, for the microwave. That ticks the boxes for size, nutrition and occasion. 

But you’re missing an important element: taste. This is what you can find out in your survey. 

What information do you need to develop a successful product?

It depends on who you ask. 

Product managers tend to say “go” if a product concept does not look bad; researchers want to say “stop” unless it looks good. Jay E. Klompmaker, G. David Hughes & Russell I. Haley, Test Marketing in New Product Development

There’s a difference between a product reaching certain requirements, and it being set up for success. Product managers want to launch a successful product. Researchers want to prevent expensive failed launches.

Of course, you’ll need both, but a new product survey and ad copy testing should be used for product managers — to reach for excellence and step away from the status quo. The bare minimum that your product needs to succeed needs to be established before you launch a survey. What you’ll get from the survey is almost literally the icing on the cake of your new product.

So, what information do you need to develop a successful product?

Find out what customers are missing in the supermarket. What flavours they could not stop buying if they exist. What products they haven’t been buying because of their dietary restrictions. 

Or gather information that will help you create a product that is unique in some way. Go beyond learning what products your customers already love — use that only as your baseline. 

Organic Valley has used Attest go find out what flavours to introduce next – and what to name them.

“We were able to identify the top three flavors that we then wanted to bring into the pilot labs. But while our primary insight was around flavors, we also got back a secondary unanticipated insight around how the consumers were clustered around the naming of products as well. 

It wasn’t just around choosing the right flavor but it was choosing the right flavor in the context of a broader name. To get specific, one of the options was ‘spicy tomato salsa egg bites’ and the consumers said it reminded them of the Mexican dish huevos rancheros. And so then we were able to test ‘spicy tomato salsa egg bites’ versus ‘Mexican egg bites with rancheros salsa’.”

Did that get you hungry? Read the full Organic Valley case study .  

You came for questions, and that’s what we’ll give you. We’ve gathered some practical examples of what you could ask in a new food product development survey. 

SCAMPER survey questions for new food product development

Before we dive into the questions, we want to explain the concept question 3 to 9 are based on. Ever heard of scamper? It’s an acronym — which is the name of a checklist designed to boost creative thinking. It basically takes an existing product, and lets you modify it in a more structured way than just saying: have your way with it. 

Now, how do you use these questions and more specifically, the answers? The hope is that there will be some consensus in the answers. For instance, for Modify/Magnify, you’ll get a lot of similar answers from your customer base. Or 90% wants to eliminate the same thing from a product — let’s say sugar. 

With that in mind, here are the questions!

This brings us back to the jobs-to-be-done part of any product, and for food products, this shouldn’t be overlooked. Are people searching for something that spices things up in the kitchen, that adds to their nutrition or that’s for comfort or a quick snack?

Knowing this for sure, without assuming, will help you to position your product accordingly. Here’s list of examples for jobs-to-be-done you can present in the survey:

• Build Muscle
• Manage my cholesterol
• Satisfy Hunger
• Lose weight
• Improve brain function
• Strengthen bones
• Sleep better
• Improve digestion

See how you can get intel about your audience with Attest

Make smarter decisions for your brand with reliable quantitative and qualitative consumer insights from Attest

2. What are you missing in food product category X

There’s no doubt about it: veganism is no longer a trend. But if you or any of your friends are vegan, you know how frustrating it can be to find the right snacks for movie night. Because yes, there’s such a thing as too many Oreos!

So, let’s say you’ve narrowed it down to the following:

• Diet: vegan-friendly. No, vegan-loving.
• Occasion: film night! Snacks that go great with thrillers and High School Musical.
• Size: perfect to share, even with non-vegan friends

And taste…? With the survey, you could tap into what people who went vegan are missing the most from the snack aisle. Is it more urgent to create vegan cheese-flavoured crisps, or vegan M&M’s?

Here you can list all the flavours you’re currently selling, and give a list of options that you’ve been considering. 

Maybe your customers have found a golden combination of products you haven’t thought of when creating the product. Think peanut butter and jelly, or the ever-controversial pineapple on pizza. 

You can either guide your respondents here by giving them a list of options — after all, you know what is actually possible. Think sizes, price, packaging. Or let them dream out loud by giving them the room for all ideas.

Bigger portions? A stronger flavour? More serving suggestions? Find out what your customers can’t get enough of and double down on that.

Would you like an ice cream that is suitable for breakfast? A slice of pizza that you can take as a snack without having to carry an entire box? Find out how your customers are really using certain products, or how they would like to use them if the packaging or portion was suitable for it. 

Get more inspo for your research from our concept testing survey template !

This might sound useless in new product development, but in the bigger picture — which a survey should reveal — this could be very useful information. Maybe you’re looking to create a new breakfast product, but you want it to fit into someone’s dietary restrictions. So, should you focus on gluten-free options? This question will help you find out. 

9. What food habits would you like to replace , and with what?

Here you can again give your respondents two lists to choose from: one with common food habits, and one with healthier — or at least different ones. Like question 8, this type of question will help you see the bigger picture and also helps with positioning.

We’re certain that with all their resources, Red Bull and Coca-Cola could create spectacular tea. But it would probably not catch on, because that’s just not what their brand stands for. So, in your product development survey, do take a moment to see if your brand-new idea actually fits your brand, to prevent a marketing disaster.

Is your food business always testing new flavours and ideas and do you want to bring those products to market with more certainty of success, and more speed? Then Attest is the place to start. Have a look at our free new product development survey templates and make them all yours to gather actionable data.

Fu0026amp;B Digest – Wellness foods issue

In the latest edition of our Fu0026amp;B Digest, we’ve digested data from 1,000 UK consumers to discover trends and opportunities in this growing sector.

Customer Research Lead 

Nick joined Attest in 2021, with more than 10 years' experience in market research and consumer insights on both agency and brand sides. As part of the Customer Research Team team, Nick takes a hands-on role supporting customers uncover insights and opportunities for growth.

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• Published: 25 April 2024

Knowledge levels of doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics about nutrients and food supplements, a multicentre descriptive study

• Aslı Emine Büyükkasap 1 &
• Gülay Yazıcı 2  

BMC Nursing volume  23 , Article number:  277 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

The use of nutrients and food supplements is increasing worldwide. Nutrients and food supplements frequently used in the surgical period may cause complications and side effects. This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge about sixty-one nutrients and food supplements among doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics.

A multicentre descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study.

The study was conducted between 15 February and 31 May 2022 with a total of 410 participants, including 143 doctors and 267 nurses, working in the surgical clinics of 8 hospitals, including public, university and private hospitals, within the borders of one province in Turkey. Data were collected face-to-face using a questionnaire developed by the researchers, which included descriptive characteristics of the doctors and nurses and questions about sixty-one nutrients and food supplements.

The median overall success score of the doctors and nurses participating in the study regarding the use of nutrients and food supplements was 3.20 out of 100 points, the median success score of complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period was 7.06 out of 33 points, the median success score for discontinuation of nutrients and food supplements prior to surgery was 0.21 out of 16 points, and the median success score for drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements was 1.70 out of 51 points. In addition, it was found that the overall success scores of doctors and nurses regarding nutrients and food supplements increased statistically significantly with increasing age and working years. The total success score of doctors and nurses who received training in nutrients and food supplements was statistically significantly higher than that of doctors and nurses who did not receive training.

In conclusion, it was found that the level of knowledge of nutrients and food supplements among doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics was less than half or even close to zero. Therefore, it is recommended that training on nutrients and food supplements should be included in the undergraduate and postgraduate education of doctors and nurses in order to prevent complications, side effects, drug interactions and patient safety related to the use of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period.

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Introduction

Plants, medicinal herbs, foods, and their derivatives have been used for centuries to prevent, treat, and maintain physical and mental health [ 1 , 2 ]. With the advancement of the modern pharmaceutical industry, these natural remedies have been transformed into nutrients and food supplements through physical and biological processes [ 3 ]. These products comprise of a variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, probiotics, or herbal components [ 4 , 5 ]. Nutrients and food supplements that are used to support daily nutrition are extensively used globally [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]. As per the World Health Organisation, around 80% of individuals in developing countries use nutrients and food supplements [ 8 ]. In developed countries, the use of nutrients and food supplements varies widely, with Spain at 41%, Canada at 70%, Australia at 82%, the United States of America at 35%, and Turkey at 53% [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].

The promotion of these products in mass media [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] and recommendations from friends and family [ 1 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], combined with their availability without prescription and affordability [ 16 , 18 , 19 ], contribute to their increased use [ 14 , 16 , 20 ]. Nutrients and food supplements are often preferred for improving health and well-being, alleviating symptoms associated with chronic diseases [ 10 ], cancer treatment [ 10 , 21 ], pregnancy [ 22 ], and the surgical period [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].

Nevertheless, their use can cause drug interactions and serious complications during surgery [ 24 , 26 , 27 ]. Nutrients and food supplements alter the efficacy of anticoagulants and antiplatelets [ 28 ], increase the efficacy of antihypertensive and antidiabetic drugs [ 29 ], interact with corticosteroids, central nervous system depressants, opioid analgesics [ 30 ] and anaesthetics [ 31 , 32 ] and increase the efficacy of sedatives and tranquillisers [ 13 ]. These supplements may also cause prolonged sedation [ 31 , 33 , 34 ], delayed recovery from anaesthesia [ 15 , 29 ], bleeding [ 15 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], coagulation disorders [ 34 , 35 ], cardiac problems [ 29 , 34 ], fluid-electrolyte imbalances [ 34 , 36 ], hypoglycaemia [ 15 , 34 ], affecting the need for analgesics after surgery [ 31 ], transplant rejection, irreversible side effects such as kidney [ 29 ] and liver toxicity [ 29 , 37 ] and even death. To prevent complications, side effects, and drug interactions, it is recommended to stop taking nutrients and food supplements two weeks prior to surgery [ 31 , 32 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Awareness and knowledge level of doctors and nurses are very important in order to prevent, recognise and treat complications related to nutrients and food supplements [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 46 ]. Upon examination of the literature, it was found that there is a lack of studies on doctors' knowledge of nutrients and food supplements, and the existing studies indicate that their knowledge on the subject is inadequate [ 47 , 48 ]. Similarly, no studies were found regarding the knowledge level of nurses on nutrients and food supplements.

Doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics should have the necessary awareness and knowledge to prevent, recognise, and treat complications related to nutrients and food supplements [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 46 ]. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge of doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics regarding complications and side effects of sixty-one nutrients and food supplements, withdrawal periods, and drug interactions.

Type of research

The study was conducted in a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional manner to determine the level of knowledge about sixty-one nutrients and food supplements among doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics.

Research population and sample

The population of the research consists of a total of 1,537 people, including 700 doctors and 837 nurses, working in the surgical clinics of 8 hospitals (6 public, 1 university and 1 private hospital) within the borders of a province in Turkey that approved the study. The sample calculation of the study was made with 50% unknown frequency and 95% confidence interval with type 1 error 0.05, and it was calculated that at least 307 participants should be reached. When the sample size was stratified separately for doctors and nurses, it was found that 140 doctors and 167 nurses needed to be reached. Criteria for inclusion in the study; working as a staff doctor or nurse in surgical clinics, volunteering to participate in the research, working in adult surgical clinics. Exclusion criteria from the study were as follows; not volunteering to participate in the research, not answering the entire questionnaire, working in surgical intensive care units, working in a pediatric surgery clinic, not being a permanent employee of the clinic where the research is conducted, being in the clinic due to rotation, working in the clinic on a temporary basis due to day or night shifts. The study was completed with a total of 410 people, including 143 doctors (6 from private hospitals, 30 from university hospitals, 107 from public hospitals) and 267 nurses (25 from private hospitals, 45 from university hospitals, 197 from public hospitals), who agreed to participate in the study, gave written consent, and completed the entire questionnaire. Doctors and nurses working in hospitals do not receive training in nutrients and food supplements.

Data collection tools

The research used a questionnaire-interview method to collect data. This questionnaire-interview was designed for this study by the researchers utilizing the literature ( Supplementary Material ). The questionnaire used for data collection consists of four parts. The first part includes the descriptive characteristics of the doctors and nurses, the second part includes the complications and side effects seen during the surgical period due to the use of nutrients and food supplements, the third part includes the duration of discontinuation of nutrients and food supplements before the surgical period, and the fourth part includes questions about drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements.

Section 1: descriptive characteristics of doctors and nurses

This section was developed by the researcher based on the literature [ 1 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 20 , 49 , 50 ]. This section consists of a total of 14 questions about doctors and nurses, including age, sex, education level, marital status, occupation, total years of professional experience, clinic where they work, total years of experience in the department where they work, status of training in nutrients and food supplements, status of questioning patients about the use of nutrients and dietary supplements, status of postponement of surgery due to the use of nutrients and dietary supplements, and number of patients for whom surgery was postponed.

Section 2: questions related to complications and side effects during the surgical period due to the use of nutrients and food supplements

This section was developed by the researcher based on the literature [ 4 , 13 , 24 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 35 , 42 , 44 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ].

This section consists of questions about complications and side effects caused by 61 foods and nutrients and food supplements (garlic, onion, lemon, nettle, parsley, red pepper (capsicum), chia seed, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, St. John's wort, turmeric, ginger, hawthorn, aloe vera, black tea, green tea, linden, lavender, chamomile, echinacea, calendula, clove, dandelion, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, cherry, blueberry, horse chestnut, liquorice, valerian, red clover, anise seed, ephedra, kava, fenugreek, black cohosh, burdock, cat's claw, mistletoe, hops, passionflower, bitter melon, devil's claw, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin D, fish oil, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, L-arginine, sports supplements, probiotics, weight-loss products).

These questions consist of a total of four questions: bleeding, fluid-electrolyte imbalance, hepatotoxic effects and effects on blood glucose levels. Each box in which the answers to the questions are scored corresponds to a response option. The answer options for the questions assessing bleeding are "increases", "decreases", "has no effect" and "don't know"; the answer options for the question assessing fluid-electrolyte imbalance are "does", "has no effect" and "don't know", the answer choices for the hepatotoxic effect question are 'does', 'has no effect' and 'don't know', and the answer choices for the blood glucose effect question are 'increases', 'decreases', 'has no effect' and 'don't know'.

For example, question 1 consists of four questions about the effects of garlic on bleeding, fluid-electrolyte imbalance, hepatotoxic effects, and blood glucose levels. When the literature was reviewed, it was found that garlic affects bleeding [ 44 ] and blood sugar [ 50 , 53 ]. However, no information was found in the literature on fluid-electrolyte imbalance and hepatotoxic effects. For this reason, the questions related to fluid-electrolyte imbalance and hepatotoxic effects were excluded from the evaluation and the effects on bleeding and blood glucose levels were evaluated. In this context, questions on 61 nutrients and food supplements that could not be found in the literature were excluded. Table 1 below shows the nutrients and food supplements that were excluded in this section. As a result, a total of 244 questions were asked in this section and 131 questions were evaluated in line with the literature (Table 1 ).

Section 3: questions related to the duration of discontinuation of nutrients and food supplements before the surgical period

This section was developed by the researcher based on the literature [ 31 , 32 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 44 , 45 , 50 , 52 , 75 ]. This section consists of a total of 61 questions about when to discontinue nutrients and food supplements (garlic, onion, lemon, nettle, parsley, red pepper (capsicum), chia seed, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, St. John's wort, turmeric, ginger, hawthorn, aloe vera, black tea, green tea, linden, lavender, chamomile, echinacea, calendula, clove, dandelion, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, cherry, blueberry, horse chestnut, liquorice, valerian, red clover, anise seed, ephedra, kava, fenugreek, black cohosh, burdock, cat's claw, mistletoe, hops, passionflower, bitter melon, devil's claw, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin D, fish oil, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, L-arginine, sports supplements, probiotics, weight-loss products) in the preoperative period. Answers to these questions are sought as ".... should be discontinued weeks ago", ".... should be discontinued days ago (the period less than seven days will be written)", ".... should be discontinued hours ago (the period less than twenty-four hours will be written)", "I do not know the answer". The answer of the participants who answered "there is no need to cut" was noted as "0 hours".

Section 4: Drug interaction questionnaire for nutrients and food supplements

This section was developed by the researcher based on the literature [ 13 , 26 , 29 , 31 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 56 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ]. It consists of questions on the interaction of nutrients and food supplements (garlic, onion, lemon, nettle, parsley, red pepper (capsicum), chia seed, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, St. John's wort, turmeric, ginger, hawthorn, aloe vera, black tea, green tea, linden, lavender, chamomile, echinacea, calendula, clove, dandelion, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, cherry, blueberry, horse chestnut, liquorice, valerian, red clover, anise seed, ephedra, kava, fenugreek, black cohosh, burdock, cat's claw, mistletoe, hops, passionflower, bitter melon, devil's claw, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin D, fish oil, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, L-arginine, sports supplements, probiotics, weight-loss products) with the drug groups antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anaesthetic, analgesic, corticosteroid, antidiabetic, antidepressant. Each box corresponds to a response option and the options are 'increases', 'decreases', 'has no effect' and 'don't know'.

For example, there are 7 questions assessing the interaction of garlic with the following drug classes: antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anaesthetic, analgesic, corticosteroid, antidiabetic, antidepressant. There is information in the literature that garlic interacts with antihypertensive [ 44 ], anticoagulant [ 13 ], anaesthetic [ 31 ], analgesic [ 13 , 76 ], antidiabetic and antidepressant [ 50 ] drug groups. However, this question was excluded from the analysis as there was no information on the interaction with the corticosteroid group. Therefore, questions about 6 groups of drugs with which garlic interacts were analysed. In this context, questions about 61 nutrients and food supplements that could not be found in the literature were excluded. Table 2 shows the nutrients and food supplements that were excluded from the assessment in this section. As a result, a total of 427 questions were asked in this section and 201 questions were evaluated in accordance with the literature (Table 2 ).

A total of 393 questions were evaluated, including 131 questions to assess the level of knowledge about complications and side effects in the surgical period due to the use of nutrients and food supplements, 61 questions to assess the level of knowledge about the duration of cessation of nutrients and food supplements before the surgical period, 201 questions to assess the level of knowledge about nutrients and food supplements and drug interactions. The success score was calculated over 0-100 points based on the number of correct answers of doctors and nurses. Points were calculated for each correct answer. The score for one correct answer (100 points/393 questions ≌ 0.25) was calculated as approximately 0.25 points. Accordingly, the success score for complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period was 33 points (131*0.25 ≌ 33.33), the success score for discontinuation periods before the surgical period was 16 points (61*0.25 ≌ 15.52), and the success score for nutrients and food supplements and drug interactions was 51 points (201*0.25 ≌ 51.15).

The questions in the questionnaire form were analysed by 5 faculty members who are experts in their fields are to evaluate them in terms of formality, scientific content and comprehensibility criteria. The questionnaire form was finalised in accordance with the form containing the expert opinions.

Use of data collection tools

Written permission was obtained from the ethics committee of Yıldırım Beyazıt University (06.01.22/36) and the institutions where the research was conducted. Written informed consent was obtained from the doctors and nurses who participated in the research. The study was conducted between 15 February and 31 May 2022, after obtaining ethics committee approval and institutional permission. Nursing directors/health services directors and chief doctors of hospitals with institutional approval were interviewed. The nurse in charge of the surgical clinics and the doctors' clinic chiefs were then interviewed and informed about the study. Information on the working hours, shift patterns and working practices of the doctors and nurses was obtained. To reach more participants, clinic visits were made between 08:00-16:00 and 16:00-20:00. Doctors and nurses were informed about the ethics committee and administrative permissions obtained, the content of the study and the method of implementation. Questions raised by the doctors and nurses were answered. Written informed consent was obtained from doctors and nurses who agreed to participate in the study. The doctors and nurses were interviewed alone in a quiet environment in the doctors' and nurses' room in the clinic. The interview was concluded once the questions had been answered. It took approximately 15-20 minutes for doctors and nurses to complete the questionnaire. The study was completed with 143 doctors and 267 nurses who agreed to participate in the study, a total of 410 participants.

Analysis of the data

The data obtained by the questionnaire collection method were transferred to the computer environment. The mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, median, frequency and percentage were used in the descriptive statistics of the characteristics of the doctors and nurses in the study. Before comparing the knowledge levels of doctors and nurses in groups, the normal distribution status, which is the assumption of parametric analyses, was tested using the Kolmogrow-Smirnow test [ 85 , 86 ].

Since the groups in the study did not meet the assumption of normal distribution, the Mann-Whitney U test in independent groups was used for pairwise group comparisons, the Kruskal-Wallis H test for three or more group comparisons, and the Mann-Whitney U analysis with Bonferroni correction for post hoc analysis [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ]. SPSS 26 software was used for statistical analyses [ 91 ]. p <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Table 3 shows that the mean age of the doctors and nurses participating in the study was 33.26 (±7.90) years, 43.2% ( n =177) were between 22-29 years old, 72% ( n =295) were female, 46.6% ( n =191) were graduates, 65. 1% ( n =267) were nurses, 37.8% ( n =155) had worked for 10 years or more, 39.3% ( n =161) worked in general surgery and 39.8% ( n =163) had worked in their department for 1-4 years. It was found that 88.8% ( n =364) of doctors and nurses had not received any training on nutrients and food supplements, and 50% of those who had received training on nutrients and food supplements had received it during their professional training.

Doctors and nurses believed that 87.40% ( n =340) of patients used nutrients and food supplements because they found them beneficial to their health (Fig.  1 ). It was found that 64.6% ( n =265) of doctors and nurses did not question the use of nutrients and food supplements and 89.8% ( n =368) did not postpone surgery due to the use of nutrients and food supplements (Fig.  2 ).

Reasons for patients' preference for nutrients and food supplements according to doctors and nurses

Doctors' and Nurses' Questioning of Patients' Use of Nutrients and Food Supplements and Postponement of Surgery Due to the Use of Nutrients and Food Supplements

The median overall success score of doctors and nurses in the use of nutrients and food supplements was calculated as 3.20. Doctors and nurses received the highest score of 7.06 for complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period and the lowest score of 0.21 for the duration of discontinuation of nutrients and food supplements prior to the surgical period (Table 4 ).

A statistically significant difference was found in the success scores of doctors and nurses regarding complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period in terms of age groups ( p =0.002), years of employment ( p =0.025), and receiving training on nutrients and food supplements ( p <0.05) (Table 5 ). The knowledge level of the participants in the 22-30 age group was found to be statistically significantly lower than the 31-40 and 41 and over age groups ( p <0.05). The knowledge level of the participants working for 6-10 years was found to be statistically significantly higher than the participants working for 5 years ( p <0.05). In addition, the knowledge level of the participants who received training on nutrients and food supplements about the complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the perioperative period was found to be statistically significantly higher than those who did not receive training ( p <0.05).

Success scores related to the duration of discontinuing of nutrients and food supplements in the preoperative period were statistically significantly higher in those who received training on nutrients and food supplements ( p <0.001) (Table 5 ).

The success scores of drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements were found to be statistically significantly higher in female participants than in males ( p =0.001), in nurses than in doctors ( p =0.007), according to educational status ( p =0.008), according to years of working experience ( p =0.010), in those who received training on nutrients and food supplements than in those who did not ( p <0.05), and in women statistically significantly higher than in men ( p =0.001) (Table 5 ). The knowledge level of high school graduates was found to be statistically significantly higher than that of postgraduate participants ( p <0.05). The knowledge level of the participants working for 11 years or more was found to be statistically significantly higher than the participants working for less than 5 years ( p <0.05).

The general success scores of doctors and nurses on nutrients and food supplements were found to be statistically significantly higher in older age groups ( p =0.003), in those who had worked for more years ( p =0.015) and in those who had received training on nutrients and food supplements ( p <0.001) (Table 5 ). The knowledge level of the participants in the 31-40 age group was found to be statistically significantly higher than the participants in the 41 and over age group ( p <0.01). The knowledge level of the participants who have been working for 6-10 years is statistically significantly higher than the participants who have been working for less than 5 years ( p <0,05).

Nutrients and food supplements are widely used worldwide [ 2 , 6 , 7 ] for health protection and treatment of chronic diseases [ 10 ]. For the same reasons, patients often prefer to use nutrients and food supplements during their surgical period [ 23 , 92 ]. However, because nutrients and food supplements may contain complex active ingredients with side effects [ 93 , 94 ], they may cause unexpected complications and side effects [ 40 ] or drug interactions in the surgical period [ 51 , 95 ]. To prevent these complications, side effects and drug interactions, the use of nutrients and food supplements should be stopped two weeks before surgery [ 39 , 44 ].

Doctors and nurses should ask patients directly about their use of nutrients and food supplements [ 42 ] and take a detailed medical history before surgery to prevent potential complications and adverse effects related to nutrients and food supplements during surgery [ 96 ]. According to a study conducted by Gamsız et al. (2011), 28.2% of doctors ask patients about their use of nutrients and food supplements during their treatment or before prescribing [ 97 ]. Shorofi et al. (2017) found that 15.8% of nurses questioned patients about nutrients and food supplements while taking their medical history [ 98 ]. In our study, only 35.4% of doctors and nurses questioned the use of nutrients and food supplements in the preoperative period, and 10.2% reported postponing surgery due to the use of nutrients and food supplements. The average number of operations postponed was 3.72±2.83. The rate of use of nutrients and food supplements during the surgical period in Turkey is 32.5-54.2% [ 17 , 23 , 99 , 100 ]. Considering the size of the population in which our study was conducted and the average annual number of operations, the rates of questioning the use of nutrients and food supplements and the number of operations postponed due to the use of nutrients and food supplements were found to be low. This result in our study, which is consistent with the literature, suggests that 11.2% of doctors and nurses have received training in nutrients and food supplements, and the more knowledge doctors and nurses have on this subject, the more they can implement practices aimed at questioning and preventing potential problems.

Doctors and nurses should have a high level of knowledge and awareness of the complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period, drug interactions [ 101 ] and the duration of discontinuation in the preoperative period [ 35 , 39 , 44 ]. However, studies conducted with doctors in the literature emphasise that doctors do not have a sufficient level of knowledge [ 47 , 48 ]. No studies were found that assessed nurses' knowledge of nutrients and food supplements.

Heller et al (2006) found that 54% of plastic surgeons asked about nutrients and food supplements in the study knew the name and 90% did not know the side effects [ 102 ]. Taşpınar et al. (2014) found that 8.6% of doctors correctly answered the duration of stopping nutrients and food supplements in the preoperative period in their study with doctors [ 103 ]. Soltanipour et al (2022) found that the mean success score of doctors' ( n =142) knowledge of nutrients and food supplements was 6.47 ± 6.17 out of 25 points [ 48 ]. In this study, the success scores of doctors and nurses related to complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements were 7.06 out of 33 points, the success scores related to discontinuation periods before the surgical period were 0.21 out of 16 points, the success scores related to drug interactions were 1.70 out of 51 points, and the total success scores were 3.20 out of 100 points. Although our study is consistent with the literature, 88.8% of doctors and nurses did not receive any training on nutrients and food supplements. This situation suggests that nutrients and food supplements are not included in continuing education during professional training or during working period.

Educating doctors and nurses about nutrients and food supplements in both professional and in-service training programmes will increase the knowledge of doctors and nurses [ 57 , 104 ]. Mikail et al (2003), in their study evaluating doctors' knowledge of nutrients and food supplements, found that the mean pre-test pass rate for doctors was 34% and the mean post-test pass rate after training was 61% [ 47 ]. In our study, the overall success score of doctors and nurses who received training on nutrients and food supplements was found to be higher than that of doctors and nurses who did not receive training. In addition, the success scores of doctors and nurses who received training on complications and side effects, discontinuation periods and drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements were also found to be higher. Our results show that education about nutrients and food supplements is effective in improving the level of knowledge.

In addition to education, age and years of experience also influence the level of knowledge of nutrients and food supplements among doctors and nurses [ 46 ]. Hasen et al found that doctors, nurses, and pharmacists aged 36-40 years were four times more knowledgeable about nutrients and food supplements than those aged 25-30 years [ 46 ]. Nurses' clinical experience and previous patient experience increase the level of knowledge in nursing practice [ 105 ].

In this study, it was found that the overall success scores of doctors and nurses in relation to nutrients and food supplements and the success scores in relation to complications and side effects increased statistically significantly with increasing age. In addition, total success scores, success scores related to complications and side effects, and success scores related to drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements increased statistically significantly with increasing years of employment. The results of our study suggest that the experience of doctors and nurses with increasing age and years of employment may contribute positively to the level of knowledge about nutrients and food supplements.

The success score for drug interactions of nurses with a high school degree was found to be statistically significantly higher than that of doctors and nurses with a university degree. This situation suggests that this is due to the statistically significant experience gained from the statistically significantly greater number of years of work of the high school graduate nurses.

Nurses were found to have higher success rates in drug interactions than doctors. This is due to the fact that nurses administer medications, observe side effects, and have experience in this area [ 106 ].

In our study, female doctors and nurses were found to have a statistically significant higher success rate with regard to drug interactions with nutrients and food supplements than male doctors and nurses. Koyu et al (2020) evaluated the use of nutrients and food supplements by healthcare professionals throughout the hospital and found that female healthcare professionals used nutrients and food supplements at a higher rate than male healthcare professionals [ 107 ]. Taşpınar et al. found that 33.9% of female doctors and 27.5% of male doctors used nutrients and food supplements [ 103 ]. It has been reported in the literature that female doctors and nurses prefer nutrients and food supplements more often than male doctors and nurses [ 103 , 107 ]. The fact that female doctors and nurses had higher achievement scores related to drug interactions of nutrients and food supplements may be related to the higher frequency of use in female doctors and nurses.

In our study, knowledge scores were evaluated in three groups (complications and side effects, drug interactions, discontinuation periods) and as a total score. It was found that the only common and most important factor affecting all three groups and the overall knowledge score was the status of training received on the subject. On the other hand, no positive effect of the level of education (high school, associate degree, undergraduate, postgraduate) on the knowledge level success score was found in any of the knowledge level success score groups. We believe that this situation is due to the lack of training on nutrients and food supplements in current medical and nursing education curricula.

Although nutrients and food supplements are widely used, in practice they may cause complications and side effects in the surgical period. Therefore, training doctors and nurses on the complications and side effects of nutrients and food supplements in the surgical period, discontinuation periods and drug interactions are necessary to prevent and resolve problems that may occur due to nutrients and food supplements used by the patient. In order to prevent potential complications and side effects in the surgical period due to misuse of nutrients and food supplements, it is essential that doctors and nurses are educated and have a high awareness of the use of nutrients and food supplements. In this study, it was found that the level of knowledge of nutrients and food supplements among doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics was less than half or even close to zero. This study revealed significant gaps in physicians' and nurses' knowledge of nutrients and food supplements and highlighted the need for comprehensive education to prevent potential risks associated with the use of nutrients and food supplements during the surgical period.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Zonedo repository, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10738144 [ 108 ].

Büyükkasap AE, Yazıcı G. Knowledge levels of doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics about nutrients and food supplements, a multicentre descriptive study, dataset. Zenodo. 2024. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10738144

The research used a questionnaire-interview method to collect data. This questionnaire-interview was designed for this study by the researchers utilizing the literature (Supplementary Material 1 ).

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Aslı Emine Büyükkasap

Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey

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Büyükkasap, A.E., Yazıcı, G. Knowledge levels of doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics about nutrients and food supplements, a multicentre descriptive study. BMC Nurs 23 , 277 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01968-z

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Received : 19 February 2024

Accepted : 22 April 2024

Published : 25 April 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01968-z

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