Authors: Johansson, Barbro; Mäkelä, Johanna; Roos, Gun; Hillén, Sandra; Hansen, Gitte Laub; Jensen, Tine Mark; Huotilainen, Anna

Source: Food, Culture and Society: An International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Volume 12, Number 1, March 2009 , pp. 25-51(27)

Publisher: Berg Publishers

Abstract:

A study of the different food messages that children encounter and their own reflections of these messages was carried out among fifty-nine children from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The children took photos of their "foodscapes," including school, home, shops, streets, cafés and restaurants. The themes were healthy and unhealthy food, everyday and festive food and their favorite food. The children were well aware of common understandings of healthy/unhealthy food. They labeled fruit, vegetables and fiber-rich foods as healthy and foods rich in sugar, fat and salt as unhealthy. Unhealthy eatables belonged to festive contexts, such as cozy evenings and birthday parties. The everyday food in school and at home was considered healthier, often consisting of well-composed meals including vegetables. The children's favorite foods belonged to both the healthy and unhealthy categories. The children also dealt with the contradictions between everyday healthy food and unhealthy festive food, which involved adjusting to different social and spatial contexts.

Keywords: NORDIC; FOOD; CHILDREN; FOODSCAPE; ETHNOGRAPHY

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/155280109X368651

Publication date: 2009-03-01

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