Decoding Food Culture (EN)

The study Decoding Food Culture examines how food cultures differ and how food innovations can benefit from being embedded in these cultural contexts. To this end, a representative survey was conducted, collecting data for Switzerland as well as for the border regions of its four major neighbouring countries: Germany, France, Italy, and Austria.

Swiss and Other Food Cultures

The study explores food cultures through six dimensions: Enjoyment, Community, Health, (Self-)Control, Rituals, and Rootedness. It analyses the following aspects:

• Regional differences: Do people in southern Germany place more value on community when eating than in Switzerland? How important are pleasure or health in Vorarlberg or Lombardy?
• Sociodemographic differences: Which population groups take the most time to enjoy their meals? Who pays the most attention to health? And who is most influenced by which media in their eating habits?
• Changes over time: How much have eating habits changed in recent years? And what have been the main reasons behind these changes?

No matter how established eating habits may seem, they change over time – and they can also be influenced by food innovations. After all, every element of today’s food culture once started as an innovation. The various dimensions of food culture provide companies with different levers to position new products and services in such a way that they can be integrated into consumers’ daily lives. The study provides extensive recommendations for action in this regard.

Study Summary

Decoding Food Culture Summary

Study Authors