Research about people's beliefs about food?

Question

Anyone aware of research into why people belief crazy stuff about farming and food, in the absence of evidence? Who is doing work in this area?

Answer 1

I'm not sure if there's been any research done, but I think most of it comes from the fact that a lot of people are so disconnected from agriculture and nature where they have no idea, and are willing to believe about anything.



How many people are convinced that food simply just comes from the store not a farm? Or how many think that seeing field signs placed by seed companies promoting their varieties mean that company owns that land? Similarly it's amazing the number of people who don't seem to put together the idea that meat comes from an animal, even when it has the same name! (chicken, fish, lamb). Yes I have actually run across people who thought these things.



If you're looking for something actually being done about this disconnect then Farm Bureau is your best place to look, every state has a chapter, as well as most counties.

Answer 2

Yes, to some extent. There is a fair amount of academic research written particularly about perceptions of biotechnology. The one well studied example is perceptions of biotechnology. THere are pretty good explanations on why most of Europe is much more opposed to biotechnology than the United States.



Anyway, I would ramble on, but I'm only helping interpret google search results if I talk any more.



However, try googling (especially using google scholar) terms such as:

agricultural perceptions

agriculture philosophy

agriculture sociology

agriculture psychology

and just for fun, Food for Thought actually gets some stuff too



As for the actual reasoning: besides what ERIC said (public disconnect with agriculture), agricultural research is not necessarily a simple thing to do. The nature of agriculture means that it requires large scale studies over several years, and narrow comparisons in studies are often not reflective of the much more complex systems that require a broader view. The result is that it is often not difficult to design, produce, or find an experiment, and the "evidence" that comes with it, that suits somebody's beliefs.

Answer 3

If you're looking for something actually being done about this disconnect then Farm Bureau is your best place to look

Answer 4

Here you go:



Encyclopedia of food and culture by Solomon H Katz and William Woys Weaver, New York : Scribner, 2003.

Answer 5

food is what keeps us humans alive, without food there is no us. fluid is also an important part of the humans life, but food needs to be grown. more than 86.75% of food is grown...!!!!!!