Contradictions and Consistencies in Understandings of Food in High and Low-Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

The existence of different food cultures across the world and their link to health or well-being raise the questions of how health or unhealth in food is perceived in these different food cultures?; What characterises them?; and What similarities and differences exist between them? Although speculatively, studies around these questions suggest that there might be heterogeneity not only in terms of different regions within a country or continent but also with regard to different global regions; there is currently insufficient comprehensive international comparison of different food cultures in a single study. To fill this gap in the literature, this chapter used Photovoice to engage 90 participants across 18 countries selected from the World Banks’ 2023 financial year categorisation of High-Income Countries (HICs) and Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). While the two worlds—HICs and LMICs—are similar in terms of vegetable consumption and snacking, there are significant differences on how these manifest in these blocks. Results revealed five key areas of difference between LMICs and HICs concerning similar categories—rising cost of food, vegetable consumption, fruit consumption, perceptions of fast food and meat eating. This knowledge could promote a better understanding of food cultures that go beyond nutrition which has been the dominant frame for defining healthy and unhealthy food. Varied knowledge bases must be considered when promoting healthy eating habits and addressing food insecurity in different parts of the world.