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The journal AGRICULTURA (A) publishes scientific works from the following fields: animal science, plant production, farm mechanisation, land management, agricultural economics, ecology, biotechnology, microbiology
ISSN 1581-5439
Home Issues Issue 2 Food preferences in the global village

Food preferences in the global village

E. Robert A. BECK, Stefan VOGEL
pp. 16-18 

There are competing arguments regarding the impact of globalization on consumer food preferences. These range from a tendency to standardize taste driven by market forces to a demand for broad choice being dictated by consumers’ assessments of risk associated with foods. With growing mobility of workers of all kinds, the population in some locations, such as major cities and industrial zones, are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of nationality and culture. This article contributes to the discussion with a focus on the distribution of cuisine preferences within an international community in one of Europe’s major cities using data derived from a research project carried out in 1999. The authors suggest that globalization can also lead to the development of a broadened, educated taste for national, regional and specialist products and cuisine that balances the food industry's drive to standardize taste.
Agricultura 2: 16-18 (2003)

Key words: globalization of agriculture; household economics; food preferences; trends, standardization of taste

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