ABSTRACT
Food and nutrition have long been of interest to sociologists. Nothing has been more central to the American lifestyle yet more taken for granted than food. It is often mentioned with pride that no country enjoys the quantity and quality of food with as low a commitment of per capita income than the United States. There is more to the sociological aspects of food and nutrition than whether Americans get their minimum daily requirements of the necessary vitamins and minerals. The nutritional concepts held by them range from eating only organically grown foods to vegetarianism and other cult-like food beliefs. Distribution of food is an important concern of both the rural and urban segments of our population and is of central concern to nutrition policy. Food is intimately related to social interaction patterns. Researchers have long been concerned with why certain foods are of high status for different groups and low status in other groups.
