ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the social determinants of health and their impact on food choices and nutrition. Food choice is recognised as a complex area that integrates biological, environmental, economic and social systems. Food choice is defined as people’s thoughts, feelings and actions related to food and eating. Social determinants are defined as the ‘upstream’ social and economic factors that influence health and disease of individuals and populations. The social context includes the structure of society and social relations that assign an individual to a particular social position and will vary depending on economic and industrial structures. Measuring poverty using income measures has limitations, as income does not necessarily reflect low living standards, nor does it take into consideration health and social connections. An alternative approach measures poverty within a framework of living standards that takes into consideration the prevailing community standards about what constitutes the basic necessities.
