Food initiative debate challenges claims of free choice

Swiss voters will debate the food initiative on September 27, with opponents warning of a “vegan compulsion” and restrictions on meat, eggs and dairy products. Proponents say they want to strengthen plant-based food production and improve food security, SRF reported.

The initiative does not ban meat or milk, while the federal government’s agricultural policy does not exclusively favour meat and dairy farming. The debate nevertheless raises the question of which diets receive political support and who ultimately determines what people eat.

More than 200 food decisions a day

People make more than 200 food decisions every day, according to Irene Held, president of the Association of Nutritional Psychology Advisers. Most are unconscious and therefore influenced by factors outside deliberate thought.

Hunger, cravings, parents, body ideals, a person’s relationship with food, the time of day, money and work all shape eating behaviour. People are also influenced by their social environment, culture, traditions, place of residence, religion, ethics, morality, health advice, illness and intolerances.

Held said the food industry, retailers and Switzerland’s import rules also play a role. Consumers cannot choose products that are not available. Dog and cat meat, for example, would not be found on supermarket shelves in Switzerland.

Supply and advertising shape choices

The available food supply is influenced by import regulations, the season, consumer demand, food companies, farmers, the weather and retailers, Held said.

Advertising also affects eating habits and can prompt people to make food choices unconsciously, she said. Mathias Stalder, founder of the Stadt ernähren network in Biel, which aims to develop a local and sustainable food system, said advertising influences people more than they realise.

Consumers often only feel that they are free to choose, Stalder said. A small number of large corporations supply many of the products people buy, he argued, adding that this situation benefits food companies more than consumers.

Awareness can create self-determination

Held said the feeling of freedom was “to some extent” an illusion. In her view, people can make self-determined decisions about what they eat if they recognise the forces influencing them.

That awareness, she said, is what makes eating behaviour free.