Infographic – Food environments condition people’s ability to make healthy choices

Eating behavior is the result of a complex interaction between individual factors –knowledge, skills and motivation – and the environments in which an individual evolves. Three main types of environments influence our eating behavior:

• The social or personal environment consisting of interactions with family, friends, peers and the community. It plays a crucial role in modeling behavior, social support and social norms.

• The physical environment, which includes the places where food is purchased or consumed (home, school, work, shops etc.). It determines the available food supply and can either facilitate or hinder health-promoting choices.

• The macro-environment, although less direct, is just as influential, and includes social and cultural norms, food advertising and marketing, production and distribution systems, public policies, and legislative frameworks.

These three levels interact with individual factors to shape food choices. Adopting a healthy diet therefore depends not only on motivation and/or knowledge, but also on an enabling environment. Indeed, access to healthy food – in terms of availability, affordability and lack of barriers – is often unequal, particularly for low-income populations. These inequalities raise major public health and social justice issues.

A comprehensive, multi-sectoral and equitable approach is therefore needed to sustainably transform eating habits.