Sociocultural and Household Factors Impacting on the Selection, Allocation and Consumption of Animal Source Foods: Current Knowledge and Application

This paper reviews the literature on cultural and household level constraints on the consumption of animal source foods (ASF). Food proscriptions do not appear to significantly limit food consumption in the areas where this question has been examined, with the possible exception of adult women in some settings. Preferential food allocation patterns, based on economic contribution, social valuation and other factors do play a role in limiting the intake of animal source foods for children and women in some settings. Economic factors limit access to ASF at the household level. Child care patterns in different cultural settings can also serve to enhance or limit the consumption of ASF. Social marketing and positive deviance approaches have had some success in increasing the intake of ASF by using formative research and participatory approaches. The paper concludes with a series of research questions for further investigation.