WHEN they shop for food, less Irish consumers seem to care less about price, than other consumers in the EU, according to a new survey by the Institute of European Food Studies, based at Trinity College Dublin. The five most frequently mentioned influences on food choice by Irish shoppers were quality, taste, family constraints, healthy eating and EU price. Shoppers in all other states put quality first and most - including France - put price second before taste.
Europeans also varied greatly in their conceptions of "healthy eating". When asked to describe "healthy eating" in their own words, 39 per cent of Irish consumers said "less fat" as their first choice (compared to 65 per cent of British and 29 per cent of French). After that, 57 per cent of the Irish mentioned "more fruit and vegetables" (compared to just 17 per cent in France), 28 per cent said "balance and variety" (compared to 73 per cent in Belgium), 13 per cent said "fresh/natural food" (compared to 54 per cent in Italy) and 18 per cent said "less red meat, more fish and chicken" (compared to six per cent in Denmark). Europe may be gradually homogenising, but strong cultural values still set countries apart regarding their diets.