PubMed1984
The current research findings of the authors, together with those recently published by other workers in related fields, are reviewed. The groups discussed have been selected, either because detailed studies have been made on them, or because their food habits are sufficiently different from the majority of the population to attract attention, or create problems for them in areas like school meals, hospital catering and other non-domestic feeding situations. Many case studies on minority ethnic groups have been concerned with the social, structural and economic patterns of these communities. Knowing how these patterns have influenced the ethnic identity in some cases, it is thought that we can extrapolate from the strength of the social cohesion of a group to the possible strength of the group's traditional food habits. The emphasis of this review is on the strength of traditional food habits in a different cultural environment, and the factors which contribute to this strength. It is felt that all those involved in providing meals in institutions where ethnic minorities are likely to be present, should have a fundamental understanding of the rationale behind a minority's acceptance or non-acceptance of particular foods. It is also thought that this kind of knowledge should be made available to teachers, social workers, health visitors, dietitians and general medical practitioners, enabling these professionals to understand better the mores which govern the food and nutrition of ethnic minority groups in the UK.