Question: Why do you think humans have evolved to look at eating as a social and leisure activity rather than a necessity?

Sian Thomas answered on 20 Jun 2016:

Hi Jo, a really interesting question. I have not really looked at it this way round before – rather that because we have to eat at least a few times every day and because in our past there would have been food shortages sharing food (breaking bread etc) would have been something you did with those you were intimate enough to want to share something really precious with.

When we look at people’s behaviour around food a couple of patterns emerge: habit and pleasure. I doubt many people think of breakfast as a social activity – or indeed other ‘meals’ that people might consume on their own as social, pleasure or leisure. However, if you undertake these activities with others (unless you do this every day) and particularly when you share outside of your normal environment it changes.

So in my view one of the challenges we have as a country is how to make sure we change our views of eating so we don’t run out of food – or to be a bit less dramatic – we still have the availability of things we want to choose. And I think we need to do this on two fronts: to change the habits that are ingrained in people and to make the social and leisure activity one where choices that depend on a sustainable food supply easier and more acceptable at a societal level.