Food Classification Systems

Abstract

According to Smith and Medin (1981), concepts (and classes) are essential for understanding and communicating our experiences. Likewise, in food and nutrition, concepts and classes not only allow communication among professionals in the field, but also allow communication between professionals and the public. In fact, food and nutrition educators have considered one type of classification system, food guides, an indispensable tool for communicating to the public the information needed to obtain adequate amounts of nutrients. These food guides reflect a distillation of a large and complex body of knowledge about human nutrition and foods into a few potentially understandable concepts that can be used by the consumer. Considering how central these systems are to the field, it is rather surprising to discover that there seems to be more discussion about the ability of these systems to communicate the desired information rather than any research to determine their effectiveness as understandable food guidance systems.

“Without concepts, mental life would be chaotic. If we perceived each entity as unique, we would be overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of what we experience and unable to remember more than a minute fraction of what we encounter. And if each individual entity needed a distinct name, our language would be staggeringly complex and communication virtually impossible.” (Smith and Medin, 1981, pg 1)