Food Stress Syndrome

Identified for the first time in 2004, in Montreal (Canada), by a team of researchers and dietitians, Food stress is defined as the pressure that an individual experiences to change his or her eating habits as a result of food issues (for example: high cholesterol content in food, Fruits and vegetables and fear of pesticides...). This stress takes the form of anxiety when purchasing a food product associated with one or several specific food issues. For research purposes, it is defined as leading to a conscious decision not to buy or not to eat certain products when these are associated with risk. Conversely, it also leads to a conscious decision to buy or eat certain products when they are associated with a benefit. The accumulation of these behaviours in relation to a variety of issues is called “Food Stress Syndrome”. According to the four research on “Food stress syndrome”, it is a well-established phenomenon in our society and has increased significantly between 2004 and 2008.
“Food Stress” is often thought to be an eating disorder similar to orthorexia, bulimia or anorexia. In fact, it is nothing of the sort. A person suffering from an eating disorder experiences a feeling of general discomfort within society. A person affected by “Food Stress”, by contrast, is someone who changes his or her food behaviours in order to act like everybody else. Basically, the person follows the social and marketing trends that tell us to change our eating habits in order to avoid risks or gain benefits from our food. This new phenomenon, which has been spreading rapidly since 2004, is known today as “Food Stress Syndrome”.
“Food Stress” is far more than a passing fad; it is a major trend and a key factor explaining the popularity of healthy eating habits and healthy food. Largely disseminated in North America, the results of the fourth and most recent Food Stress Survey were also picked up in Europe and Asia. Consumers are already fascinated by the FSS.
To learn more:
Summary of the 2007 study []
News releases 2007 []
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