Science

1- Acceptability of dietary change

The imperative of changing dietary practices necessarily implies diversifying the products consumed, and therefore introducing or rediscovering new products. On the one hand, this raises the question of cultural acceptability for consumers: how can healthier, more responsible products be integrated into a given cultural context? How can we encourage the evolution of practices that are strongly integrated into social routines? On the other hand, the position of professionals in the food sector, particularly in the restaurant trade, is also an important angle: how do restaurant owners position themselves with regard to sustainability issues? What role can they play, both in terms of their expertise and their media impact?

2- Production, transmission and reception of knowledge about food transitions

The importance of the issues involved in changing food models generates a wealth of information and discourse in society, which is appropriated, disseminated and mobilised in a variety of ways and with a variety of interests. In this context, what role does - and should - scientific knowledge play? What links should there be with civil society, and what place should there be for the participatory dimension? How can we inform people and raise their awareness without adding to the confusion or reinforcing the circulation of unreliable information? What role can alternative forms, particularly artistic ones, play in these exchanges?

3- Food heritage and transitions

The growing interest in food as a heritage can be seen in the large number of food-related practices and knowledge that have been included on UNESCO's lists of intangible cultural heritage since 2010. However, just as the notion of heritage has a variety of definitions, the issues surrounding these food heritages are diverse, and can serve the interests of sustainability just as well as being in tension. How are heritage projects constructed? What role do they play? What role can they play in food transitions, particularly in a context where climate change is calling into question the characteristics, or even the viability, of so-called traditional food products?

4- Changing social relations around food

Food is often presented as a space for sharing and exchanging, whether through the sharing of the meal itself (commensality) or the associated activities: cooking, provisioning, etc. It is therefore seen as having the virtues of creating ‘social links’ and combating ‘isolation’. Conversely, certain discourses (scientific, media or institutional) sometimes underline the impression that these links are being broken through practices that are more individualised. However, the nature of the links created is highly variable, and these discourses are often more a matter of impression than knowledge. We need to investigate the nature of these links in order to clarify the conditions under which the social relationships that develop around food can contribute to healthier, more sustainable practices.

Most of the research is qualitative and comparative, using disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, social psychology and geography. Quantitative approaches can also be used to work on a broader scale.