A study of the impact of compressed modernisation on food habits
Jean-Pierre Poulain1*, Cyrille Laporte1, Laurence Tibère1, Elise Mognard2, Neethianhantan Ari Ragavan2, Anis Ashraf Zadeh3 & Ismail Mohd Noor2 analysent dans cet article l’impact de la modernisation compressée sur les habitudes alimentaires dans le contexte multiculturel de la Malaisie.
Les résultats du Malaysian food barometer ( données quantitatives et qualitatives) soulignent notamment deux grandes caractéristiques des habitudes alimentaires en Malaisie: le lien avec le contexte multi ethnique et multi culturel de la Malaisie et la grande fréquence des consommations hors domicile par les populations urbaines.
1 ISTHIA & CERTOP UMR CNRS 5044, Université de Toulouse, Taylor’s University Malaysia, LIA CNRS Food, Cultures & Health;
2Taylor’s University Malaysia, LIA CNRS Food, Cultures & Health;
3Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University, Malaysia, LIA CNRS Food, Cultures & Health
Abstract :
Introduction: The Malaysian society is undergoing rapid modernisation. The emerging middle class in Malaysia is influencing the lifestyles and traditional food habits of the main three ethnics (i.e. Malays, Chinese, and Indians). This article studied the impact of compressed modernisation on food in a multicultural context. The Malaysian Food Barometer (MFB), published in the year 2014, focuses on the socio-cultural determinants of food habits in Malaysia. Methods: The methods applied in the study were qualitative and quantitative surveys of the food barometers developed at the national level to study the transformation of eating habits. The surveys studied the socio-economic, demographic, and cultural determinants of food consumption, as well as identifying their possible influences on health issues. Results: The results showed two major distinguishing characteristics of Malaysian food patterns, i.e. linking with Malaysia’s multi-ethnicity background and the high frequency of foods consumed outside of home by the urban population. Conclusion: The article concluded that like many societies in transition, Malaysia has to face a rise in the prevalence of overweight. However, with its multicultural characteristics, it becomes a privileged empirical field of observation for the analysis of modernisation modalities of diet models among different ethnic groups.