Abstract

In the context of the rise in numbers of people affected by food poverty in the UK the Foodways and Futures 2013-2016 project explores the ways in which vulnerable young people 16-25 experience their relationship to food In my data analysis the experience of shopping for food emerged as a particularly pertinent issue for young people although this remains largely unexplored in the literature I found that among other issues food shopping is not necessarily an enjoyable experience for vulnerable young people some of whom are anxious about entering food shops and engage in hurried shopping practices Decision-making was based on budget restrictions as well as the immediate experience of hunger As a result food shopping was often rapid and reactive This vulnerable group of food shoppers do not necessarily purchase the cheapest items as these may be seen as degrading to self-esteem Young people also faced physical obstacles of distances to the larger shops and the weight of their food shopping Strongly opposed to public health expectations on healthy eating I found contradictions in how young people wanted to behave when purchasing foods and how they were able to practice their food shop Drawing on and extending Bourdieu s work on habitus I aim to make sense of these accounts and show that rather than being deviant the study participants adapt to an unequal distribution of resources