When Food is Risky: Food Allergies in Japan and the UK

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03211
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: COOK EMMA 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 准教授 (90745788)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: food allergy / medical anthropology / affect and emotion / embodiment

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research I explored the social experiences of individuals with food allergies in Japan and the UK. Although people with food allergies often experience similar things, for example, a lack of understanding about food allergy from friends, family and the wider community food allergy, there are also differences due to different cultural ideas about food and the body mean that people with food allergies in Japan and the UK have some different social issues and different ways to try and solve them. In Japan, for example, parents of children with food allergy typically discuss food allergies as a disease. In the UK, however, parents are more likely to talk about food allergies as a condition to be managed. Whilst individuals with food allergies may share many similar experiences, socio-cultural ideas of food, bodies and health mitigate and mediate social experiences of food allergies in different countries.

Free Research Field

medical anthropology

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

This research is socially significant because it shows that policies that relate to food allergy need to be understood within their cultural context. This research is academically significant because it explored the complex interplay between socio-cultural ideas of food, health and disease.