Welcome to the Junior Professorship of Food Sociology

Nutrition is not only a biological necessity, but also a culturally shaped and social action. How we eat, what we eat, and with whom we eat is influenced by social structures, norms, and discourses.

Our research
is dedicated to the social and cultural patterns that shape nutritional behavior. We examine the social communication processes through which these patterns are constructed, transmitted, and changed.

Our Focus
We investigate how issues such as health and sustainability affect nutritional practices and how they are negotiated in society. This involves not only individual decisions but also structural conditions that influence dietary behavior.
A particular focus is on social inequality and nutrition, especially food poverty. How do social and economic differences influence access to healthy and sustainable nutrition? What barriers exist, and how can they be overcome? These questions are central to our understanding of nutrition as a social phenomenon.

Our Approach
We work with a variety of sociological theories and employ qualitative and quantitative methods of empirical social research. Our goal is to use sound scientific findings to provide impetus for policy, practice, and society – with the aim of making healthy and sustainable nutrition more accessible to everyone.
Our research spans various stakeholder levels: from producers and distributors to consumers and the media to politics. This allows us to better understand the complex interrelationships between nutrition, social change, and societal conditions and to incorporate them into public discourse.