A Critical Analysis of Romanian Media Representations of Food: A Qualitative and Quantitative Perspective

Abstract

Food as a whole represents a significant component of our lives. In the context of fast social globalization, we need to question whether this component has a specific representation in the Romanian media. The present chapter has explored how food culture, diets, veganism, and other food trends are framed in leading Romanian language newspapers and magazines and has identified possible future social trends in these directions. The methods used by authors are quantitative and qualitative research based on a content analysis, which was conducted from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2017, on Romanian newspaper and magazines articles. The results showed that Romanian journalists are highly interested in concepts such as “food healthism” and are prone to rely on a higher source of expertise or a public personality, to mold their personal opinion regarding arising food trends.