The anthropological work on food published during the 1960s
and 1970s remains important and influential; it shows clearly thatculture plays a significant role in determining what we classify as
food. However, such work does not tell us everything we might
want to know. For example, it does little to explain the social
relationships of power which are involved in food transactions, or
changes in food habits, as several writers began to point out in the
1980s (Goody 1982, Mennell 1985, Mintz 1985).
In his work, Cooking, Cuisine and Class (1982), Jack Goody
criticises a Lévi-Straussian approach for its emphasis on culture,
and for failing to consider social relations and individual
differences; he also takes issue with Douglas for neglecting internal
social differentiation, as well as external socio-cultural influences,
historical factors and material elements. Goody acknowledges the
importance of culture, but he argues that a study of food and eating
must involve political economy both at the micro-level, such as the
household, through to the macro-level, such as states and their
formation and structure.