Aimed primarily at students in hospitality and tourism management courses in the UK and Europe, this textbook explores the factors which influence the purchase and consumption of food and leisure. It examines what can be learned by dividing consumer groups according to demographic and psychological characteristics. In particular, the author demonstrates the cultural, social and psychological influences on consumer purchasing behaviour. The text includes an evaluation of trends in the consumption of food and leisure over the 20th century, supplemented with case studies. Political, legal and technological changes, in addition to changes in tastes, habits and the symbolic properties of foods, are investigated.