Food for Thought: A Review of Food in Organizational Contexts

Abstract

For years, organizational scholars have studied the role of human physiology in applied settings. Under this broad umbrella, researchers have recently given specific attention to the interplay between employee food consumption and organizational phenomena. This focus on food is natural, considering that acquiring food is a foundational human motivation and that food is often consumed within the workplace. However, despite recent inroads, research on this topic remains limited, especially studies involving interpersonal and episodic dynamics. As such, we present a framework of employee food consumption and outline individual‐, interpersonal‐, and organizational‐level predictors and outcomes. Additionally, we discuss how the nexus between work and food can be better understood by considering biological, psychological, and social mechanisms. Based upon our review of the literature, we identify new lines of inquiry that can help drive the field forward. We also describe the theoretical and practical implications of our framework.