More than 33,000 readers explore what food means to them through a multimedia project translating VU Amsterdam research into an engaging online experience
The Belgian newspaper De Standaard recently launched Buikgevoel, an interactive online feature that invites users to explore the personal meanings behind their food choices — inspired by research by Associate Professor Michail Kokkoris from the Marketing Department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam).
The project grew out of Kokkoris’ academic article “Meaning of Food and Consumer Eating Behaviors”, co-authored with Olga Stavrova (University of Mannheim) and published in the journal Food Quality and Preference in 2021. Science journalist Maxie Eckert approached Kokkoris to help translate the academic findings into a compelling public narrative about why people eat what they eat and how food is linked to identity.
Buikgevoel combines long-form reporting, a podcast series, and a dynamic online test that prompts participants to reflect on their own eating motivations. The response to the test has been striking: more than 33,000 people have completed it to date, making it one of De Standaard’s most popular interactive features and demonstrating the public appeal of academic insights when made accessible to a broad audience.
The test results also generated follow-up articles that uncovered meaningful patterns in eating behavior across different age groups and life stages — highlighting how closely food preferences tie to personal identity and lifestyle.
“Food is something we all engage with every day, which makes it a powerful lens for understanding identity,” says Kokkoris. “It is incredibly rewarding to see research on this topic spark curiosity and conversation beyond academia.”
The Buikgevoel dossier is available on De Standaard’s website. While some content is behind a paywall, several articles and the interactive test can be accessed for free with a registered account.