differences - "Food" vs. "foods" — spelling and meaning



I've been looking around the Internet. Some websites say that foods is incorrect but others say it is correct.



Answer



Food in its commonest sense is a non-countable noun, with all the effects of that. It's already a plural. You would eat "some food" not "a food". You would say "less food" not "fewer foods".


However, there is a less common usage where "a food" means "a type of food":



"Cheese is a food made from milk"



... and in this form, you can pluralise it ...



"Italy is the source of many delicious foods -- pizza, pasta, salami, biscotti..."



For comparison, think of "a people" - Are there meta-plurals beyond "peoples"?


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