People in post-industrial societies are faced with many food products and diverse eating situations that can make food-choice decisions complex. This study examined the ways that people managed values in making food choices in various contexts. An analysis of 86 semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews from a diverse population of urban adults living in upstate New York revealed that all participants used a personal food system, which was a dynamic set of processes constructed to enact food choices. Within these personal food systems people managed the five main food-related values of taste, health, cost, time and social relationships, and other less prominent values of symbolism, ethics, variety, safety, waste and quality. The salience of these values varied among the participants as well as across the eating situations that confronted each participant. Participants used three main processes in their personal food systems: (i) categorizing foods and eating situations; (ii) prioritizing conflicting values for specific eating situations; and (iii) balancing prioritizations across personally defined time frames. Understanding the personal food systems people use to help them make food choices can be useful for developing theories about eating behavior and communicating health messages related to food and eating. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.