As a result of rapid urbanization and modernization, a seizable new middle class in Malaysia has emerged and the traditional ways of life and eating habits of the different ethnic communities are changing with the times. For manyyears, nutritional surveys have been capturing the transformation of food consumption habits but till date, a comprehensive survey focusing on the socio-cultural determinants of food habits and eating decisions at the national level has not been attempted. The Malaysian Food Barometer was conceptualised to fill this gap and to investigate the eating practices and cultural representations of food and eating in a multicultural context. Its aim is to describe and understand the food habits and transformation of the many different dimensions of Malay- sian communities including practices, social norms, social representations and beliefs. Over 2,000 people across the northern, central, southern and northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak participated in the 2013 survey. The findings show the correlation between the food lifestyle of individuals, social characteristics and body size status, or obesity.