I've been looking around the Internet. Some websites say that foods is incorrect but others say it is correct.
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1Hi, Matt_K. I voted to close this question as "general reference" because as it is written, I think you can find a good answer in a dictionary such as Wiktionary or OALD. You can learn more in our FAQ, including why some questions are closed, as well as find out how to ask questions here!– aedia λFeb 17, 2012 at 17:52
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2 Answers
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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2I had a fancy for starting posts and comments with "Peeps," wherever such lingo was tolerated. "Peoples!" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.– KrisFeb 17, 2012 at 10:52
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Thanks, which means when we are talking about multiple different number of food, we can use foods?– Matt_KFeb 18, 2012 at 3:32
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1Food is not plural! The first paragraph in this answer makes no sense and is highly misleading. Yes, food is usually non-count, and that’s why we say ‘some food’ instead of ‘a food’. But it’s quite unambiguously singular, which is exactly why we say ‘less food’ and not ‘fewer food’. Jan 29, 2018 at 18:50
Kraft Foods ... Lots of byspels of the plural for foods. It's common and correct.
