Should food be a topic that requires us to take up and defend a political or ethical position?
It has been established that food is crucial not only to survival, but also deeply involved in the establishment of identity. Food impacts social interaction, education, family traditions, and spiritual well being.
If food is so present in all aspects of human existence, is it naive to ask the exclude political or ethical positions from our understanding of the role food plays each of our lives?
An ethical and political approach to food is going to become increasingly more valuable. As Emma Sharp observed, the idea of “Conscious consumerism” is a growing and important phenomenon. This awareness of the impact of food production, distribution, and consumption is the key to establishing more sustainable food habits that will positively impact the suffering state of our planet, as well as human well being.
Implementation of conscious consumerism will continue to manifest in different ways, but ‘Alternative Food Initiatives’ such as Crowd Grown Feasts are a promising start to changing the way we manage food practices. These initiatives are an important model for conscious consumerism because while they make steps towards more sustainable food consumption, they also protect and develop the communities that surround food and sharing.
Somehow we must learn first, to become aware of the destruction caused by current global food systems, and secondly navigate how to lessen this negative impact while still being careful not to over politicise all aspects of food.
Is it possible to be ‘conscious consumers’ while still engaging positively with food in aspects of our social and spiritual well being?
I agree that it’s important for us to be concerned with the ethics surrounding food production. Everyone should be educated about how certain food production practices (such as farms with inhumane conditions) are immoral, so that they can be more aware when they go out grocery shopping. However, it’s important to note that lower-income families often don’t have the luxury to pay higher prices for ethically produced foods. It’s far more difficult for them to fully commit to “clean” eating. If we have the extra cash, then we should definitely go for the more ethically produced food, despite the higher price. But I believe that our grocery stores also have some responsibility to promote ethical eating, rather than just the individual. Many grocery stores have already acknowledged this, as many have banned battery caged eggs.
I totally agree. We can no longer enjoy the luxury of ignorance in regards to the damaging effects of the food industry. As consumers we have to take the active approach of educating ourselves and others of the reality of this destruction! But a major responsibility lies with the state and with big corporations. A massive shift has to be made from the desire of profits and ease to the desire to protect our earth. You’re right, given our current situation it’s irresponsible to not hold and stand up for ethical and political views of food, or at least of food production.
I really like this and definitely agree, but It’s such a controversial topic also. Of course, everyone wants to try and be more conscious consumers, right? But a way that a lot of people view it, is that it is difficult, especially if you don’t have the time or money. To be honest though, if we all just tried a little harder to look into what we eat and where it comes from, it would more than likely be a minimal effort. There are plenty of options out there (just like the Crowd Grown Feast initiative) to explore ways to become ‘conscious consumers’ in the food that we eat, so it’s really just the case of changing a routine slightly to be able to adopt these ways.
Really enjoyed reading your post and widely agree.
I think it’s an interesting discussion around food and politics and the fact that our food choices could reveal political and/or ethical stances. It seems like much of our lives today are almost microcosms of our political and ethical beliefs such as our music taste, how we dress, what we like and ultimately how we behave and take action in society. So perhaps food could be just the same?
I found your statement on not “over politicising” food quite thought-provoking. I do believe that there is certainly some balance needed between these two topics but ultimately, I think if we really do want a society which makes ethical food choices and conscious consumerism, then perhaps politics cannot be avoided as this change is basically a political opinion. A political opinion in the fact that making ethical food choices directly relates to economic and social-political concepts.
So, therefore, much like many aspects of our lives, could political stances simply be at the root of everything we embody, how we behave, what we do and what we consume?
I definitley agree. With the global population steadily increasing, it seems inevitable that society as a whole will have to encounter the ethical issues you made mention of. However, I think the ability for people to respond to this reality will be dependent on which country they operate in, not only culturally but also in term of whether it is a LEDC or MEDC. because food is crucial to our survival, it seems unfair to expect the impoverished to further compromise their standard of living, thus I think it seems plausable that to an extent our respsonsibility for our consumerism will be proportionate to our incomes. Your question about consumerism in regards to spiritual wellbeing is very interesting. For example, with turkey being traditional at a Christmas dinner, I don’t think people would feel that they had a responsibility to be ‘consumer conscious’ in this area of their life because their religion is part of their ethics, and thus even though it might be ‘unethical’ to eat meat if it becomes scarce, this takes a backseat to tradition which commonly stems from feeling a moral obligation.