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23 - Eating Our Way to a Sustainable Future?

from Part VI - Food and Agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2020

By
Josée Johnston  and
Anelyse M. Weiler
Edited by
Katharine Legun ,
Julie C. Keller ,
Michael Carolan  and
Michael M. Bell
Katharine Legun
Affiliation:
Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
Julie C. Keller
Affiliation:
University of Rhode Island
Michael Carolan
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Michael M. Bell
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Summary

Our food choices have a tremendous impact on our minds, bodies, and the environment. Given this connection, many consumers are asking, how could we eat differently to ensure the integrity of the Earth’s natural systems? To address this question, the chapter first outlines how everyday food choices relate to the natural world, along with resource constraints in the food system. We then discuss the dominant ethical-eating discourse in Canada, the United States, and other Global North countries. After analyzing prominent themes in this consumer-centered ‘vote with your fork’ discourse, we consider the limitations of using market mechanisms to deliver goals like sustainability and social justice. This includes an acknowledgement of issues that often get overlooked within ethical consumer discourse, especially the minimal attention payed to low-wage, precarious workers on the front-lines of an unsustainable agricultural paradigm. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of food democracy, a concept that sheds light on fault lines in the current food system and offers principles for better meeting the needs of all forms of life.

Keywords

Foodconsumersethical eatingfood workersfood democracy
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Environmental Sociology , pp. 390 - 410
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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