Commodified tastes: the narratives supporting consumer purchase of organics.
Date
2011-12-22
Authors
Osborne, Marilyn
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Abstract
The booming organic food industry has led to an increased complexity in the way in which organic foods are marketed. Consumers now encounter a multitude of reasons for why they should (or should not) purchase organic foods. This research examines the promotion of organic food from four different food companies (three grocery stores and a food delivery program) as a way to uncover the narratives used to describe and endorse organic food. With an analysis of website and in-store content from chain, organic and local companies, I have used previous research in the area of organic food discourse to identify themes within the selected content. This study concludes that while there are important commonalities among the narratives, it is not the organic food itself that these commonalities stem from, but rather the company context (company goals and values) that frame the promotional narratives.
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Keywords
food culture, organic food, content analysis, organic narratives, sociology of food