It is has become crucial for us as consumers to become more aware about the complexities of the contemporary global food system. Achieving a better understanding of the networks of goods, people, finance, and ideas in which we find ourselves entangled is a first step to reclaim our role as citizens and to make decisions accordingly.
When I started discussing the project of a new book about food with MIT Press, it immediately became clear to me that tough choices were ahead. The overall goal was to provide an accessible but well-informed introduction to food for general audiences: readers who are not experts in the field but nevertheless want to understand more about where their food comes from and what their options are. What features of food should I discuss? The cultural ones, that determine our identities as individuals and members of communities at various scales, from the family to the nation? Or should I explore the dynamics behind producing, cooking, and eating that determine status and social stratification? Would I examine the ever-expanding media presence of chefs and recipes, or investigate the wellness industry?
Although those dimensions are all extremely important (and I have done substantial research about them), eventually I decided that it is has become crucial for us as consumers to become more aware about the complexities of the contemporary global food system. Achieving a better understanding of the networks of goods, people, finance, and ideas in which we find ourselves entangled is a first step to reclaim our role as citizens and to make decisions accordingly. This kind of essential knowledge (to borrow the name of the MIT series in which my book was published) can offer a critical perspective on other aspects, which are nevertheless important factors in shaping the food system. Here is a short excerpt of my book Food in which I reflect on my options as a food scholar and a writer, and the ideas that guided the writing process..
“One of the core arguments of this book is that the food system is increasingly global. However, we inevitably look at it from a specific location, which in my case and in the case of most readers is the Global North. It is not an easy task to define the consumer from whose point of view this book looks at various aspects of food experiences. The role of consumers, their identity, and their participation in the food system vary greatly from place to place and from moment to moment. Beyond the growing segmentation of the market, consumers differ in terms of sex, gender, age, location, culture, education, ethnicity, religion, income, and social status, to mention just a few differentiating factors. Even taking into consideration the obvious differences, however, when it comes to preferences, categories of taste, and expectations, now widely shared through travel, media, and direct contact, a middle-class shopper in Bangalore may have more in common with her peers in Lima, Athens, and Lagos than with individuals from lower-income groups living in her city.
Gourmet coffee selection
It was necessary to make choices in writing this book; taking position and embracing a point of view is inevitable. The book is written for readers who—wherever they are located—are at least moderately invested in what they eat from the point of view of price, convenience, sensory qualities, connection to one’s preferences, and health. Such individuals, although more focused on their personal actions and choices and not particularly concerned about the confusing economics and politics of the food system, are likely to be at least somewhat troubled by issues of environmental sustainability, labor exploitation, hunger, ethics, and justice, especially when they realize that their behaviors and personal decisions have direct and indirect consequences.
In other words, this book is for readers who may not always be thinking about social and political issues, but who still want to make choices without renouncing their roles, rights, and responsibilities as citizens. We can decide to be spectators or to embrace more active, hands-on attitudes in building a future we may be happier to live in—a future in which we have a greater say about what is grown and produced and how, making sure that land, water, and air remain clean and fruitful for generations to come; in which hunger is a bad memory and everybody has stable access to healthy and nutritious food; and in which technology works for everybody’s well-being, rather than turning into a tool for few to become richer and more powerful.
In democratic societies, we tend to believe that we hold the power to impose our preferences on product manufacturers and service providers. We are convinced that we vote with our wallets and that our votes count. The apparent impact of social media and consumers’ outrage on the marketing decisions of large corporations increases this sense of agency. When we are unhappy with any aspect of what we eat, where we buy our food, and how much we pay, we focus on personal choices and their impact on the market, believing in the effectiveness of the law of supply and demand.
We all have a stake in food, but we are often wrapped in illusions about what we can do as individual consumers to achieve a better, healthier, more sustainable, more just food system. Moreover, not all consumers are in a position to assert their choices through the market. As a matter of fact, millions are victims of global dynamics in which they have no say. Understanding how food is produced, processed, distributed, marketed, consumed, and even wasted or disposed of has never been more important. Thinking critically about the present inevitably leads us to question the status quo and to imagine different scenarios. The future of the food system is in our hands, not only as consumers but also as citizens.”