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“We are all consumers” : Co-consumption and organic food

Pétursson, Jón Þór LU (2022) In Food, Culture & Society 25(2). p.218-236
Abstract
The Organic Consumer Association (OCA) in Iceland was established by domestic producers, importers, retailers and consumers. What separated this consumer association from conventional ones was that its founders included both organic producers and “middlemen” (importers, wholesalers and retailers). These same middlemen are often criticized for destroying valuable connections between producers and consumers, but in OCA they worked with producers and consumers toward a common goal. In the article, I deploy the concept of “co-consumption” to analyze how different actors within the contemporary food chain engage with the production and consumption of organic food. “Co-consumption” can be defined as individual and collective efforts to tackle... (More)
The Organic Consumer Association (OCA) in Iceland was established by domestic producers, importers, retailers and consumers. What separated this consumer association from conventional ones was that its founders included both organic producers and “middlemen” (importers, wholesalers and retailers). These same middlemen are often criticized for destroying valuable connections between producers and consumers, but in OCA they worked with producers and consumers toward a common goal. In the article, I deploy the concept of “co-consumption” to analyze how different actors within the contemporary food chain engage with the production and consumption of organic food. “Co-consumption” can be defined as individual and collective efforts to tackle issues within the industrial food system. Such consumption is based on emotional practices that establish relationships between people, products, spaces, and places. So what happens when organic producers and entrepreneurs begin to define themselves as consumers while fighting for increased consumption through the Organic Consumer Association? And what can these encounters between organic producers, middlemen, and consumers tell us about contemporary consumption practices? Drawing on theories of emotion, the article explores the dynamics, frictions, and mutual obligations that drive ethical consumption on a day-to-day basis. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Food, Culture & Society
volume
25
issue
2
pages
218 - 236
publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85102846681
ISSN
1552-8014
DOI
10.1080/15528014.2021.1882176
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
31d94986-18d0-450e-987d-0d33ea45032e
date added to LUP
2021-01-31 12:25:17
date last changed
2022-06-29 19:46:54
@article{31d94986-18d0-450e-987d-0d33ea45032e,
  abstract     = {{The Organic Consumer Association (OCA) in Iceland was established by domestic producers, importers, retailers and consumers. What separated this consumer association from conventional ones was that its founders included both organic producers and “middlemen” (importers, wholesalers and retailers). These same middlemen are often criticized for destroying valuable connections between producers and consumers, but in OCA they worked with producers and consumers toward a common goal. In the article, I deploy the concept of “co-consumption” to analyze how different actors within the contemporary food chain engage with the production and consumption of organic food. “Co-consumption” can be defined as individual and collective efforts to tackle issues within the industrial food system. Such consumption is based on emotional practices that establish relationships between people, products, spaces, and places. So what happens when organic producers and entrepreneurs begin to define themselves as consumers while fighting for increased consumption through the Organic Consumer Association? And what can these encounters between organic producers, middlemen, and consumers tell us about contemporary consumption practices? Drawing on theories of emotion, the article explores the dynamics, frictions, and mutual obligations that drive ethical consumption on a day-to-day basis.}},
  author       = {{Pétursson, Jón Þór}},
  issn         = {{1552-8014}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{218--236}},
  publisher    = {{Bloomsbury Publishing}},
  series       = {{Food, Culture & Society}},
  title        = {{“We are all consumers” : Co-consumption and organic food}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2021.1882176}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/15528014.2021.1882176}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}