Supermarkets and Agro-industrial Foods

Abstract

There is increasing evidence of a weakened platform of consumer trust in mass produced food products. The resistance shown by consumers to the agro-industrial paradigm is evident in an emergent phase of reflexive consumerism, public reactions to an overly-concentrated retail sector and the rise of alternative food networks such as farmers' markets and organic box schemes. Supermarkets are responding strategically by aiming to manufacture new trust relations with consumers. This paper identifies three key strategies of trust manufacturing: (i) reputational enhancement though the institution of “behind the scenes,” business-to-business private standards; (ii) direct quality claims via private standard certification badges on food products; and (iii) discursive claimsmaking through symbolic representations of “authenticity” and “tradition.” Drawing upon the food governance literature and a “visual sociology” of supermarkets and supermarket produce, we highlight how trust is both commoditized and increasingly embedded into the marketing of mass-produced foods.

Keywords:

• trust
• food
• private regulation
• food governance
• supermarkets
• alternative food networks

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carol Richards

Carol Richards is a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Social Science, University of Queensland. Her current research focuses upon the sociology of agriculture and food, with a focus on supermarkets, corporate power and the governance of food supply chains. School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia ([email protected]).

Geoffrey Lawrence

Geoffrey Lawrence is Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. He researches and writes in the areas of rural sociology and agri-food studies. His latest, co-edited, book is Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainability (Earthscan, London, 2010). School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia ([email protected]).

David Burch

David Burch retired from Griffith University in Brisbane, in 2009, and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus. He is also Honorary Professor in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. His areas of research interest include issues of power and control along agri-food supply chains, the financialization of food and agriculture, and corporate agriculture in less developed countries. School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia ([email protected]).