Food practices of environmentally conscientious New Zealanders

ABSTRACT

Practice theory as applied to consumer behaviours is an area of enquiry presently gaining momentum. In this article, I draw on practice theory as a way to understand change as it relates to environmentally conscientious (EC) food consumption. The main question asked here is: how does concern about food consumption develop and translate into practice, and what forms does this take? Also, the relationship of these practices to wider social structures is explored as a means to theorise in what ways more environmentally sustainably food practices might be more readily enabled. I turn to the experiences and practices of 51 self-identified EC individuals, as relayed across a series of ‘go-along’ interviews. This research shows that early socialisation that incorporates a frugality ethic and food self-provisioning is most likely to habitualise EC food practice later in life, where food self-provisioning is key. It is the material infrastructural challenges that mostly thwart efforts at EC food practice: the Western global food regime is not pro-environmental, and resource limitations on a microlevel, for example with access to land for self-provisioning.

KEYWORDS:

• Practice theory
• food
• environment
• consumption
• sociology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. It was not possible to conduct all interviews face to face, or at individuals’ homes; two interviews took place via Skype (internet), two interviews took place at interviewees’ work places and one at a café.

2. In total there are 15 themes; only those most relevant to this article are used here.

3. A bokashi bin is used for composting food waste more quickly than composting. For further information see: http://www.zingbokashi.co.nz/zingbokashi-compost-zing-the-easiest-way-to-recycle-your-organic-waste/.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Massey University Research Fund 2016 round.

Notes on contributors

Corrina A. Tucker

Dr Corrina A. Tucker is an Environmental Sociologist at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Her research interests tend to coalesce around the various relationships and tensions between humans and the environment. In particular, she has an interest in meat consumption and production impacts, environmental activism and education, consumerism, green lifestyle politics, food sustainability and security, along with food waste.