Radical Eating – How Political are our Food Choices?

Not everyone would think of food shopping as potentially subversive. But there is increasing evidence that the choices people make about where to source their food are expressions of their politics. In a society in which consumer spending and economic growth are attributed so much importance, how we choose to spend our money can acquire significant political meaning. As voter turnout and direct participation in electoral processes have fallen in recent years in the western world, consumer trends expressing political choices have grown, particularly in the realm of food.
The Economist asked in an article last December ‘Has the supermarket trolley dethroned the ballot box?’, citing the growth in sales of organic, local and Fairtrade-marked food as an indication that consumers are marking overtly political statements through their food choices. One year on, there are no indications that these trends are slowing.
A recent survey of British consumers by the market research group Nielsen examined trends in ‘ethical consumerism’, finding that consumers’ reported regular purchases of organic, Fairtrade and local products increased during the study period (February – July 2007). The study reports that in July 2007, 57% of respondents reported ‘actively trying to buy local products’ (not limited to food), 33% actively trying to buy Fairtrade, 26% actively trying to buy from Farmers’ Markets, and 17% actively trying to buy organic products. All of these figures were increases on February 2007.
The report acknowledges that “there is a high degree of debate about what constitutes a local product”, and suggests that “there is a much greater desire to buy local products for people who live in Scotland, Wales and the South West compared to London and the Midlands” – a division which very broadly represents a rural/urban division.
So are these choices acts of political expression? In defining politics, the Oxford English Dictionary includes reference to politics as

The assumptions or principles relating to or underlying any activity, theory, or attitude, esp. when concerned with questions of power and status in a society.

While some might choose organic products because of health concerns related to chemical use in conventional agriculture, most other reasons for buying local, organic or fairtrade food are “concerned with questions of power in society” and will be underpinned by certain “assumptions or principles”, and could thus be described as political.
The the true potential for change precipitated through changed food production and consumption patterns is illustrated by its potential for inclusivity – people can opt out of conventional political events – elections and the like, but no-one can opt out of sourcing food and eating.