Food Ethics inEveryday Food Consumption

Christian Coff

Agronomist, PhD in Philosophy

University College Zealand, Denmark

E: cco@ucsj.dk

18th International Ethnological Food Research

Conference, Finland, August 2010

Food as an ethical relationship -

outline of presentation

•Relationships between ethics, food and eating

•Perceptions of food ethics

•Semiotic model on communication on food

•Everyday food ethical concerns

Food ethics - some topics

•Agricultural ethics•Biotechnology•Feeding•Hunger•Marketing, trade and labelling•Animal welfare•Food laws, regulations and governance•Food safety•Food consumption•Health• . . . .

Ethics

• The possibility of ”offending” or ”doing harm” has been suggested as indicators of whether ethics is involved or not (Platon) - or “consciousness of injustice” (Axel Honneth)

• Ethics belong to practical philosophy: it concerns the relationship between two or more parties

• Ethics is about reasoning/judging about rights and wrongs

• Many ethical schools; for instance virtue ethics (Aristotle), hedonism, deontological ethics (Kant), consequentialism, utilitarianism etc.

4

Food as a relationship

Food originate ultimately from nature:

• Harvested wilderness or• Domesticated animals/plants/micro organisms

Transformation: from natural to cultural• food processing, food handling and cooking • from uneatable to eatable

Our eating habits form the landscape,working conditions in the food sector, the environment, climate, animal welfare, family structures, identity . . .

Food as a relationship

Eating: a process of transformation:

•In-corporation•Digestion (pepsis)•In-carnation

The outer world is transformed to human body

Cooking: preparing food for oneself and others

The meal: from egoism to community

Food ethics

The vision of the good lifewith and for others

in fair food production and consumption practices

Based on the French philosopher Paul Ricœur’s understanding of ethics in Soi-

même comme un autre (1991)

Main areas in food ethics

1. Food security (food for all)

2. Food safety (non-contaminated food)

3. Nutritional values (health, modified foods like functional food etc.)

4. The production history (Ethical questions raised by production practices and conditions in the food chain)

What about taste?

Food ethics and time

The past: Food ethics stretches backwards:Towards the living nature that the food comes from and towards the production practices under which the food has been produced

Present: Decisions, choices

The future: Food ethics stretches forwards: Towards the future consumers of the food

Situating food ethics in everyday life

•The common meal (family, friends, community, network, business, religious ceremonies etc)

•Shopping food and cooking

•Catering outlets

Cases where food ethics is not/should not be an issue?

Ten food ethical concerns

Animal welfareHuman health and well-beingMethods of production and processing and their impact (e.g., environmental,

landscape)Terms of trade (fair price, etc.)Working conditionsQuality (intrinsic qualities such as taste, composition, etc.)Origin and placeTrustVoice (participation)

Transparency

(Coff et al: Ethical Traceability and Communicating Food, 2008)

Everyday food ethics

in a semiotic perspectiveCharles Sanders Pierce’s triadic relation and food according to Middellthon:

Supplier of food: producer, retailer, catering outlets, parents, families, friends, hosts . . .

Receiver of food: friends, families, customers, patients, participants in conferences . . .

(Inspired by Middelthon, Anne-Lise: ”Når maden bliver frelser eller bøddel”. In Glasdam, Stinne: Folkesundhed i et kritisk perspektiv. Nyt nordisk forlag, 2009, pp.

223-239)

Supplier of food - food itself - receiver of food

Food (qualities, values . . .)

Interpretant:Receiver of food

Food sign (trace)

Food (qualities, values …)

Understandings of food

Interpretant:Supplier of food

Object

’Interpretant’Sign

Food sign (trace)

Pierce’s model

Same food - different understandings

FoodSign (trace)

Food (qualities, values . . .)

Interpretant:Receiver of food

Interpretant:Supplier of food

Potential moral conflicts: identity, culture, tradition, prestige etc.

Food (qualities, values . . . )

Food communicating ethics

Taste and sensation

Production history;Sustainability and

responsibility

Information and communicationVoice

Health and well-beingConvenience

Food safety

Service

Supplier

Receiver

Culture and tradition

Food sign

Food security

Supplier of food

Food sign

Receiver of food

Food sign

Exchange of understandings of food

Food qualities

Thank you for your attention