Anna-Lisa Linden
Professor emerita
Food and Green Consumption. Poclicy instruments and consumer power.
Author
Summary, in English
A number of policy instruments are used in order to provide consumers healthy products produced in a proper way as regards environmental impacts. The policy instruments are mainly directed to enterprises and companies producing products. Such actors are often addressed in terms of laws or regulations and represents different actors in a production chain. Policy instruments and the way they are used in Product Policy Chains will be discussed theoretically and from empirical examples. The State uses a vertical policy chain in the communication process with actors in the process.
Consumers, the end users, are often addressed by informational instruments, e.g. pamphlets, campaigns, content declarations or labelling. However, consumers reliance in food products can vary for several reasons. They can dislike the price, the quality, the labelling process and organisation and the food products for ethical reasons. Consumer power can be activated for some or several of these reasons. Two types of consumer power will be discussed and analysed namely the social power of consumers, e.g. buying resistance, which can be unorganised as well as organised and secondly the political power of consumers, relying on an ideology, which can be ethical, e.g. animals rights movements. Consumer power and influence strategies will be analysed concerning reliance in products, information, labelling, shopping routines and exercised consumer power. Statistical data bases, research results and interviews with everyday consumers, vegans and vegetarians will be used in the empirical analysis.
Consumers, the end users, are often addressed by informational instruments, e.g. pamphlets, campaigns, content declarations or labelling. However, consumers reliance in food products can vary for several reasons. They can dislike the price, the quality, the labelling process and organisation and the food products for ethical reasons. Consumer power can be activated for some or several of these reasons. Two types of consumer power will be discussed and analysed namely the social power of consumers, e.g. buying resistance, which can be unorganised as well as organised and secondly the political power of consumers, relying on an ideology, which can be ethical, e.g. animals rights movements. Consumer power and influence strategies will be analysed concerning reliance in products, information, labelling, shopping routines and exercised consumer power. Statistical data bases, research results and interviews with everyday consumers, vegans and vegetarians will be used in the empirical analysis.
Department/s
- Sociology
Publishing year
2004
Language
English
Document type
Conference paper
Topic
- Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
Keywords
- environmental awareness
- food consumption
- consumer power
- vegetarians
- vegans
- sociology
- sociologi
Conference name
International Seminar on Political Consumerism
Conference date
2004-08-26 - 2004-08-29
Conference place
Oslo, Norway
Status
Published
Research group
- Sustainability and Development Studies