| 1. |
- Klintman, Mikael
(författare)
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Ambiguous framings of political consumerism: means or end, product or process orientation?
- 2006
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6431 .- 1470-6423. ; 30:5, s. 427-438
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For dealing with various societal problems, 'political'/'ethical'/'responsible' consumerism is often discussed as an effective democratic and participatory tool. However, political consumerism – along with its tools, such as product labelling – is often conceived and discussed in oversimplified ways. Instead, the tension between scientific complexity, knowledge uncertainty and a codified, standardized label involves extensive political strategy, interest conflicts and simplified framings of the consumers' roles as political decision makers. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how criteria for organic food labelling have been simplified, or framed, within various versions of political consumerism in policy debates. The more general purpose is to examine variations of what consumerism may entail theoretically and practically. Examples are chosen of organic food labelling in the US. The analysis is based on framing theory. The first distinction is made between framings surrounding the extrinsic and intrinsic values of consumerism (i.e. consumer empowerment towards an external goal, or as an overriding principle of democracy). The second distinction is between product- and process-oriented consumerism (i.e. consumer empowerment with regard to the purchased goods or concerning the 'invisible' production and disposal processes). These distinctions may facilitate critical examinations of criteria, processes and communication of consumer-related policies.
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| 2. |
- Lindén, Anna-Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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The workplace lunchroom: an arena for multicultural eating
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6431 .- 1470-6423. ; 33, s. 42-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many countries in Europe have experienced growing migration since World War II. It is estimated that more than one in five Swedes living today has roots in other countries and cultures. Segregation in terms of ethnic origin in housing areas makes it easier to maintain the language and cultural traditions of the home country when it comes to cooking and eating. In extremely segregated housing areas there may even be no interface between foreign cultural traditions and Swedish traditions in food consumption. Almost every inhabitant in the age range 20-65 years spends a number of years in workplaces outside the home. Workplaces are generally melting pots for employees of all ages and ethnic groups. In this study, a bus company lunch room served as a field for studying preferences in food, meals structure and eating patterns during lunch breaks. The city centre lunch room was visited by every driver at least once during their working day for coffee/tea, lunch or a rest. The lunch room served as an arena for discussions and exposure to new foods customs relating to meals and eating. It thus constituted a place for cultural exchange about food preferences and for forming opinions about individuals and nationalities, including Swedes. The methods for gathering empirical material for the analysis were participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Food consumption can be recognised as a marker of class and status in the same way as consumption of leisure activities and clothing. Some new criteria in identifying members of we-groups in relation to others can be added to the classical criteria. When language fails in communication, visible signs become more important. A workplace lunch room is a clear arena for attitude formation. Attitudes may be conservative or stereotyped but sometimes evoke the curiosity to eat something different. In a multi-cultural arena such as a workplace lunch room the knowledge available about food, meals and preferences is sometimes far from the real truth, especially when visible impressions are not followed by verbal communication, which can sometimes lead to incomplete and narrow-minded conclusions.
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| 3. |
- Simunaniemi, Anna-Mari, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Normative, Authentic and Altruistic Fruit and Vegetable Consumption as Weblog Discourses
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 37:1, s. 66-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Internet is a growing information and communication channel for health- and diet-related issues. Keeping updated on the fruit- and vegetable-related (F&V) discourses among laypeople is important for health communicators in order to promote F&V consumption through tailored health messages. The aim of the present study was to identify F&V-related discourses in weblogs that were maintained, obviously, to influence diet. A theoretically chosen sample of weblogs were analysed applying critical discourse analysis. The analysis showed three partly overlapping F&V-related discourses: (1) normative consumption with a focus on single nutrients and physiological mechanisms; (2) authentic consumption with a desire for naturalness; and (3) altruistic consumption where ethical responsibilities are enhanced. Bloggers have clear perceptions on ideal F&V consumption, but it is a challenge for the reader to make a synthesis of the discourses presented. Filtering contradictory instructions requires health literacy, which may need more support from dietetic professionals.
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| 4. |
- Ryden, Petra, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Counting the cost of healthy eating : a Swedish comparison of Mediterranean-style and ordinary diets
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 32:2, s. 138-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this research was to examine the cost of a diet generally regarded as healthy, a Swedish version of the Mediterranean diet, and to compare it with the cost of an ordinary Swedish diet. A total of 30 individuals provided detailed dietary data collected in a randomized intervention study, examining the effect of dietary change to a Mediterranean-style diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (Mediterranean group, n = 16, control group, n = 14). The data, covering 1-month dietary intake, were examined with three different diet quality indicators to see whether the Mediterranean group consumed a healthier diet than the control group. All diet quality indicators showed that the Mediterranean group consumed a healthier diet than the control group. Consumer food prices were used to analyse the cost of the different diets. In immediate consumer cost terms, eating a healthier diet was more expensive when differences in energy intake were discounted. However, non-energy adjusted costs showed no significant difference between the groups. Hence, if one of the reasons for choosing a healthier diet is to achieve weight loss – by consuming less energy – it is possible that healthier eating is not more expensive.
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| 5. |
- Palm, Jenny, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Visualizing energy consumption activities as a tool for developing effective policy
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Blackwell. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 35:2, s. 171-179
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analyzing and understanding energy consumption from the household activity perspective is vital for developing policy that promotes sustainable everyday life. Doing so entails learning how to connect policy with household activities and everyday life. We use a time-geographic visualization to analyze several dimensions of everyday life as a totality. From household members’ time diaries, we can analyze and learn about when, where and what energy-related activities occur in the household, involving what household members are engaged and in what wider social context activities are performed. We discuss the importance of relating policy analysis to everyday household activities to make policy relevant to households. Time diaries reveal differences and interdependencies in activity patterns between household members and between individuals in a population classified by factors such as gender, age and household composition. The diaries provide data to visualize activity patterns and identify individual households’ use of electric appliances and need for light and heating. To capture electricity use as it occurs, we developed the VISUAL-TimePAcTS/energy use software to track the relationship between activities, appliance use and electricity consumption. This tool helps deepen discussions of the consequences of everyday household doings for energy consumption and climate change. Time diaries also help households reflect on daily life in relation to energy consumption, giving households feedback that is direct and relevant since it refers to self-reported activities. This is the starting point for discussions of how activities can change. Time geographic visualizations of diaries complement policy research by recognizing the diversity of everyday life of households. Instead of analyzing how habits, incremental decisions and non-decisions are made by grassroots bureaucrats, we suggest broadening the perspective to include how individuals’ everyday activities and restrictions influence policy formation.
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| 6. |
- Ahlgren, Mia K., et al.
(författare)
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The impact of the meal situation on the consumption of ready meals
- 2005
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 29:6, s. 485-492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The context in which a meal is eaten is known to affect intake and choice of food. The purpose of this study was to investigate in what typical situations ready meals are consumed and if consumer demands vary according to different situations. With a market survey four typical ready meal eating situations were identified, and the respondent's ready meal consumption was shown to be affected by situational factors. In the different eating situations there were dissimilar reasons for consumption. Two ready meal eating situations were investigated in greater detail in order to establish what triggered the ready meal consumption in these situations. One of these meal situations proved to be convenience driven and the other time driven. A situation-oriented approach is suggested for further ready meal product development.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Forbes, Jane, et al.
(författare)
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Working with risky consumers: multiprofessional cre for substance-using pregnant women
- 2006
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 30:3, s. 284-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Substance use is increasingly common in many countries. Consumption and lifestyles associated with consumption often involve a number of specific health and legal risks for users. For pregnant women, the risks extend to the health and care of their unborn children. A multi-professional approach to the management of substance use in pregnancy is recommended as best practice but, as with all strategies, effectiveness depends on the way that professional workers implement policy. This study evaluated evidence of multi-professional working within local maternity services in and around a Scottish city by (a) collating and analysing data from the maternity records of 163 substance-using women, who delivered between January 2001 and December 2003; and (b) conducting a questionnaire survey in 2004 with 120 midwives and neonatal nurses for their views on maternity care for substance-using women and their babies. Despite the importance placed on multi-professional working by midwives and neonatal nurses, maternity records indicated operational inconsistencies with implementation in some cases and not in others. Policy was not yet to be seen embedded in everyday practice.
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| 9. |
- Höijer, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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'Food with a purpose' : Home Economics teachers' construction of food and home
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 35:5, s. 514-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food and home are central issues in the Home Economics curriculum. The aim of the present paper was to explore how Home Economics teachers make sense of and manage being teachers in this particular subject and how they talk about food and home. This was achieved by conducting four focus groups with 25 participants, 23 women and two men, all with experience from working as Home Economics teachers. Participants were recruited from all over Sweden through emails. The data analysis was conducted in three steps and was guided by social constructionist theory. The main findings were the themes of Home Economics as food with a purpose, teachers with a public health commission, the fostering teacher, tangible cooking and the deficient home. The results show that Home Economics is constructed as a site for 'proper knowledge' about food in relation to a 'deficient home'. Food in Home Economics was thus constructed as having a purpose.
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| 10. |
- Jonsson, Inger M, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Appetizing learning in Swedish comprehensive schools : an attempt to employ food and tasting in a new form of experimental education
- 2005
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Ingår i: International Journal of Consumer Studies. - : Wiley. - 1470-6423 .- 1470-6431. ; 29:1, s. 78-85
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The word taste has several meanings: biopsychological, and cultural and social. Taste also influences food choice, though there is a widespread belief that tasty food is not synonymous with healthy eating patterns. In Sweden compulsory school daily meals are provided and Home Economics is a compulsory subject, while tasting lessons form an additional experimental form of education. The aim of this study has been to make a general evaluation of tasting lessons in four fifth-year classes. The focus of the results is on pupils’ learning about, and interest in, food, and the opinions and reflections of teachers, catering staff and school heads. The participants were three professional focus groups comprising staff from four schools, and 48 pupils (eight groups with boys and girls in separate groups) from the same schools. Results showed that the children were prepared to be exposed to different foodstuffs, and the adults were prepared to be exposed to new educational methods. Two stages of children's learning have been described in connection with tasting: practice and experience, and verbalization and reflection.
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