Organic food culture

Organic food culture refers to a recent social and cultural trend in which there has been an increased interest in organic food due to the rise of media coverage on health, food safety, and environmental dangers of pesticides. This attitude considers food a central requirement for health, but it does not neglect the aesthetic (concern with beauty) or hedonistic (pleasurable) aspects of food consumption.

This trend in the way people are eating crosses many aspects of the social and cultural realm, such as market practices and media content when it comes to food, which has led to some novelties and changes in these fields. Attitudes concerning the consumption and consideration of organic food have shifted globally, which seems to affect local food cultures and traditional gastronomies, while also incorporating them.

Consumption of organic food is a form of responsible consumer behavior, since it stems from beliefs that are related to personal and public welfare. This practice requires a conscious consumer, who knows what they want and the reasons why they want it when it comes to food consumption. Such a vision of the consumer involves both environmental and personal responsibility.

Organic food thus implies concern with the self and the environment and works in a very personalized fashion. Moreover, it is also a means of communicating personal beliefs.

Even if consumers are consciously active, they have to be sure that the products they consume are produced according to precise criteria. This can be achieved by relying on institutional bodies, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration, which intervene in the management of organic food circulation. These groups also provide the consumer with a set of recognizable signs that convey information about the source, means of production, ingredients, and nutritional values of their food.

Such a vision of organic market practices assigns a great power to the consumer, who is conceived as being able to lead a conscious market demand.

...
Wikipedia