ABSTRACT
The capacity for individual consumers to help push the shift to a more sustainable food system is the subject of much debate. Government and some NGO social marketing efforts aim to increase consumer demand for “sustainable” products (Department for Environment & Food and Rural Affairs, 2008; Jackson, 2005). These efforts focus on shifting consumer choices without necessarily encouraging individuals to reflect on their roles as consumers and citizens, or on the nature of global food systems. Influencing food purchasing decisions becomes the end goal, including the notion that little in consumers’ patterns of thinking or values needs to change; instead, a desirable social and environmental future can be achieved simply through “shopping for a better world” (Clouder & Harrison, 2005; Johnston & Szabo, 2011). Critics of this approach suggest that a narrow emphasis on sustainable purchasing distracts attention from fundamental structural issues that inhibit social change (Clover, 2002; Roff, 2007; Stevenson & Keehn, 2006). Further, remaining fixated on the purchasing of food does not encourage individuals to consider their personal role in the larger food system and possible alternatives to corporate solutions. Exploring one’s relationship to food through leisure allows time and space for critical reflection, resistance and the articulation of alternative lifestyles and systems (Amsden & McEntee, 2011; Farmer, 2012; Mair, Sumner, & Rotteau, 2008).
