Do We Have an Ethical Responsibility as Consumers in Food Choices?

This research essay explores the ethical responsibility of consumers in making food choices. It discusses the intersection of food choices and ethical responsibility, the barriers that may block ethical consciousness, and the importance of consumer trust for the emergence of a market for green products.

"DO WE HAVE AN ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY
AS CONSUMER IN FOOD CHOICES?"
Food Matters
Institutional Affiliation(S)
Student Name

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"DO WE HAVE AN ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY AS CONSUMER IN FOOD
CHOICES?"
Introduction
Ethical responsibility in making food choices can encompass varied range of values
concerning environment to economic issues. With regards to consumption of food activity,
ethics in making food choices can be related to the reason behind how are farm workers
treated or if the sourced food is local and fresh to find out whether they leave less carbon
footprints during transportation or not (Riccia, Marinellib, & Puliti, 2016). Ethical
responsibility may also include finding out answers to the question like whether industrial
organic is advantageous for the country or not? However, principles which determines person
food choices may differ from person to person and even ethical responsibility might prove
dissimilar depending on the nature and circumstances faced by individuals. While some care
for social and political factors, for others caring more for low-income area or environmental
concern may prove significant. Although ethical responsibilities are not aligned with each
other’s while making food choices, but each consumer desire one basic element to be present
i.e. sustainability and health for which every individual and communities share basic food
system. On this note, this research essay will find out whether we have ethical responsibility
as consumers in making food choices or not (Giesler & Veresiu, 2014).
Main Body
Food choices and ethical responsibility intersect in everyday work routine along with
abstract inquiry. For example, purchasing tomato in winter and refusing to choose meat and
animal products, taking part in community garden and petitioning government to provide
agriculture subsidy comes under ethical responsibilities as food consumers. According to

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(Sandin & Rocklinberg, 2016), food ethics is one of those interdisciplinary fields which
provides ethical analysis frameworks and guidance for conducting human roles in production,
preparation, distribution and consumption of food. Since past few decades, all the aforesaid
mentioned human roles have changed dramatically in which technological developments
have taken over food processing, manufacturing and agriculture. This have further changed
human perspectives towards food consumption and making of choices among available food
products (Sandin & Rocklinberg, 2016).
Urbanisation, globalisation and social developments in public health, trade and living
pattern are also significant areas that needs to be discussed while making a research on
ethical responsibility of consumers in making food choices. One instance to proceed with the
approach while elaborating and understanding the topic related to the notion behind ethical
responsibility is historical shifts in individual practice and thinking that are majorly
associated with food. Genealogical approach further reflects upon the historical ideas that
effects present debate among researchers and authors related to food consumption study
fields. According to (Korthals, 2006), traditions provide many philosophical concepts and
tools that can be used to analyse contemporary ethical apprehensions that are directly related
to food consumption. Other approaches accentuate, for example, environment, roles of
gender and country laws to configure the domains related to food ethics. Responding to
recent social and technological changes seen in food practices, range of critical investigations
have emerged that have raised public awareness and seeking attention towards emerging
ethical issues related to food. For example, concealed exploitation of migrant labours in meat
and farm industry, pesticide effects on environment, animals suffering for human
consumption practices, structural causes that results in starvation and famines, consequences
due to biotechnological remedies used in agriculture and political influence on dietary
policies.

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According to (Halkier, 2016), considering ethics and responsibility are becoming
prominent in consumers while making food choices due to uneasiness expressed by many
researchers regarding increasing gap in consumption and production processes. Even current
trends show that consumers are developing mainly three kinds of ethical concerns namely;
substantive problems identified in animal welfare, second one’s are anxious about insufficient
information provided relating to food products and third ones considers participation and
involvement. The above-mentioned ethical concerns have further turned many consumers
diversify their food choices according to their lifestyle, situation and culture which means
that the current trend inclines towards increased diversification among food consumption and
production styles along with showing responsibility while making food choices. However,
(Korthals, 2006) argues that stakeholders like producers and regulators are equally
responsible for showing responsibility for making food sector more ethical that can help in
incorporating acceptable values and responsible food choices.
There are many barriers that may block ethical consciousness among food producers
and consumers that can further discern food choices. Ethical requirements, as discussed by
(Solomon, Dahl, White, Zaichkowsky & Polegato, 2014) comprises requirement of increased
taxes especially on unhealthy ingredients used for food production, production methods
diversification, noticeable labelling for ethical traces in food products and providing
sufficient process to match country’s economic situation. Furthermore, the authors states that
if prices are reduced at the expense of ethical value like compromised animal welfare or
environmental impact, it may again lead consumers in making unethically responsible food
choices. Other than above mentioned consequences, the growing significance of ethical
responsibility in food consumption in society goes beyond nutrition and health related aspects
like fast and slow food, diversified farming and production process, healthy and local food
etc. Therefore, regulating the coexistence and representation of different styles of food

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production within a specific food market is interrelated to consumer’s social responsibility
towards making food choices.
(Riccia, Marinellib & Puliti, 2016) says that consumer’s as citizen are the ones who
make purchasing choice after considering sustainable development of global community.
Social responsibility, environmental protection and labour welfare have become a major
criterion that leads consumers while making food choices. However, the authors also state
that individual’s personal satisfaction and interest are never removed rather they become
more “functional to the realisation of other most relevant aims” (Riccia, Marinellib & Piliti
2016, p. 397). Therefore, a critical debate is presented where the authors argue that the
consumers have to cope with significant challenges regarding how to integrate responsibility
and autonomy as an individual with collective obligations. In other sense, the argument
reflects upon the relationship between how society must be organised and how consumers
want to live their life. However, the breakdown of historical establishments, as mentioned
above in the essay, shows the increasing awareness regarding global dimension in food
choices from both individuals and societal perspectives.
In literature, few evidences prove that postmodern society have adopted global
engagement for sustainable development majorly due to increased use of digital medias that
provides information faster through public debates and discussions on global media
platforms. Along with it, growth of international forums and research networks also
influences sustainability and ethical policies where postmodernity demonstrates facing
challenges that are related to global citizenship. This new and enhanced global identity calls
for adopting transformative systems change that entails the requirements for adopting new
and ethical values like human solidarity, enhanced living standards and environmental
stability. There is also a rising debate related to dangers seen in food due to excessive use of
pesticides, additives and veterinary medicines that creates issues concerning consumption of

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medically modified food and experimental food production processes. Every issue identified
requires to renovate consumers interest towards safer and healthier means and showing
deeper interdependence among environmental safety as well as personal health. Hence,
(Nuttavuthisit & Thogersen, 2017) says that ethically responsible food consumption is
perceived as best choice due to engagement with superior food quality and environmentally
friendly activities that also prevents damages caused due to abuse of significant natural
resources.
According to (Pohjolainen, Tapio, Vinnari, Jokinen, & Räsänen, 2016) food quality is
another significant aspect that determines consumers food choices and when it comes to
make an ethical choice based on philosophy of life, the appropriate way of living do not
persuade other people choices as individual selections are left upon their own preference. For
instance, one consumer may find their food related products to be natural, but actually there
are no food that can be completely claimed to be natural or untouched by other people. Other
consumers may hold another viewpoint about how much producers are allowed to make
alterations in food before it no longer remains natural. Yet, there are others also who are only
concerned whether their chosen food is natural or not. Putting succinctly, in every case, the
results are controversial and difficult to be judged to determine which set of people are
ethically and socially correct. Even if it is considered that consumers are motivated and
willing to go beyond the boundaries and pay significant amount to remain ethically
responsible consumer, the entire task can turn to be very difficult and impossible to be
accomplished by common mass of people. Moreover, contemporary food production
processes have become extremely complicated that becomes very difficult for consumers to
comprehend which process has the product gone through before getting filled up in
supermarkets (Nuttavuthisit & Thogersen, 2017).

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It can also be noted that in all the above arguments made regarding production of food
products say beef and meat can harm other people seriously where there is an ethical
obligation for reducing such food consumption. The subject of controversy again remains the
same whether consumers are responsible for such unethical happening even in the situation
when those activities are not reinforced by politically implemented climatic policies.
Therefore, (Vitell, 2015) argues that individual obligation for undertaking food choice
responsibility is still not clear when majority of events suggest that insufficient and
ineffective food production processes leads to negative impacts on nature as well as climatic
conditions. To ensure that effective actions are implemented against carbon footprints while
producing certain kind of food, the issue must be solved politically and governmental
regulation in both the areas of production and consumption. Furthermore, (Giesler & Veresiu,
2014) have also suggested that purchasing pattern of consumers related to ethos-political food
can help in overcoming issues related to animal cruelty, nutrition and degradation of
environment. If consumers are made aware of production processes and food ingredients,
they will be able to reject unethically manufactured food and prevent themselves from falling
under ethical stances. Therefore, it can be said that ethical food production will ultimately
lead to ethical food choices and more socially responsible society where health experts and
food nutritionists can advocate and make inspections of food corporations.
Conclusion
Previous research on consumers responsibility while making food choices provided
with theoretically stimulating and rich insights that helped in identifying experiences of food
consumers like religious consumers, ethnic consumers and activist ones to name few of them.
However, this research essay has presented various arguments and suppositions made by

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authors and researchers in which ethical responsibility of consumers while making food
choices have been considered as an important bridge between food consumption and
production. This essay also reflected on how increasing awareness among consumers about
food related issues and information have evolved in contemporary societies where people
demand right to be informed, be oneself and make a choice so that ethical responsibility is
carried in positive way. This essay concludes on the note that consumers does have ethical
responsibility as a consumer while making food choices as ethically responsible decision will
not only develop a healthier society, but also help in creating better environment and nations.

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References
Giesler, M., & Veresiu, E. (2014). Creating the Responsible Consumer: Moralistic
Governance Regimes and Consumer Subjectivity. Journal of Consumer Research, 41,
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Halkier, B. (2016). Consumption challenged: Food in medialised everyday lives. Routledge.
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_Consumption
Nuttavuthisit, K., & Thøgersen, J. (2017). The importance of consumer trust for the
emergence of a market for green products: The case of organic food. Journal of
Business Ethics, 140(2), 323-337.
Pohjolainen, P., Tapio, P., Vinnari, M., Jokinen, P., & Räsänen, P. (2016). Consumer
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