3 research outputs found
European food quality schemes in everyday food consumption: An exploration of sayings and doings through pragmatic regimes of engagement
While European consumers generally support the principles underpinning Food Quality Schemes (FQS), sales of certified products remain modest. This phenomenon is known as âattitude-behaviour gapâ and considerable scholarly and policy efforts have been geared towards âfillingâ or âbridgingâ the gap. This study aims at casting new light on this âdiscrepancyâ between consumersâ sayings and doings through a study of everyday food practices connected to FQS. We used a qualitative multi-method research design comprising extensive ethnographic fieldwork data gathered from 41 households across seven European countries, including interviews, walk-along tours, and food diaries, in order to understand consumersâ perceptions of FQS in relation to their everyday food consumption practices. Building on convention theory and ThĂ©venotâs work, we showed that food practices can be understood through different âregimes of engagementâ, namely different ways of thinking and behaving, following different logics corresponding to varying levels of knowledge and interest. We thus argue that the âattitudeâ behaviour gapâ should rather be reconceptualised as the co-existence of multiple regimes of engagement, namely a dynamic and always evolving process of adjustment through which consumers understand and engage with FQS in everyday food practices