Eating Our Way to a Sustainable Future?

Abstract

Our food choices have a tremendous impact on our minds, bodies, and the environment. Given this connection, many consumers are asking, how could we eat differently to ensure the integrity of the Earth’s natural systems? To address this question, the chapter first outlines how everyday food choices relate to the natural world, along with resource constraints in the food system. We then discuss the dominant ethical-eating discourse in Canada, the United States, and other Global North countries. After analyzing prominent themes in this consumer-centered ‘vote with your fork’ discourse, we consider the limitations of using market mechanisms to deliver goals like sustainability and social justice. This includes an acknowledgement of issues that often get overlooked within ethical consumer discourse, especially the minimal attention payed to low-wage, precarious workers on the front-lines of an unsustainable agricultural paradigm. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of food democracy, a concept that sheds light on fault lines in the current food system and offers principles for better meeting the needs of all forms of life.