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On (not) knowing where your food comes from: meat, mothering and ethical eating

Author

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  • Kate Cairns

    (Rutgers University-Camden)

  • Josée Johnston

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

Knowledge is a presumed motivator for changed consumption practices in ethical eating discourse: the consumer learns more about where their food comes from and makes different consumption choices. Despite intuitive appeal, scholars are beginning to illuminate the limits of knowledge-focused praxis for ethical eating. In this paper, we draw from qualitative interviews and focus groups with Toronto mothers to explore the role of knowledge in conceptions of ethical foodwork. While the goal of educating children about their food has become central to Canadian and American discourses of “good” mothering, we identify a paradoxical maternal expectation surrounding meat consumption: (1) to raise informed child consumers who know where their food comes from, and (2) to protect children from the harsh realities of animal slaughter. Rather than revealing the story behind the meat on a child’s plate, mothers seek to shield children from knowledge of meat production. Our analysis of the child consumer contributes to ethical eating scholarship and illuminates a larger paradox surrounding knowledge of meat in an industrialized food system. In the practice of feeding children, mothers confront the visceral discomforts of meat consumption; their reactions speak to discordant feelings involved with eating meat in a setting far-removed from the lives and deaths of animals. Ultimately, the paper illustrates the limits of consumer-focused strategies for food-system change that call on individual mothers to educate young consumers and protect childhood innocence, all while getting ethically-sourced meals on the table.

Suggested Citation

  • Kate Cairns & Josée Johnston, 2018. "On (not) knowing where your food comes from: meat, mothering and ethical eating," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(3), pages 569-580, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:35:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-018-9849-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-018-9849-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathon P. Schuldt & Danielle L. Eiseman & Michael P. Hoffmann, 2020. "Public concern about climate change impacts on food choices: The interplay of knowledge and politics," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 885-893, September.
    2. Emily Huddart Kennedy & Julie A. Kmec, 2019. "Is there an “ideal feeder”? How healthy and eco-friendly food consumption choices impact judgments of parents," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(1), pages 137-151, March.
    3. Michael Carolan, 2021. "Putting food access in its topological place: thinking in terms of relational becomings when mapping space," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(1), pages 243-256, February.
    4. Li Lin-Schilstra & Arnout R. H. Fischer, 2020. "Consumer Moral Dilemma in the Choice of Animal-Friendly Meat Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-19, June.
    5. Michael Carolan, 2023. "Just-in-case transitions and the pursuit of resilient food systems: enumerative politics and what it means to make care count," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 1055-1066, September.

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