000007688 001__ 7688
000007688 005__ 20231215152030.0
000007688 0247_ $$2DOI$$a10.6083/6q182k673
000007688 037__ $$aETD
000007688 245__ $$a"Sustainable" food corporations and sustainable food systems: on the possibilities of engagement for food systems change
000007688 260__ $$bMarylhurst University: Oregon Health and Science University
000007688 269__ $$a2015
000007688 336__ $$aThesis
000007688 502__ $$gFood Systems & Society
000007688 520__ $$aThe topic of private actors, particularly retail grocers, as agents in sustainable food systems has been given much attention in agrifood scholar literature. However, much of this attention has focused on large transnational corporations and the detrimental effects they have on sustainable food systems. There are other private actors in the food system, actors who position themselves as "sustainable" food companies and promote their efforts to contribute to sustainable food systems. This study problematizes that agrifood scholars are not considering the role of self-identified "sustainable" food companies in creating sustainable food systems. Using discourse analysis, I examine Agrifood scholar perceptions of retail supermarkets and food service companies. Then, I narrow to two examples, Whole Foods Market (WFM) and Bon Appetit Management Company (BAMCO) to explore Agrifood scholar characterizations of these companies. Finally, I turn to the discourse of WFM and BAMCO to study how they characterize their engagements in building sustainable food systems that prioritize social justice and environmental sustainability. In this research, I find that 1) Agrifood scholars clearly identify unprecedented levels of power and control by private actors, including retail supermarkets; 2) As retail supermarkets assume a role of influencing production and consumption beyond their historic role in distribution, they play a critical role in Agrifood system transformation; and 3) In studying company engagements, I find that companies are engaging in some activities identified by scholars as crucial for building food system sustainability. This study concludes that there exists an opportunity for additional Agrifood research into the role "sustainable" food companies might play in creating sustainable food systems.
000007688 650__ $$aAgriculture$$014366
000007688 650__ $$aSustainable Development$$012580
000007688 650__ $$aSocial Justice$$026110
000007688 6531_ $$acorporations
000007688 691__ $$aSchool of Medicine
000007688 692__ $$aGraduate Programs in Human Nutrition
000007688 7001_ $$aCarlson, Ericka
000007688 8564_ $$929f743cf-1640-46c2-a62a-3e3b535315d5$$s2190048$$uhttps://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7688/files/Carlson.Ericka.2015.pdf
000007688 905__ $$a/rest/prod/6q/18/2k/67/6q182k673
000007688 909CO $$ooai:digitalcollections.ohsu.edu:7688$$pstudent-work
000007688 980__ $$aFood Systems & Society