Food safety in the public debate: on the efforts of food movements to communicate, mobilize, and politicize a critical issue

Abstract

Food scandals highlighting ecological and health risks of food production and consumption can be seen as external shocks that provoke public debate about food politics in most contemporary societies. However, these discussions have traditionally been limited to established stakeholders—food producers, regulatory bodies, government agencies, and interest groups—while often neglecting civil society's voice. The food movement can be seen as a reaction to these external shocks, with diverse actors like food activists, consumer groups, and advocacy organizations transforming food safety into an issue of citizenship and fair consumption. Our study analyzes this public debate to emphasize food safety as a democratic concern, focusing on food safety discussions in the U.S. and Germany. We explore the communication strategies of food movements in mass media and online, investigating the framing of food in public debate, political mobilization through communication networks, and the politicization of food in public discourse and political processes.