Challenging Big Food Sustainability: Dietary Change and Corporate Legitimacy in the Agrifood Landscape
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Challenging Big Food Sustainability: Dietary Change and Corporate Legitimacy in the Agrifood Landscape by Caitlin Michelle Scott A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social and Ecological Sustainability Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2019 © Caitlin Michelle Scott 2019 Examining Committee Membership The following served on the Examining Committee for this thesis. The decision of the Examining Committee is by majority vote. External Examiner Dr. Susanne Freidberg Professor Department of Geography Dartmouth College Supervisor Dr. Jennifer Clapp Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability University of Waterloo Internal Member Dr. Ian Rowlands Professor and Associate Vice-President, International School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability University of Waterloo Internal-External Member Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick Associate Professor School of Public Health and Health Systems University of Waterloo Other Member(s) Dr. Bruce Muirhead Professor and Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Analysis Department of History University of Waterloo ii Author’s Declaration This thesis consists of material all of which I authored or co-authored: see Statement of Contributions included in the thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Statement of Contributions The research for this thesis was conducted with funding from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship. Chapter 3 presents the theoretical framework that was used as a basis for this work. This was co- developed with Professor Jennifer Clapp as a part of the introduction to a special issue in Global Environmental Politics on the Global Environmental Politics of Food and Agriculture. Professor Clapp took the lead in authoring the original framework and I provided additional writing and research support for it. I have taken the original framework and applied it, focusing on legitimacy and exploring the specific implications of this framework for the governance of sustainable diets. Professor Jennifer Clapp has supervised the work completed in this thesis and provided editorial feedback in the preparation of all chapters within. iv Abstract Growing awareness of the environmental, health, and social impacts from the foods we eat has meant renewed attention on the concept of ‘sustainable diets’. The sustainable diets literature, to date, has focused on the environmental impact of meat and dairy, and the potential for environmental improvements from individual dietary change. However, given increased consumption of ultra- processed foods (formulations of industrial ingredients made to be convenient, palatable and profitable) along with their environmental and health impacts, it is important to also examine the role of the corporations that manufacture these foods in debates around sustainability. The world’s largest food and beverage manufactures, collectively known as “Big Food” corporations, are the primary makers of ultra-processed foods and are working extensively frame themselves as having a legitimate role in the food system through a variety of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. This thesis examines three questions. 1) What sustainability strategies are Big Food companies pursuing to claim legitimacy? 2) How do insights from the literature on the global governance of food and the environment help us understand Big Food companies’ choice of sustainability strategies? 3) What are the policy implications of Big Food sustainability strategies for achieving sustainable diets? To answer these questions, the research examined sustainability reports, policies, and positions of the eleven largest food and beverage manufacturers globally. The thesis identifies three main strategies connected to sustainable diets that make up part of the larger sustainability activities of these companies. First, as a portion of their CSR, firms engage a variety of ‘scientized’ data and discourses to measure and discuss their sustainability performance. Second, responsible sourcing has become a strategy of all corporations in the sector, based on the assumption that sustainably-sourced ingredients will make a product sustainable when it reaches consumers. Finally, product-portfolio management ensures that companies have varied portfolios that increasingly feature products deemed environmentally-friendly and healthy. After the strategies were identified, the thesis applied an analytical framework that outlines key political and economic characteristics of the global agrifood landscape that matter for global environmental politics of food. This analytical framework was used to analyze how these features enable corporate actors to make legitimacy claims about the work they are doing and their role in future food security and sustainability. The research from this dissertation illuminates the policy implications of the sustainability strategies being implemented and the governance context in which they are established. First, Big Food companies are pursuing narrow visions of sustainability that may obfuscate issues and their linkages in the food system. Second, the features of the agrifood landscape, as well as unique characteristics of the sustainable diets debate, enable these corporate actors to tie their legitimacy claims to their corporate sustainability work to establish themselves as part of the solution to challenges in the food system. Finally, these strategies, articulated in this context of fraught food politics and sustainable diets debates, protect corporate growth and mitigate risk, partially by downloading risk and responsibility onto the most vulnerable actors in the food system. The intention behind recent conceptualizations of sustainable diets – established at a 2011 scientific symposium – was to bring forward a holistic vision of the food system that recognizes the interconnected nature of human health and ecosystems. However, the interpretation of the concept through corporate sustainability raises important questions about the legitimacy of Big Food corporations and their role in the future of food security and sustainability. v Acknowledgements This thesis has benefited in a variety of ways from the efforts and collaboration of others who have inspired, helped, stimulated, debated, and meticulously reviewed the present work. I have also had the immense benefit of intellectual, emotional, financial, and moral support during this not insignificant challenge. It is with humble gratitude that I thank the following. First and foremost, I extend my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Professor Jennifer Clapp. She has been a constant source of thoughtful guidance, support, and mentorship. Spending these years learning from your knowledge and experience, and being inspired by the way you think, work and surround yourself with talented and brilliant scholars has been a truly life-changing experience. I thank you for your care and kindness, and your ability to push me when the time was right to do so. I’m deeply indebted to Professor Ian Rowlands, who had a considerable and lasting impact through our work together in the early days of my PhD. You inspired my love of teaching, and I strive to be as thoughtful, fair, and kind a mentor as you have always been to me and your other students. I thank you for your keen eye for detail. I would like to extend sincere thanks to Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick who brought important knowledge and insight to this work, while pushing me to make it understood by others and embrace the challenges of interdisciplinary work. Thank you to Dr. Bruce Muirhead for your perceptive comments and questions, and the light-hearted spirit you bring to academics. It has always been a joy to work with you. Finally, thank you to Dr. Susanne Freidberg for bringing a fresh perspective and unique insights from your work to this work and challenging me to consider new viewpoints on the work I was doing. I’d like to acknowledge the assistance of those who shared their thoughts with me in interviews, and to the anonymous reviewers of the work that went into Chapter 5. Many thanks to Jennifer Nicholson, Amanda Taves, and Lori McConnell for making the administrative obstacles of grad school trouble-free. Some exceptional people in University of Waterloo’s student services had an immeasurable impact on my time here. The PhD took an immense toll on my mental health, and I would not be finished today if it were not for the support, knowledge and kindness of Dr. Snider at University of Waterloo Health Services. On Dr. Snider’s recommendation, I also saw Dave Mackay at counselling services who was not only a life-changing counsellor, but genuine, insightful, and funny. I always enjoyed our conversations and looked forward to chatting with you each week. Thank you also goes to Mary McPherson at the University of Waterloo Writing Centre whose mentorship and keen editorial eye made me a better writer and a more confident scholar. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Student Success Office. You have made this last year of my studies extremely rewarding and I have learned so much from you. Erin Jobidon, I could not ask for a more supportive supervisor and friend, it has been a pleasure working with you.