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Depicting eaters and non-eaters of abnormal fruits and vegetables: Reflections of self-identity and food culture

Author

Listed:
  • Gervaise Debucquet

    (Audencia Recherche - Audencia Business School)

  • Cindy Lombart

    (Audencia Recherche - Audencia Business School)

  • Blandine Labbé-Pinlon

    (Audencia Recherche - Audencia Business School)

Abstract

To reduce food waste, retailers have been offering non-calibrated fruits and vegetables (FaVs) in recent years, yet the acceptance of such produce is still far from unanimous. Using reciprocal projections, our research performs a comparative analysis of French consumers' representations of eaters and non-eaters of misshapen FaVs. The overall representations rest on lexical registers that refer to economic, ecological, and sociocultural rationales. Results highlight two opposing representations of the two customer segments studied. Ugly FaVs thus reactivate current tensions that are challenging the traditional French food model. The dominant and positive description of eaters of ugly FaVs is manifested as an implicit defense of a particular French food identity that values cooking with natural and special products. Conversely, the description of non-eaters of imperfect FaVs points to the erosion of this identity in favor of a more pragmatic relationship with food, one that values standardized products. Thus, the sustainability of offering misshapen FaVs depends on the retailers' ability to reduce tensions linked to contrasting food identities by implementing educational actions aimed at children and/or immersive point-of-purchase campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Gervaise Debucquet & Cindy Lombart & Blandine Labbé-Pinlon, 2021. "Depicting eaters and non-eaters of abnormal fruits and vegetables: Reflections of self-identity and food culture," Post-Print hal-03379585, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03379585
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102673
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://audencia.hal.science/hal-03379585
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    Cited by:

    1. Sirieix, Lucie & Séré de Lanauze, Gilles & Dyen, Margot & Balbo, Laurie & Suarez, Erick, 2023. "The role of communities in vegetarian and vegan identity construction," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Zheng, Han & Chen, Kai & Ma, Zhuoyuan, 2023. "Interactive effects of social norms and information framing on consumers' willingness of food waste reduction behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. D'Souza, Clare & Brouwer, Anne Renée & Singaraju, Stephen, 2022. "Veganism: Theory of planned behaviour, ethical concerns and the moderating role of catalytic experiences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. EiÄ aitÄ—, Ovidija & Baležentis, Tomas & RibaÅ¡auskienÄ—, Erika & MorkÅ«nas, Mangirdas & MelnikienÄ—, Rasa & Å treimikienÄ—, Dalia, 2022. "Food waste in the retail sector: A survey-based evidence from Central and Eastern Europe," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    5. Chang, Hsiu-Hua & Lu, Long-Chuan & Kuo, Tzu-Chiao, 2024. "Are discounts useful in promoting suboptimal foods for sustainable consumption and production? The interaction effects of original prices, discount presentation modes, and product types," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Young, Aiden & Sima, Herbert & Luo, Na & Wu, Sihong & Gong, Yu & Qian, Xiaoyan, 2024. "Ugly produce and food waste management: An analysis based on a social cognitive perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ugly fruits and vegetables; food identity; self-identity; mirroring effect; qualitative study;
    All these keywords.

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