Elite Eating : The Classed Behaviors and Social Factors that Dictate the Consumption of Local and Organic Foods

Abstract

Over the last several decades, the market for locally and organically produced goods has rapidly developed and expanded amidst reports of the health hazards of conventional agriculture. While its qualities and benefits are framed as appealing to all sets of morals and values, consumption of local and organic food is limited to a mainly white, middle to upper-middle class consumer base. Using Pierre Bourdieu's theories of habitus and taste as a framework, this paper examines how organic consumers use these products to display their elite status and assert their class position over their lower class counterparts. As access to this food is limited, they are able to create distinction, making the consumption of local and organic food a classed behavior.