Discourses of ‘Good Food’: The commercialization of healthy and ethical eating

Eriksson, Göran; Machín, David

doi:10.1016/j.dcm.2019.100365

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The marketing of nootropic drinks is another example of what previous research within CDS consider as a process in which how we think and act related to food and health is colonised and shaped by commercial interests (cf. Eriksson & Machin, 2020). According to this research, communication about food and health is highly characterised by what Fairclough (1992) describes as a technologised discourse, in which a standardisation and codification of language and multimodal semiotic resources serve commercial objectives.…”

Section: Neoliberal Health Discoursementioning

confidence: 94%

“…From this follows a widespread stigma in which unhealthy has become a signifier of weakness, laziness, lacking willpower and morals and failures of today's society (Puhl & Brownell, 2001;Rao et al, 2013;Traverso-Yepez & Hunter, 2016). Food marketers have also been able to ride upon, shape and foster this trend by selling more and more foods marketed as having health benefits (Eriksson & Machin, 2020;Patterson & Johnston, 2012;Weeramanthri & Ballie, 2015). These products, however, have been criticised for carrying often contradictory and confusing health buzzwords to conceal their unhealthy qualities and possibly even distract people from eating healthily (Aarset et al, 2004;Siipi, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A look at drinks now available in stores reveals a range of products offering, or implying, a variety of health benefits: 'low sugar', 'low carb', 'high energy', 'high in protein', 'vitamin enriched', or with other added ingredients such as ginger, ginseng, echinacea, Himalayan berries. Such health drinks and snacks are the largest growing sector of the food market globally (Eriksson & Machin, 2020). These nootropic drinks represent a development on these as they promise a range of highly targeted specific health benefits for the body but also enhancing memory, concentration, alertness and overall well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connoting a neoliberal and entrepreneurial discourse of science through infographics and integrated design: the case of ‘functional’ healthy drinks

Chen

Eriksson

2021

Critical Discourse Studies

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Riding on the rising concern of public health and the growing neoliberal self-care agenda, the food market has witnessed a surge in 'healthy' food despite the criticism of this food does not help consumers eat more healthily. A growing interest in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) is how food marketers colonise not only the food discourse but also the broader ideas and values such as health, politics, and environment. Contributing to this growing body of research, we look at one of the fastest-growing food trends, 'functional drinks', which claim to target physiological and psychological processes in the body, so that consumers can manage their health and performance. Company websites rely on forms of infographics to communicate how the products work. Adopting the notion of 'integrated design' from multimodal CDS, we show how these infographics, drawing on their affordances, are particularly useful in symbolising classifications and causalities which could not be accounted for in running texts. The paper argues that this is a way health and science converge with a neoliberal discourse of self-management and enterprise culture. Given the increased use of forms of integrated design in communication, more critical discursive work is needed in this area.

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Section: Neoliberal Health Discoursementioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connoting a neoliberal and entrepreneurial discourse of science through infographics and integrated design: the case of ‘functional’ healthy drinks

Chen

Eriksson

2021

Critical Discourse Studies

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“…In the context of Hong Kong, as citizens are entering the second year of maskwearing, it is interesting to investigate the symbolic meanings face-masks have acquired and how the meanings are exploited by local face-mask producers to promote their products. Premised on the assumption that the design of products can communicate clear messages about identities (Eriksson and Machin, 2020;Ledin and Machin, 2019;Thurlow and Jaworski, 2017), we attempt to analyze how face-masks are branded as a vehicle for self-expression in Hong Kong. Specifically, we address the following three research questions: (1) what symbolic meanings are designed by local face-mask brands to promote their products, (2) how are the symbolic meanings realized through the deployment of linguistic, visual and material resources, and (3) what do these symbolic meanings reveal about branding practices in the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong. In what follows, we will first introduce our theoretical foundation of neoliberalism and emotional branding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity, lifestyle, and face-mask branding: A social semiotic multimodal discourse analysis

Wang¹,

Deng

2021

Multimodality & Society

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The massive introduction of face-masks across the world after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how they are designed and branded. Instead of merely focusing on functional qualities, face-mask producers have started to draw upon symbolic values in their branding discourse. Against this background, the present study investigates how face-masks are branded in Hong Kong by analyzing the design, packaging and websites for face-mask products, as well as the design of offline franchised stores using a social semiotic approach. Analysis of the multimodal data of four leading Hong Kong brands, with a focus on the use of verbal evaluation, iconography, typography, color, and materiality, reveals three symbolic meanings that are used in face-mask branding: (1) professionalism, which refers to the representation of face-masks as a symbol of advanced technology, (2) Hong Kong identity, which includes evoking pride in the past economy and exploiting the cultural symbol of the Lion Rock, and (3) fashion lifestyle, in which face-masks are associated with the values of stylishness, individuality, and luxuriousness. The exploitation of symbolic values and multimodal design in face-mask branding reflects the influence of the neoliberal ideology in the highly marketized Hong Kong society.

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“…Another paradigm of gluttonic discourse study can be found in Chen and Eriksson (2019) where gluttonic discourse is viewed as a means of storytelling. Healthy and ethical eating habits make the trend of the 21 century, which is analysed in Eriksson and Machin (2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%