“Homemade Food is Always Healthy”: The Ambivalence of a Traditionalisation of Diets in Bengaluru

Erler, Mirka; Yousefian, Neda; Dittrich, Christoph

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-79972-4_15

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Building on six years of ongoing fieldwork in Bengaluru on rural-urban food transition [8,[62][63][64], our research employs a mixed-methods approach for data collection, including quantitative household surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth qualitative interviews. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the nature of our research, which primarily involves household surveys and interviews, we have been unable to travel to Bengaluru for data collection activities in the past two years and have had to change our data collection methods.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts in Food Consumption Practices among Middle-Class Households in Bengaluru, India

Yousefian

Wenninger²,

Dittrich

2022

Sustainability

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The middle class in India is estimated to be roughly half of the population and, as such, holds considerable sway in influencing consumption trends. We explored food consumption practices and indicators for food transitions among middle-class households in the South Indian megacity of Bengaluru. Through 38 qualitative interviews, we asked respondents about their perceptions of food safety and how they navigate food safety risks in their daily food practices. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the topic of food safety into sharp relief, and consumers were keen on maintaining good health through food consumption. We engaged social practice theory to understand food shopping practices, the rise in immune-boosting foods and the consumer demand for safe, healthy food as this relates to wider sustainable food transitions. We found that middle-class consumers mitigate food safety risks through careful selection of where food is purchased. A rise in immune-boosting foods, traditional herbs and spices part of the regional diet are being revitalized. Demand for organically grown foods is hampered by a lack of trust in verification systems. We argued that government investment in building consumer confidence in both food safety, and organic labeling increases the willingness to pay a premium price among middle-class consumers.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%