Political ecology of milk: Contested futures of a lively food

Clay, Nathan; Yurco, Kayla

doi:10.1111/gec3.12497

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Over the last 20 years, the consumption of fluid milk has declined in Western European countries, and non-dairy alternatives have become more accepted (McCarthy et al, 2017;Zingone et al, 2017;Allen et al, 2018;Morelli and Vitale, 2020). A similar development can be seen in the United States, where in 2018 alone fluid milk sales dropped by 8%, while the sales of plant-based alternatives increased by 9% (Clay and Yurco, 2020). Similarly, in Finland the per capita consumption of liquid milk products has declined by 13% during the last 5 years (Natural Resources Institute Finland, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Mylan et al (2019) noted that scholarly attention on sustainable diets has been directed at meat and "de-meatification, " while less attention has been given to plant-based alternatives to cow's milk. At the same time, Clay and Yurco (2020) argued that milk and dairy products are increasingly contested foods that provide a window into inter-linked social and environmental crises.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

et al. 2023

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Currently, the consumption of liquid milk in Western European countries and the US is declining. At the same time, the consumption of other dairy products, including cheese and sour-milk products, is increasing. Dairy production, along with meat production, is one of the main food sources of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change. Thus, the transition toward more sustainable diets requires a reduction in the consumption of both meat and dairy products. Consumers who do not use milk (e.g., vegans) have received more scholarly attention compared to those who are reducing milk consumption. Our study focuses on Finnish consumers who have reduced the use of cow's milk but have not abandoned dairy entirely. Through qualitative data, we analyze how consumers on the one hand narrate their detachment from using milk and on the other hand justify their ongoing use of dairy products. The results show that consumers began their dietary change by first reducing meat eating, followed by milk. For the consumers, cheese eating was a source of enjoyment that was difficult to resist and to replace with plant-based alternatives, even though they were aware of the animal suffering caused by milk production. Consumers recognized the interdependence between meat and milk production and consumption, yet, at the level of everyday practices, giving up milk proved to be more challenging than giving up meat. We argue that the declining use of fluid milk contributes to the de-dairyfication of eating habits, but obstacles remain in reducing the consumption of other dairy products.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

et al. 2023

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“…Food firms have responded by shifting demand toward their products at the expense of other foods, or by encouraging the purchase of more highly processed and/or branded foods, which may command higher prices. These efforts have contributed to "meatification, " or increased consumption of animal source foods (including dairy) in areas where these products have traditionally been less central to diets, and particularly in households with rising incomes (Weis, 2013;Hoelle, 2017;Schneider, 2017;Clay and Yurco, 2020;Hansen and Jakobsen, 2020).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Protein” Industry Convergence and Its Implications for Resilient and Equitable Food Systems

Howard

Ajena²,

Yamaoka

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Recent years have seen the convergence of industries that focus on higher protein foods, such as meat processing firms expanding into plant-based substitutes and/or cellular meat production, and fisheries firms expanding into aquaculture. A driving force behind these changes is dominant firms seeking to increase their power relative to close competitors, including by extending beyond boundaries that pose constraints to growth. The broad banner of “protein” offers a promising space to achieve this goal, despite its nutritionally reductionist focus on a single macronutrient. Protein firm strategies to increase their dominance are likely to further diminish equity in food systems by exacerbating power asymmetries. In addition, the resilience of food systems has the potential to be weakened as these strategies tend to reduce organizational diversity, as well as the genetic diversity of livestock and crops. To better understand these changes, we visually characterize firms that are most dominant in higher protein food industries globally and their recent strategic moves. We discuss the likelihood for these trends to further jeopardize food system resilience and equity, and we make recommendations for avoiding these impacts.

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“…The increased demand for animal products led to the industrialization of the agriculture system in the northern hemisphere in the mid-nineteenth century, in particular milk production has increased exponentially per farm, per cow, and per input of feed and labor ( 1 ). Retailers' control of milk supply chains has enabled supermarkets to sell milk below production cost to attract customers ( 1 ). Inevitably, the low retail pricing has put dairy farmers under financial pressure, which has been a driver to herd expansion for farmers to remain competitive ( 2 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Perspective on the Use of Sexed Semen to Reduce the Number of Surplus Male Dairy Calves in Ireland: A Pilot Study

2021

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The production of surplus male offspring illustrates a socioethical concern in the dairy industry. In this article, we highlight the animal health and welfare implications of production outputs for surplus dairy calves, namely veal production, dairy calf to beef production, and euthanasia. Moreover, we present a pilot study focus on exploring the perception of key industry actors within the dairy industry in Ireland regarding the use of sexed semen as a mitigation strategy to reduce the production of surplus male dairy calves. A pilot survey was completed by farmers (n = 6), veterinarians (n = 17), and dairy farm advisors (n = 11). All the veterinarians, 80% of the farmers, and 62% of the advisors believed that the use of sexed semen had a positive influence on herd welfare. All participants identified the same barriers to the implementation of sexed semen: lower conception rate, lower availability, and higher cost. The reviewed literature highlights the importance of tailored communication to support knowledge exchange between stakeholders and key industry actors such as dairy farmers, their veterinarians, and advisors. Research to understand stakeholders' perception is pivotal to address socioethical concerns such as the surplus male dairy calves.

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Political ecology of milk: Contested futures of a lively food

Cited by 19 publications

References 114 publications

Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

“Protein” Industry Convergence and Its Implications for Resilient and Equitable Food Systems

A Perspective on the Use of Sexed Semen to Reduce the Number of Surplus Male Dairy Calves in Ireland: A Pilot Study

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