Politics by Other Means: The Emergence of a New Politics of Food in the United States

Abstract

A new politics of food has arrived. Interest groups are no longer required to rely on traditional legislative means to achieve their political objectives. Instead, changes in the political economy of the food system and the economic structure of the food system make it possible to practice politics by other means, including the use of the market to achieve political objectives. The increasing transaction costs of legislative decision making, the slow growth in the demand for food in developed country markets, the increasing demand for specific food product attributes, and the highly concentrated state of most food markets can make it advantageous for interest groups to pursue their political objectives through the market rather than through legislative channels. In the new politics of food, the market, the legislature, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary are all arenas within which the art of politics will be practiced.To paraphrase Clausewitz on war and diplomacy, I hold that politics is economics carried on by other means . However, when a equals b, it also follows that b equals a. And so you might say that economics is also politics carried on by other means.-Paul A. Samuelson (italics in original)A fax machine is an odd, yet appropriate, choice of weapons to fire the first shot in the new politics of food that is emerging in the United States. Yet it was a fax machine, employed to achieve a political end that was legislatively impossible, which signaled that a new politics of food had arrived. This was politics that furthered its goals by employing nontraditional means, and it marked the emergence of a new willingness to the use of the market to accomplish political ends.

Sustainability of egg production in the United States—The policy and market context

“…It has been facilitated by several factors, including the fragmentation of traditional large agricultural interest groups into smaller groups with competing interests, consumer affluence, and the concentration of food markets (Schweikhardt and Browne, 2001). The net economic effect on the US egg market of these much-touted announcements by retailers is unclear at this time, given that many of the retailers indicate that they will increase their purchases of noncage eggs only slightly, typically to levels similar to the current US market share of noncage eggs.…”

Shopping for change? Neoliberalizing activism and the limits to eating non-GMO

“…Many significant hurdles complicate non-market action and have led directly to the evolution of the new politics of food (Schweikhardt and Browne, 2001). One is the institutional structure, which provides unequal access to decision-makers -the balance of which is granted to corporate interests who have the financial resources to make their voices heard.…”

“…More importantly, such claims leave unquestioned the critical transition in food-based politics: the shift in focus from the public to the private spheres and the associated emergence of discourses of individualism and consumer freedom. So significant is this break from past activism, that Schweikhardt and Browne (2001) have termed current methods a ''new politics of food'' (NPF) -one in which capitalism is to be fought with baby food, local apples, and fax machines, not unions, political parties, and citizen organization. NPF echoes the broader strategic shift away from the state as an arena of political bargaining noted by scholars of ''new social movements'' (NSM) (Norris, 2002;Hunter, 1995;Scott, 1990).…”

Economic considerations of breeding for polled dairy cows versus dehorning in the United States

“…Dairy producers, in particular, have faced concern from US residents regarding the welfare implications of 2 common practices-de- Although current US regulations neither prohibit nor mandate that pain management be incorporated into dehorning procedures, the potential exists for social, regulatory, or market-based pressures (including mandating of changes in production systems by food retailers or processors) to drive the dairy industry toward change. Schweikhardt and Browne (2001) document and detail "the growth of politics by other means -politics practiced through the market" and provide examples of food companies having made decisions that have been influenced by factors that might have been thought to have belonged in the political realm to meet changing consumer demands. In particular, as evidenced by Schweikhardt and Browne (2001) and explored by , consumers are particularly sensitive about the practices and procedures used to make food products that are consumed by infants and young children.…”