Abstract
In light of the growing organic products and the rise of the hybrid citizen-consumer, defined by Johnston (2008) “as a concept (that) implies a social practice – “voting with your dollar” – that can satisfy competing ideologies of consumerism (an idea rooted in individual self-interest) and citizenship (an ideal rooted in collective responsibility to a social and ecological commons)” (p. 229), calls for more studies into green marketing on the connection between consumers agency and organic packages of food products is needed. This chapter examines organic advertising of the organic egg carton by Esselunga, one of the largest Italian chain supermarkets. Visually the package of the eggs reflects nostalgia for family owned farms, while also providing the consumer with technical legal jargon associated to organic farming and marketing regulations in Italy in alignment also with European Union regulations. These images and text serve to appease both the self and societal interest of the buyer. Through a qualitative content analysis of the package, this chapter argued that these forms of textual and visual communication are consistent with ‘compliance marketing’ and ‘green selling’ (King 1984; Peattie and Crane 2005), rather than serving to empower the buyer through valuable information. The paper discussed the implications of the findings for the citizen-consumer.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
For more information about the case please refer to New World Communications of Tampa, INC, d/b/a WTVT-TV v. Jane Akre, 866 So. 2d 1231, (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2003).
- 2.
For more information on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), please visit www.ciw-online.org/.
- 3.
FDA guidelines only apply to processed food. A company is required to provide product information only when health claims are made, but the agency has never issued formal rules about the term. It is the manufacture’s responsibility to assure that health claims meet the FDA guidelines. In case a health claim is made the agency evaluates the credibility of the claim based on the totality of publicly available scientific evidence.
- 4.
For more information on U.S. and European organic agricultural laws please refer to the “Federal Organic Food Production Act of (OFPA)” (1990), the EC 834/2007 and EC 889/2008 (European Commission 2007, 2008). See also Agricoltura e Sviluppo Rurale at http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/consumer-confidence/logo-labelling_it.
- 5.
“Per dare chiarezza ai consumatori in tutto il mercato comunitario, occorre rendere obbligatorio il logo UE per tutti i prodotti alimentari biologici in imballaggio preconfezionato ottenuti nella Comunità…Inoltre, ai fini dell’informazione dei consumatori, della trasparenza del mercato e per stimolare l’uso di ingredienti biologici, si dovrebbe anche consentire, a determinate condizioni, di inserire nell’elenco degli ingredienti riferimenti alla produzione biologica.”
- 6.
“Sono identificabili come uova biologiche i prodotti confezionati secondo le modalità del disciplinare di produzione biologica, eventualmente timbrate sul guscio all’origine o alla lavorazione. La confezione riporterà il riferimento al metodo di produzione biologico, il riferimento dell’unità ed il riferimento del centro di confezionamento.”
References
Adamoli, G. 2012. Social media and social movements: A critical analysis of audience’s use of facebook to advocate Food Activism Offline. Phd, Florida State University Tallahassee.
Asioli, D., M. Canavari, A. Castellini, T. de Magistris, F. Gottardi, P. Lombardi, and R. Spadoni. 2011. The role of sensory attributes in marketing organic food: Findings from a qualitative study on Italian consumers. Journal of Food Distribution Research 42: 16–21.
Baker, L.E. 2004. Tending cultural landscapes and food citizenship in Torontos’s community gardens. Geographical Review 94(3): 305–325.
Brent, B., and T. McMullen. 2008. Visual communication to children in the supermarket context: Health protective or exploitive? Agriculture and Human Values 25(3): 333–348.
Brunori, G., R. Cerruti, S. Medeot, and A. Rossi. 2008. Looking for alternatives: The construction of the organic beef chain in Mugello, Tuscany. International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology 7(1): 126–143.
Canavari, M., G.M. Bazzani, R. Spadoni, and D. Regazzi. 2002. Food safety and organic fruit demand in Italy: A survey. British Food Journal 104(3/4/5): 220–232.
Carney, T. 2010. Obama makes a mockery of his own Lobbyist Ban. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Obama-makes-a-mockery-of-his-own-lobbyist-ban-83385832.html#ixzz12jOESbst. Accessed 3 Feb 2010.
Caswell, J.A., and D.I. Padberg. 1992. Toward a more comprehensive theory of food labels. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 74(2): 460–468.
CCPB. 2012. Normative per L’etichettatura dei Prodotti Biologici e Tipologie di Applicazione. Retrieved from http://www.ccpb.it/. Accessed 8 July 2010.
Coddington, W. 1993. Environmental marketing: Positive strategies for researching green consumer. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Consumers’ Forum. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.consumersforum.it/sito/eventi/eventi.php?id=25. Accessed 8 July 2010.
Corbett, J.B. 2006. Communicating nature: How we create and understand environmental messages. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Decree DM MiPAFF 91436 – Produzioni Animali Biologiche. 2000. (2000).
DeLind, L.B. 2002. Place, work, and civic agriculture: Common fields for cultivation. Agriculture and Human Values 19(3): 217–224.
Dickinson, H., and M.K. Carsky. 2005. The consumer as economic voter. In The ethical consumer, ed. R. Harrison, T. Newholm, and D. Shaw. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Draper, A., and J. Green. 2002. Food safety and consumers: Constructions of choice and risk. Social Policy & Administration 36(6): 610–625.
DuPuis, M. 2000. Not in My body: rBGH and the rise of organic milk. Agriculture and Human Values 17(3): 285–295.
Esselunga. 2010. Esselunga. Retrieved from www.esselunga.it. Accessed 2010.
Esselunga’s History. 2010. Retrieved from http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=5467388. Accessed 6 July 2010.
European Commission. 2007. Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, No 834/2007 C.F.R. (2007).
European Commission. 2008. Council Regulation (EC) No 889/2008, No 834/2007 C.F.R. (2008).
European Commission – Agriculture and Rural Development. 2009. Logo ed Etichettatura. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/consumer-confidence/logo-labelling_it. Accessed 12 Nov 2013.
Federal Organic Food Production Act of (OFPA). 1990.
Foreign Agricultural Service. 2009. Italy food and agricultural import regulations and standards narrative. Retrieved from http://gain.fas.usda.gov/recent%20gain%20publications/food%20and%20agricultural%20import%20regulations%20and%20standards%20-%20narrative_rome_italy_7-30-2009.pdf. Accessed 23 Sept 2012.
Gold, V. 2008. Guide to U.S. organic marketing laws and regulations. Retrieved from http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/OAP/OAPGuide1.shtml. Accessed 4 May 2012.
Goldberg, M. 2012. Guides to organic laws. Retrieved from http://livingmaxwell.com/update-on-the-naked-juice-kashi-class-action-lawsuits. Accessed 4 May 2012.
Green Marketing. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.marketing4food.com/green-marketing-and-organic-or-eco-friendly-marketing-in-food/?lang=en. Accessed 4 May 2012.
Guthman, J. 2002. Commodified meanings, meaningful commodities: Re-thinking production-consumption links through the organic system of provision. Sociologia Ruralis 42(4): 295–311.
Guthman, J. 2003. Fast food/organic food: Reflexive tastes and the making of ‘yuppie chow’. Social & Cultural Geography 4(1): 45–58.
Holder, J. 1991. Regulating green advertising in the motor car industry. Journal of Law and Society 18(3): 323–346.
Hughner, R.S., P. McDonagh, A. Prothero, C.J. Shultz, and J. Stanton. 2007. Who are organic food consumers? A compilation and review of why people purchase organic food. Journal of Consumer Behaviour 6(2–3): 94–110.
Hume, S. 1991. McDonald’s: Case Study Advertising Age 62(5): 32.
ISMEA. 2008. Manuale di marketing per la vendita diretta di prodotti agricoli. Retrieved from http://www.ismea.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/6843. Accessed 1 Jan 2012.
Johnston, J. 2008. The citizen-consumer hybrid: Ideological tensions and the case of Whole Foods Market. Theory and Society 37(3): 229–270.
King, S. 1984. Has marketing failed, or was it never really tried? Journal of Marketing Management 1: 1–19.
Klein, N. 2001. No logo: No space no choice. Flamingo: No Jobs.
Kroger. 2010. Retrieved from www.kroger.com. Accessed 4 May 2010.
Krogers Revenue. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?. Accessed 16 July 2010.
Krystallis, A., and G. Chryssohoidis. 2005. Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic food: Factors that affect it and variation per organic product type. British Food Journal 107(5): 320–343.
La Carta d’Identita’ delle Uova. 2011. Retrieved from http://www.codacons.piemonte.it/Alimentazione/Etichettatura%20uova.htm. Accessed 3 Feb 2010.
Latta, P.A. 2007. Locating democratic politics in ecological citizenship. Environmental Politics 16(3): 377–393.
Lawerence, J. 1991. From hero to villain. Advertising Age 62(5): 12–13.
Libery, B., and M. Kneafsey. 1998. Product and place promoting quality products and services in the lagging rural regions of the European union. European Urban and Regional Studies 5(4): 329–341.
Livingstone, S., P. Lunt, and L. Miller. 2007. Citizens, consumers and the citizen-consumer: Articulating the citizen interest in media and communications regulation. Discourse & Communication 1(1): 63–89.
Lockie, S. 2009. Responsibility and agency within alternative food networks: Assembling the “citizen consumer”. Agriculture and Human Values 26(3): 193–201.
Mendleson, N., and M.J. Polonsky. 1995. Using strategic alliances to develop credible green marketing. Journal of Consumer Marketing 12(2): 4–18.
Mintel. 1991. The green consumer report. London: Mintel.
Naspetti, S., and R. Zanoli. 2004. Do consumers care about where they buy organic products? A means-end study with evidence from Italian data. In Marketing trends for organic food in the 21st century MAICH, Greece, ed. G. Baourakis. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.
Nestle, M. 2002. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Neuman, W.L. 1997. Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon.
Nuciari, P. 2011. Nuovo Regolamento Europeo sull’Etichettatura degli Alimenti. Retrieved from http://pieronuciari.it/2011/09/18/il-nuovo-regolamento-europeo-sull’etichettatura-degli-alimenti. Accessed 1 Jan 2012.
Organic Consumers Association. 2011. About the OCA: Who we are and what we’re doing. Retrieved from http://www.organicconsumers.org/aboutus.cfm. Accessed 8 June 2011.
Ottman, J. 1992. Brand ‘stewards’ will guide environmental planning. Marketing News 26(8): 15.
Part 260 -Guides for the use of environmental marketing claims. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm. Accessed 23 Aug 2012.
Peattie, K., and A. Crane. 2005. Green marketing: Legend, myth, farce or prophesy? Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal 8(4): 357–370.
Pollan, M. 2006. The omnivore’s dilemma: A natural history of four meals. New York: Penguin.
Polonsky, M.J. 1994. An introduction to green marketing. Electronic Green Journal 1(2): 1–10.
Pugliese, G. 2010. Federal court ditches ban on labeling milk. Retrieved from http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/federal-court-ditches-ban-on-labeling-milk.html. Accessed 1 Jan 2012.
Richter, T., O. Schmid, P. Damary, P. van den Berge, U. Meier, and D. Halpin. 2000. International study of retail chains with regard to their activities in the marketing of organic products. Paper presented at the International Seminar Organics in the Supermarket, Frick.
Santucci, F.M. 2009. I circuiti commerciali dei prodotti biologici. Ancona: AGRIREGIONIEUROPA.
Sassatelli, R. 2006. Virtue, responsibility and consumer choice. In Consuming cultures, global perspective, ed. J. Brewer and F. Trentmann, 219–250. Oxford: Berg Publisher.
Scammell, M. 2000. The internet and civic engagement: The age of the citizen-consumer. Political Communication 17(4): 351–355.
Schaak, D., and H. Willer. 2010. Development of the organic market in Europe. In The world of organic agriculture – Statistics and emerging trends 2010, ed. H. Willer and L. Kilcher, 141–144. Frick: IFOAM/FiBL.
Schlossberg, H. 1993. Effect of FTC green guidelines still doubtful for some marketers. Marketing News 27(3): 1.
Schlosser, E. 2001. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Schor, J. 2007. Consumer-Topia: Envisioning a new culture of consuming. Paper presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, New York.
Schröder, M.J., and M.G. McEachern. 2004. Consumer value conflicts surrounding ethical food purchase decisions: A focus on animal welfare. International Journal of Consumer Studies 28(2): 168–177.
Smart Publications. 2010. The FDA and Monsanto: Strange bedfellows. Retrieved from http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/view/lies-and-deception-how-the-fda-does-not-protect-your-best-interests/. Accessed 4 May 2012.
Smith, T.M. 1998. The myth of green marketing: Tending our goats at the edge of apocalypse. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Triplett, T. 1994. Three firms abandon green marketing claims. Marketing News 28(15): 10.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2010a. Labeling & nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/default.htm. Accessed 2010.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2010b. Claims. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064908.htm. Accessed 2010.
Wilgoren, D., and Y.G. Mui. 2011. With praise from Michelle Obama, Wal-Mart announces healthy food campaign. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/20/AR2011012001581.html. January 20. Accessed 20 Jan 2011.
Williamson, J. 1978. Decoding advertisements: Ideology and meaning in advertising. London: Marion Boyers.
Winson, A. 2004. Bringing political economy into the debate on the obesity epidemic. Agriculture and Human Values 21(4): 299–312.
Zinkhan, G.M., and L. Carlson. 1995. Green advertising and the reluctant consumer. Journal of Advertising 24(2): 1–6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Adamoli, G. (2015). Who Came First? The Egg or the Carton? An Analysis of Organic Packaging for Italian Retail Chain Esselunga. In: Freyer, B., Bingen, J. (eds) Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World. The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics, vol 22. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9190-8_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9190-8_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9189-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9190-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)