Enacting freshness in the UK and Portuguese agri-food sectors (invited resubmission)

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Terms like 'fresh' and 'natural' are key words in the contemporary food industry, deployed in marketing and related commercial contexts in an almost uniformly positive way. Linking fresh and natural in the context of modern agri-food systems is, however, paradoxical as what is sold as 'fresh' frequently depends on a series of technological innovations (such as refrigeration and long-distance transportation) that are anything but 'natural'.This project focuses on the commercial, environmental and social significance of 'freshness' as a central issue in the production and consumption of food in two contrasting national contexts (the UK and Portugal) and in three different commodity sectors (fish, poultry, and fruit and vegetables). It examines the complex social and technological arrangements that underpin the production, circulation and consumption of 'fresh' food. Bringing together the members of three leading European research groups, the project will investigate how 'freshness' is enacted across the UK food supply chain (where survey evidence suggests that consumer concerns about quality and freshness are close to the EU average) and in Portugal (where such concerns are well above the European average). Both countries have had a recent history of 'food scares', undermining consumer confidence and trust in food, but contrast in other areas of culinary practice (including Portugal's association with a so-called 'Mediterranean diet'). While the health benefits of consuming fresh fruit and vegetables are promoted in both countries, the average consumption of fish is three times higher in Portugal than in the UK. Meanwhile, our focus on chicken will allow us to compare the 'freshness' claims associated with chilled and frozen foods in each country, particularly in terms of their perceived convenience, healthiness and sustainability.Working closely with a range of commercial partners, the project focuses on the post-harvest processing, retailing and consumption of food including the materials (technologies, devices and infrastructures) and competencies (skills, senses, tacit knowledge) that different actors use to assess and categorise food as 'fresh'. Among consumers, we will examine the enactment of freshness in practices of food shopping, storage, cooking, eating and disposal; how meanings of freshness are combined and/or traded-off with other qualities of food (such as taste, price or provenance); and how they are understood through different forms of knowledge. Our methods include archival and documentary research, interviews and observational work with food retailers and suppliers, household observation and video ethnography with consumers and a series of experimental 'tasting events'. Our findings will be relevant to food studies researchers, food businesses, government officials, and food-related charities and NGOs.