Supermarkets and private standards : unintended consequences of the audit ritual

Recent scholarship has considered the implications of the rise of voluntary private standards in food and the role of private actors in a rapidly evolving, de-facto ‘mandatory’ sphere of governance. Standards are an important element of this globalising private sphere, but are an element that has been relatively peripheral in analyses of power in agri-food systems. Sociological thought has countered orthodox views of standards as simple tools of measurement, instead understanding their function as a governance mechanism that transforms many things, and people, during processes of standardisation. In a case study of the Australian retail supermarket duopoly and the proprietary standards required for market access this paper foregrounds retailers as standard owners and their role in third-party auditing and certification. Interview data from primary research into Australia’s food standards captures the multifaceted role supermarkets play as standard-owners, who are found to impinge on the independence of third-party certification while enforcing rigorous audit practices. We show how standard owners, in attempting to standardize the audit process, generate tensions within certification practices in a unique example of ritualism around audit. In examining standards to understand power in contemporary food governance, it is shown that retailers are drawn beyond standard-setting into certification and enforcement, that is characterized by a web of institutions and actors whose power to influence outcomes is uneven.

Retailer-driven agricultural restructuring - Australia, the UK and Norway in comparison

In recent decades, the governance of food safety, food quality, on-farm environmental management and animal welfare has been shifting from the realm of 'the government' to that of the private sector. Corporate entities, especially the large supermarkets, have responded to neoliberal forms of governance and the resultant 'hollowed-out' state by instituting private standards for food, backed by processes of certification and policed through systems of third party auditing. Today's food regime is one in which supermarkets impose 'private standards' along the food supply chain to ensure compliance with a range of food safety goals-often above and beyond those prescribed by government. By examining regulatory governance in Australia, Norway and the United Kingdom we highlight emerging trajectories of food governance. We argue that the imposition of the new private forms of monitoring and compliance continue the project of agricultural restructuring that began with government support for structural adjustment schemes in agriculture and that these are most evident in the UK and Australia where neoliberalism is an entrenched philosophy. However, despite Norway's identity as a social democracy, we also identify neoliberal 'creep' into the system of food governance. Small-scale producers in all three nations are finding themselves increasingly subject to governance through private, market-based mechanisms that, to varying degrees, are dominated by major supermarket chains. The result is agricultural restructuring not through the traditional avenues of elected governments, but via non-elected market operatives.

Supermarkets and agro-industrial foods : the strategic manufacturing of consumer trust

There is increasing evidence of a weakened platform of consumer trust in mass produced food products. The resistance shown by consumers to the agro-industrial paradigm is evident in an emergent phase of reflexive consumerism, public reactions to an overly-concentrated retail sector and the rise of alternative food networks such as farmers' markets and organic box schemes. Supermarkets are responding strategically by aiming to manufacture new trust relations with consumers. This paper identifies three key strategies of trust manufacturing: (i) reputational enhancement though the institution of “behind the scenes,” business-to-business private standards; (ii) direct quality claims via private standard certification badges on food products, and ; (iii) discursive claimsmaking through symbolic representations of “authenticity” and “tradition.” Drawing upon the food governance literature and a “visual sociology” of supermarkets and supermarket produce, we highlight how trust is both commoditized and increasingly embedded into the marketing of mass-produced foods.

We have a lot to learn yet : a postcolonial lens in health promotion

Health promotion progresses a social justice and empowerment agenda and thus emphasises working with people to increase their control over their health. Certainly, Australia has experienced much success in this endeavour and is internationally recognised as a leader. However, health promotion has failed Indigenous Australians; a fact that is echoed in the health outcomes that ironically provide us with the “moral imperative” to act. Further investigation has also revealed health promotion’s foundation in colonial imaginings. Thus, this paper calls for the culture of health promotion to be examined as a risk factor for poor Indigenous health. To complement this call, this paper presents findings of an ethnographic study of Indigenous health promotion practice, undertaken from a postcolonial and critical whiteness framework. These findings provide a narrative of strength and innovative approaches, highlighting the value of Indigenous knowledge. These findings also contradict the biomedical tendency to construct culture as illness-producing. More broadly, this study’s findings entail important lessons for health promotion to consider, if it is to move beyond the rhetoric, to truly increase people’s control over their health.

Measurement of energy expenditure of daily tasks among mothers of young children

There is currently some debate about whether the energy expenditure of domestic tasks is sufficient to confer health benefits. The aim of this study was therefore to measure the energy cost of five activities commonly undertaken by mothers of young children. Seven women with at least one child younger than five years of age spent 15 minutes in each of the following activities: sitting quietly, vacuum cleaning, washing windows, walking at moderate pace (approx 5km/hour), walking with a stroller and grocery shopping in a super-market. Each of the six 'trials' was completed on the same day, in random order. A carefully calibrated portable gas analyser was used to measure oxygen uptake during each activity, and data were converted to units of energy expenditure (METS). Vacuum cleaning, washing windows and walking with and without a stroller were found to be 'moderate intensity activities' (3 to 6 METs), but supermarket shopping did not reach this criterion. The MET values for these activities were similar to those reported in the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2000). However, the energy expenditures of walking, both with and without a stroller, were higher than those reported in the Compendium. The findings suggest that some of the tasks associated with domestic caring duties are conducted at an intensity which is sufficient to confer some health benefit. Such benefits will only accrue however if the daily duration of these activities is sufficient to meet current guidelines.

Dalby Shopping Precinct Survey Report : Consumer Attitudes towards Proposed Extended Trading Hours at Dalby

Data was collected to measure shopper’s attitudes toward the proposed Sunday and limited public holiday trading in Dalby. Survey questionnaires were conducted between 29th August to 31st August at Coles Dalby and Dalby Shoppingtown Plaza. In total, 150 respondents participated in the survey. Overall, the findings suggest that most respondents, especially males, couples with children, fulltime workers and those under the age of 49 years, embrace the proposed Sunday and limited holiday trading in Dalby. While there are concerns over increasing competition for smaller retailers who already trade on Sundays, a majority of respondents indicated it would suit their lifestyle, be convenient, provide more jobs, increase trade for smaller retailers within the area, reduce queues and congestion observed on Saturdays. The majority of those shoppers that indicated they currently did some shopping on a Sunday reported they would continue to support smaller retailers who currently trade on Sundays and some public holidays, if changes came about. Those opposed to changes to trading hours indicated a belief that existing trading hours were sufficient. Most people indicated the proposed extension of trading hours would not harm the community or have a negative, detrimental effect on themselves or their family. The main findings presented in the report are as follows: - 96.8% of respondents surveyed reported to be local, permanent residents of Dalby. - Residents of Dalby visited shopping centres and stores on average 2.8 times per week. This frequency is proportionately higher than the average Australian shopping behaviour at 2.5 times per week (Roy Morgan Supermarket Monitor). - It was determined that weekday evenings (after 5 pm) were the busiest times for shopping, with Saturday the next most popular day to shop. - 68% of respondents support the proposal of the extended trading hours at supermarkets, department stores and the shopping centre in Dalby, 26% oppose and 6% are unsure. - 90% of the respondents agreed that residents of Dalby should be allowed the same choice as other regional towns and cities in supporting/opposing changes to trading hours. The remaining 10% expressed a disagreement. - A larger percentage of males supported the proposal for Sunday and limited holiday trading. Of all the males surveyed, 80% were in support, 15% were opposed and 5% unsure. 60% of female respondents support the proposal, while 33% oppose it and 5% were unsure. - The highest percentage of support exists in fulltime workers with 90% of those respondents supporting the proposal. - In contrast, the lowest percentage of support was found in the non-working (retired/unemployed) respondents, where 67% opposed the application. - It was noted that 71% of respondents employed casually also indicated opposition against proposed changes. Further questioning identified an underlying concern from casually employed persons that Sunday trade would force them onto Sunday work rosters. - 92% of shared households expressed support for Sunday and limited public holiday trading, while 83% of both couples with children and single parent with children at home also supported the application. - 72% of the respondents often find it necessary to do some grocery shopping in Dalby on a Sunday. 76% of shoppers who indicated they already undertook some shopping on Sunday, indicated would continue to shop and support smaller retailers. - Of the respondents surveyed, 44% have travelled outside of Dalby on a Sunday to shop. This indicates that such residents find it necessary to undertake some shopping on a Sunday and in order to do so, drive an hour to Toowoomba in order to access a range of retailers. - The most cited reasons for supporting Sunday and limited public holiday trade were; ‘More choice about when I shop and that is convenient’ (69%), ‘Sunday trade will create job opportunities’ (71%), ‘Sunday trade will be helpful when preparing school lunches and getting ready for the working week’ (62%), and ‘Sunday trade will reduce shopping congestion during peak shopping periods’ (62%) - The most cited reasons for opposing the proposed changes are that ‘Sunday trade may increase competition for small retailers who already trade on Sunday’ (41%), ‘Shops are already open 6 days a week which is enough’ (31%), and ‘Sunday is a day of rest or a religious day and shopping should not be allowed’ (23%). - 97% of respondents indicated they would not change their sporting or social commitment if changes to trading hours were implemented.

Mt Isa Shopping Precinct Survey Report : Consumer Attitudes towards Proposed Extended Trading Hours at Mt Isa

Data was collected to measure shopper’s attitudes toward the proposed Sunday and limited public holiday trading in Mt Isa. Survey questionnaires were conducted between 15th August to 17th August at Kmart Plaza, Woolworths, Miles St. and Mt Isa Plaza. In total, 300 respondents participated in the survey. Overall, the findings suggest that most respondents, especially males, couples with children and fulltime workers, embrace the proposed Sunday and limited holiday trading in Mt Isa. While there are concerns over increasing competition for smaller retailers who already trade on Sundays, a majority of respondents indicated it would suit their lifestyle, be convenient, provide more jobs, increase trade for smaller retailers within the area, reduce queues and congestion, and offer a less expensive grocery shopping. The majority of those shoppers that indicated they currently did some shopping on a Sunday reported they would continue to support smaller retailers who currently trade on Sundays and some public holidays, if changes came about. Those opposed to changes to trading hours also indicated a belief that existing trading hours were sufficient. Most people indicated the proposed extension of trading hours would not harm the community or have a negative, detrimental effect on themselves or their family. The main findings presented in the report are as follows: - 96% of respondents surveyed reported to be local, permanent residents of Mt Isa. - Residents of Mt Isa visited shopping centres and stores on average 2.4 times per week. This mirrors the average Australian shopping behaviour at 2.5 times per week (Roy Morgan Supermarket Monitor) - It was determined that Saturday was the busiest day for shopping with a majority of respondents indicating they visited stores on that day of the week. - 71% of respondents support the proposal of extended trading hours at shopping centres in Mt Isa, 25% oppose and 4% are unsure. - 87% of the respondents agreed that residents of Mt Isa should be allowed the same choice as other regional towns and cities in supporting/opposing changes to trading hours. The remaining 13% expressed a disagreement. - A larger percentage of males supported the proposal for Sunday and limited holiday trading. Of all the males surveyed, 81% were in support, 17% were opposed and 2% unsure. By contrast, 64% of female respondents support the proposal, while 31% oppose it and 5% are unsure. - The highest percentage of support exists in fulltime workers with 85% of those respondents supporting the proposal. In contrast, the lowest percentage of support was found in the non-working respondents, where 62% opposed the application. - 78% of couples living with children at home expressed support for Sunday and limited public holiday trading, while 60% of couples without children also supported the application. - Of the respondents surveyed, virtually none (less than 1%) have travelled outside of Mt Isa on a Sunday to shop. This indicates that due to the remote and isolated location of this town, residents do not have the option to travel reasonable distances in order to access a range of retailers. - 70% of the respondents often find it necessary to do some grocery shopping in Mt Isa on a Sunday. - Convenience is cited as the major reason for support (79%) followed by lifestyle (75%). - The most cited reasons for supporting ‘it would be convenient’ (81%), ‘It may create more jobs’ (77%), ‘It may reduce congestion during busy shopping periods’ (74%, and ‘It would make it easier for working families with kids’ (74%). - The most cited reasons for opposing the proposed changes are that ‘It will disadvantage smaller businesses’ (44%), ‘It is unnecessary’ (29%). - 72% of shoppers who indicated they already undertook some shopping on Sunday, indicated would continue to shop and support smaller retailers. - 98% of respondents indicated they would not change their sporting or social commitment if changes to trading hours were implemented.

An investigation of early career teachers’ perceptions of professional development opportunities and career advancement for teachers in rural and remote Queensland

It is generally accepted that to live and work in the remote regions of Australia requires specific skills and expertise to accommodate the shifting demands of outback life. For professionals assigned to such areas by employing bodies, this is particularly the case, and teachers are no exception. In addition to such personal attributes, professionals such as teachers must maintain currency in their professional practice both to serve their students appropriately and to ensure that they become eligible for future promotions and transfers possibilities. This study investigated whether teachers in rural and remote regions are disadvantaged in ways that could potentially affect their teaching careers in negative ways, in particular in terms of professional development and career advancement opportunities. Such opportunities are crucial if teachers are to provide an education of high relevance to rural and remote children who are already considered to be significantly disadvantaged in terms of educational provision. The data are presented in the form of a single teacher narrative, a composite tale aimed at telling the story of rural and remote teachers, professional development provision and career advancement opportunities. It was apparent that teachers in these contexts face serious challenges in terms of their professional and career development.

The Black Label: trade mark dilution, culture jamming, and the no logo movement

This article considers the ongoing debate over the appropriation of well-known and famous trade marks by the No Logo Movement for the purposes of political and social critique. It focuses upon one sensational piece of litigation in South Africa, Laugh It Off Promotions v. South African Breweries International (Finance) B.V. t/a Sabmark International. In this case, a group called Laugh It Off Promotions subjected the trade marks of the manufacturers of Carling Beer were subjected to parody, social satire, and culture jamming. The beer slogan “Black Label” was turned into a T-Shirt entitled “Black Labour/ White Guilt”. In the ensuing litigation, the High Court of South Africa and the Supreme Court of Appeal were of the opinion that the appropriation of the mark was a case of hate speech. However, the Constitutional Court of South Africa disagreed, finding that the parodies of a well-known, famous trade mark did not constitute trade mark dilution. Moseneke J observed that there was a lack of evidence of economic or material harm; and Sachs J held that there is a need to provide latitude for parody, laughter, and freedom of expression. The decision of the Constitutional Court of South Africa provides some important insights into the nature of trade mark dilution, the role of parody and satire, and the relevance of constitutional protections of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Arguably, the ruling will be of help in the reformation of trade mark dilution law in other jurisdictions – such as the United States. The decision in Laugh It Off Promotions v. South African Breweries International demonstrates that trade mark law should not be immune from careful constitutional scrutiny.

The case for the plain packaging of tobacco products

AIMS: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) requires nations that have ratified the convention to ban all tobacco advertising and promotion. In the face of these restrictions, tobacco packaging has become the key promotional vehicle for the tobacco industry to interest smokers and potential smokers in tobacco products. This paper reviews available research into the probable impact of mandatory plain packaging and internal tobacco industry statements about the importance of packs as promotional vehicles. It critiques legal objections raised by the industry about plain packaging violating laws and international trade agreements. METHODS: Searches for available evidence were conducted within the internal tobacco industry documents through the online document archives; tobacco industry trade publications; research literature through the Medline and Business Source Premier databases; and grey literature including government documents, research reports and non-governmental organization papers via the Google internet search engine. RESULTS: Plain packaging of all tobacco products would remove a key remaining means for the industry to promote its products to billions of the world's smokers and future smokers. Governments have required large surface areas of tobacco packs to be used exclusively for health warnings without legal impediment or need to compensate tobacco companies. CONCLUSIONS: Requiring plain packaging is consistent with the intention to ban all tobacco promotions. There is no impediment in the FCTC to interpreting tobacco advertising and promotion to include tobacco packs.

“We don’t tell people what to do”: Ethical practice and Indigenous health promotion

Health promotion aspires to work in empowering, participatory ways, with the goal of supporting people to increase control over their health. However, buried in this goal is an ethical tension: while increasing people’s autonomy, health promotion also imposes a particular, health promotion-sanctioned version of what is good. This tension positions practitioners precariously, where the ethos of empowerment risks increasing health promotion’s paternalistic control over people, rather than people’s control over their own health. Here in we argue that this ethical tension is amplified in Indigenous Australia, where colonial processes of control over Indigenous lands, lives and cultures are indistinguishable from contemporary health promotion ‘interventions’. Moreover, the potential stigmatisation produced in any paternalistic acts ‘done for their own good’ cannot be assumed to have evaporated within the self-proclaimed ‘empowering’ narratives of health promotion. This issue’s guest editor’s call for health promotion to engage ‘with politics and with philosophical ideas about the state and the citizen’ is particularly relevant in an Indigenous Australian context. Indigenous Australians continue to experience health promotion as a moral project of control through intervention, which contradicts health promotion’s central goal of empowerment. Therefore, Indigenous health promotion is an invaluable site for discussion and analysis of health promotion’s broader ethical tensions. Given the persistent and alarming Indigenous health inequalities, this paper calls for systematic ethical reflection in order to redress health promotion’s general failure to reduce health inequalities experienced by Indigenous Australians.

Sweetpotato consumer research: insights to increasing consumption

This report provides an evaluation of the behaviours and purchasing drivers of key sweetpotato consumers defined by Nielsen consumer research as Established Couples (two or more adults with no children 17 and under, and head of house 35-59), Senior Couples (two or more adults with no children 17 or under, and head of house 60 or over), and Independent Singles (one person household 35 or over, no children 17 or under). Research was qualitative in nature. Methods used included focus groups, depth interviews and shop-a-longs. The report found that preferences for sweetpotato amongst these groups were varied. In general a smaller torpedo shaped vegetable was valued for ease of preparation and the convenience of being of sufficient size for a meal for two. Satisfaction with sweetpotato was high with negative comments on quality exceedingly rare within discussions. However, shop-a-longs revealed that some quality issues were apparent at retail such as withered product, pitting and occasionally damage. A display with stock resting in any amount of water was a barrier to purchase for consumers and this was apparent on two out 15 occasions. A high quality sweetpotato was of a deep orange/red colour, had a smooth skin and was extremely dense and hard. An inferior sweetpotato was wrinkly, spongy, pitted and damaged. Awareness of sweetpotato was a relatively recent phenomenon amongst the respondents of this study with most recalling eating the vegetable in the last five to 10 years. Life-time eating patterns emerged as a consequence of childhood food experiences such as growing up with a ‘meat and three’ veg philosophy and traditional Australian meals. However, this was dependent on cultural background and those with ties to diverse cultures were more likely to have always known of the vegetable. Sweetpotato trial and consumption coincided with a breaking away from these traditional patterns, or was integrated into conventional meals such as a baked vegetable to accompany roasts. Increased health consciousness also led to awareness of the vegetable. A primary catalyst for consumption within the Established and Senior Couples groups was the health benefits associated with sweetpotato. Consumers had very little knowledge of the specific health properties of the vegetable and were surprised at the number of benefits consumption provided. Sweetpotato was important for diabetics for its low Glycemic Index status. Top-of-the-mind awareness of the vegetable resulted from the onset of the disease. Increasing fibre was a key motive for this demographic and this provided a significant link between consumption and preventing bowel cancer. For those on a weight loss regime, sweetpotato was perceived as a tasty, satisfying food that was low in carbohydrates. Swapping behaviours where white potato was replaced by sweetpotato was often a response to these health concerns. Other health properties mentioned by participants through the course of the research included the precursor β-carotene and Vitamins A & C. The sweetpotato was appreciated for its hedonic and timesaving qualities. For consumers with a high involvement in food, the vegetable was valued for its versatility in meals. These consumers took pride in cooking and the flavour and texture of sweetpotato lent itself to a variety of meals such as soups, salads, roasts, curries, tagines and so on. Participants who had little time or desire to prepare and cook meals valued sweetpotato because it was an easy way to add colour and variety to the plate and because including an orange vegetable to meals is a shortcut to ensuring vitamin intake. Several recommendations are made to the sweetpotato industry. • Vigorously promote the distinct nutritional and health properties of sweetpotatoes, particularly if they can be favourably compared to other vegetables or foods • Promote the salient properties to specific targets such as diabetics, those that are at risk to bowel cancer, and those embarking on a weight-loss regime. Utilise specialist channels of communication such as diabetic magazines and websites • Promote styles of cooking of sweetpotato that would appeal to traditionalists such as roasts and BBQs • Promote the vegetable as a low maintenance vegetable, easy to store, easy to cook and particularly focusing on it as a simple way to boost the appearance and nutritional value of meals. • Promote the vegetable to high food involvement consumers through exotic recipes and linking it to feelings of accomplishment with cooking • Promote the versatility of the vegetable • Devise promotions that link images and tone of communications with enjoying life to the fullest, having time to enjoy family and grandchildren, and of partaking in social activities • Educate retailers on consumer perceptions of quality and ensuring moisture and mould is not present at displays Qualitative information while providing a wealth of detail cannot be extrapolated to the overall target population and this may be considered a limitation to the research. However, within research theory, effective quantitative design is believed to stem from the insights developed from qualitative studies. • Develop and implement a quantitative study on sweetpotato attitudes and behaviours based on the results of this study.

Food-borne pathogens - a key issue for all food animal industries

The modern consumer has an attitude that food safety is non-negotiable issue – the consumer simply demands food to be safe. Yet, at the same time, the modern consumer has an expectation that the food safety is the responsibility of others – the primary producer, the processing company, the supermarket, commercial food handlers and so on. Given this environment, all food animal industries have little choice but to regard food safety as a key issue. As an example, the chicken meat industry, via the two main industry funding bodies – the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (Chicken Meat) and the Poultry CRC – has a comprehensive research program that seeks to focus on reducing the risks of food-borne diseases at all points of the food processing chain – from the farm to the processing plant. The scale of the issue for all industries can be illustrated by an analysis of the problem of campylobacterosis – a major food-borne disease. It has been estimated that there are around 230,000 cases of campylobacterosis per year. In 1995, it was estimated that each case of food-borne campylobacterosis in the USA was costing between $(US) 350-580. Hence, a reasonable conservative estimate is that each Australian case in 2010 would result in a cost of around $500 (this includes hospital, medication and lost productivity costs). Hence, this single food-borne agent could be costing Australian society around $115 million annually. In the light of these types of estimated costs for just one food-borne pathogen, it is easy to understand the importance that all food animal industries place on food safety.

Regulating supply chains to protect road transport workers: An early assessment of the road safety remuneration tribunal

The Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012 (Cth) (the Act) explicitly enables the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal to make orders that can impose binding requirements on all the participants in the road transport supply chain, including consignors and consignees at the apex the chain, for the pay and safety of both employee and independent contractor drivers. The tribunal is also specifically empowered to make enforceable orders to reduce or remove remuneration related incentives and pressures that contribute to unsafe work practices in the road transport industry. Recently the tribunal handed down its first order. The article considers whether, and the degree to which, the tribunal has been willing to exercise its explicit power to impose enforceable obligations on consignors and consignees — such as large supermarket chains — at the apex of road transport supply chains. It examines the substance and extent of the obligations imposed by the tribunal, including whether the tribunal has exercised the full range of powers vested in it by the Act. We contend that the tribunal’s first order primarily imposes obligations on direct work providers and drivers without making large, powerful consignors and consignees substantively responsible for driver pay and safety. We argue that the tribunal’s first order could have more comprehensively fulfilled the objectives of the Act by more directly addressing the root causes of low pay and poor safety in the road transport industry.