Beyond consuming ethically? Food citizens, governance, and sustainability

To improve the sustainability of food and agriculture, analyses are increasingly calling for forms of engagement by consumers that go beyond "voting with their dollars,” and for people to be food citizens. While the notion of food citizenship suggests innovative ways that consumers can contribute to sustainable transitions, there is a dearth of research on what it means for a person to act as a food citizen and the kinds of governance processes that enable food citizenship. Using a case study of a consumer cooperative, Seikatsu Club Consumer Cooperative, in Japan, this paper examines how consumers and producers act as food citizens, and the ways that governance processes affect food citizenship. Three sets of analyses are presented. First, the aspects of Seikatsu Club’s governance system that promote and facilitate food citizenship are analyzed. Second, what it means to be food citizens and the kinds of activities consumers and producers partake in as food citizens are examined. Third, the ways that food citizenship impacts consumer-producer relations and sustainability are discussed. Specifically, the analysis of Seikatsu Club Consumer Cooperative indicates that food citizenship can facilitate mutual understanding and partnership between consumers and producers, and a sense of ownership by them over the food system and sustainability. In concluding, the implications of the findings on Seikatsu Club Consumer Cooperative for governance, food citizenship, and sustainability more generally are discussed. •Examines what it means for consumers and producers to be food citizens and the activities associated with food citizenship.•Analyzes the ways that governance systems affect the ability of consumers and producers to be food citizens.•Consumers and producers acting as food citizens can overcome the disconnect between the two groups.•Food citizenship can be a means to advance sustainability.