Authors
Nathan Clay, Alexandra E Sexton, Tara Garnett, Jamie Lorimer
Publication date
2022/11/10
Book
Social Innovation and Sustainability Transition
Pages
11-28
Publisher
Springer Nature Switzerland
Description
Plant-based milk alternatives—or mylks—have surged in popularity over the past ten years. We consider the politics and consumer subjectivities fostered by mylks as part of the broader trend towards ‘plant-based’ food. We demonstrate how mylk companies inherit and strategically deploy positive framings of milk as wholesome and convenient, as well as negative framings of dairy as environmentally damaging and cruel, to position plant-based as the ‘better’ alternative. By navigating this affective landscape, brands attempt to (re)make mylk as simultaneously palatable and disruptive to the status quo. We examine the politics of mylks through the concept of palatable disruption, where people are encouraged to care about the environment, health, and animal welfare enough to adopt mylks but to ultimately remain consumers of a commodity food. By encouraging consumers to reach for “plant-based” as a way to cope …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
N Clay, AE Sexton, T Garnett, J Lorimer - Social Innovation and Sustainability Transition, 2022