Understanding Cultural Acceptability for Urban Food Policy

Abstract

The notion of cultural acceptability is often called forth as a necessary component of food security, yet there is a lack of guidance in literature and policy as to how to operationalize this concept. Without specifying what cultural acceptability means, the concept risks becoming watered down, discounted, or obsolete in practice. This review strives to speak to those gaps by cataloging the connotations and implications of cultural acceptability in literature on urban food policy, food security, and associated topics. We explore the ways in which cultural acceptability has been invoked explicitly and implicitly in policy, planning, and scholarly literatures on food security in recent years in order to better understand what cultural acceptability has come to mean, how it is being utilized, and how it can be operationalized toward more flexible and appropriate urban food policy. We discuss ways in which cultural acceptability encapsulates more than certain types of food and literature that might provide dimension to the meaning and operationalization of cultural acceptability of food. Drawing on scholars that are breaking open understandings of cultural acceptability, we call attention to its complexity with reference to human rights-based approaches, cultural values evident in production and consumption processes, the importance of interweaving multiple knowledges, and challenging decision-making powers in today's corporate food regime. Cultural valuations within these broad and fluid topics can provide important improvements to policy approaches to the cultural acceptability of food and are important for creating food security policy that is effective for meeting the needs of diverse populations.

Feeding the melting pot: inclusive strategies for the multi-ethnic city

“…Both are examples of shifts toward cultural homogenization, but they are not necessarily similarly in-or exclusive. This also underlines the need to understand the cultural acceptability of food as a dynamic process rather than as static, as previously argued by Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy (2015).…”

“…Although we are aware that inclusiveness is a broad concept which is determined by multiple social, economic and cultural factors, in this paper, we understand inclusiveness primarily in relation to the latter aspect of culture, i.e. as being culturally appropriate or acceptable (Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy 2015) or respectful of cultural tastes and preferences (Sustainable Development Goals 2015). We treat inclusiveness as an emerging and dynamic concept and study it inductively, identifying different dynamics of inclusiveness over time and space.…”

“…This focus fits well with some elements of migrant food practices, who are routinized in buying such food. Consuming-and to some extent also growing-local, seasonal and fresh food is thus essentially part of their cultural identity, and this cultural knowledge should be appreciated (Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy 2015). Instead of losing these cultural habits upon migration, these routines should be facilitated and encouraged-although perhaps not explicitly in the name of sustainability, as this framing did not resonate.…”

“…Additionally, migrants and their home-country food practices may culturally clash with the host culture's definition of what constitutes healthy and sustainable food (Guthman 2008;Johnston et al 2011;Rice 2015). Moreover, it is crucial to understand cultural acceptability itself as a process rather than as a static goal (Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy 2015). As Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy (2015) argue, the focus of current urban policy is often just on availability of culturally appropriate food, whereas food is much more than just a 'nutrient vessel': it comes with important cultural values and identity.…”

“…Moreover, it is crucial to understand cultural acceptability itself as a process rather than as a static goal (Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy 2015). As Hammelman and Hayes-Conroy (2015) argue, the focus of current urban policy is often just on availability of culturally appropriate food, whereas food is much more than just a 'nutrient vessel': it comes with important cultural values and identity. This is particularly relevant in light of increasing calls for more inclusive food system transformations (Bui et al 2019;Dubbeling et al 2017;Raja et al 2017): what exactly does this inclusiveness mean?…”