Can the History of Turning Staples into Icons be the Saviour of our Food Future?
Hilary will be available for a ZOOM Q&A on Saturday 17th July at 2.30pm. We'll be posting a schedule of all the Symposium Saturday Zoom Times separately.
This video includes a minute of mindfulness as an exercise to begin .
Click, close your eyes, check your posture, and breathe, until you hear Hilary begin. Your are welcome.
Apologies, for the late addition, references are included here:
Abstract
Eighty years separated the relaunch of an iconic brand and the strapline on its 1996 annual report:
Quick, Name a Soft Drink.
Coca Cola already knew the result. By 1949, only 1% of Americans couldn’t identify the shape of a Coke bottle. The original brief had been simple:
Develop a bottle so distinct that you would recognize if by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground.
Thus the “Mae West” shape was born.
Arguably the British Empire’s quest for food began the modern age, and with the 20th century, the United States would shape what it would look like, literally and figuratively as it turns out with Coke. The spread of the British Empire and the rise of the United States created a platform for consumerism and food was at its core. All you needed was to win hearts and minds. In the days of empire, tinned and packaged comestibles were seen as prestigious abroad. Crosse & Blackwell soups and Huntley & Palmers biscuits helped colonial officers press further into inaccessible regions — and when they arrived, they used them as a display of culinary prestige.
How something looked communicated a variety of needs states not just physiological but also of safety, belongingness and esteem. Food could be all things to all people.
But this success came with a price that we live with today. This paper will ask can the power of aesthetics work their magic again to influence perception and change, to ensure our food future?
Hilary's career focus has been in food retailing, food manufacturing, hotels and restaurants. She currently works as a food consultant and teaches a course on food ethics. Hilary graduated in the Hautes Etudes du Gout programme run in France, and holds a Le Cordon Bleu Master of Gastronomic Tourism. This and work experience in the UK, USA, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia for major retailers, food suppliers and hotel chains have focused her interest on the tensions between consumerism, food ethics and sustainability. Hilary has spoken at the Oxford Food Symposium, the Australian Food Symposium and at Food and Words. Hilary likes to write the stories of food and their impact on us all while never forgetting the sheer pleasure food can bring to us all. She thinks M.F.K. Fisher said it best:
"First we eat, and then we do everything else."
Hilary, thanks for this. Can you believe but I had not really thought about the potential for life-long changes in consumer behaviour, rather just thinking of trends? For example that seeds at my local hardware store disappeared - 'Who do these people think they are, planting pumpkins in cold central Victoria in JUNE?! Pshaw.' But you point to a bigger question that education people have been asking, and loudly: How much does the length of this isolation affect the depth to which it disrupts and changes systems? One month shut down, six months shutdown? All agree the longer the greater impact. Some people in relatively unaffected parts of Australia talk about COVID as a past thing. Yeah, no. Which means you are right: the prospect of change and of a longer term shift in consumer behaviour is definitely on the cards.
Excellent paper, thank you, Hilary. As someone who lives in rural Australia, and quite a distance from major supermarkets, I watched in awe as our city cousins stripped shelves bare to prepare for life at home. Does the city pantry no longer exist? A 'typical' shop for country folk is usually based around the need to top up bulk supplies of toilet roll, rice or flour - items often kept in volume simply because we don't have the luxury of popping in to Woolies on the way home from work to buy a 4 pack of loo paper as per the daily limit. You've certainly sparked a lively conversation in this (farm)house.
This talk should make for a special Zoom.Peanut butter sales have spiked during COVID. Its been a combination of comfort, protein, affordability, and no packing lunches for school! Not sure if I agree that the British Empire succeeded in creating as much food as possible by as few people as possible, considering what happened in the late colonial period, especially in India and Africa, but I understand the bigger point. Agriculture is risky business, including for those without land who depend on others to produce food.
Excellent, so many interesting issues raised in this presentation, I'm looking forward to the discussion.
I am so glad you decided to open the conversation about the changed behaviour due to Covid. Cannot wait to hear more opinions and the discussion on Zoom. Thanks!
A timely paper the concerns of which I think we will be discussing over the next years, hopefully questioning returning to practices of the past that COVID has shown to be not sustainable and maladaptive.
Thanks Hilary. I'm glad you covered all the issues surrounding food. I'm particularly concerned about food waste, packaging/landfill, water supply in Australia. Countries like Australia and NZ should never have to import food. Another issue related to this is the demise of basic family cooking skills.
It is really interesting to watch the subtle shifts, especially regarding (as you said) the 'pantry' and what 'food from home' looks like. The sourdough explosion! The equal desire to embrace the gut benefits of fermented foods vs. the innate suspicion of microbial contamination potential. What is 'fresh' vs what is 'safe'. With so many threads, I'm sure this will be a lively discussion indeed!
References are included in the pdf under the video. Great paper Hilary.
Hi Hilary, the presentation was particularly apt in regard to the impact of Covid on the issues of consumerism and sustainability.