project

Start date: 1997

Date of completion: 2000

Environment and Consumption

This exploratory work is framed within the scope of the Panel projects of the OBSERVA Program, and as such, privileges the qualitative methods of data collection. In this sense, both the methods and the techniques reflect an intention to deepen certain themes that were extensively raised in the 1997 Survey. Concerning the topic under study, the questions about food and, in particular, the consumption of “alternative” products were briefly enunciated

However, it has become imperative to “structured” and regulated within the Portuguese food market to understand the demand for products on the market (price, accessibility, variety, etc.). In this way, we had to carry out the collection of documentation and conduct exploratory interviews with agents and observers well informed about the structure of this type of offer.

As for the collection of documentation, the following steps were taken:

1) Survey of legislation regulating the production, marketing, certification and control of the various types of “alternative” products. To this end, the Directorate General for Rual Development, the Consumer Institute, Deco,
Observatory of Commerce of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of the Environment, were the privileged entities to obtain this data.

2) Collection and collection of news information during the period during which this project (1998-1999) was carried out by the media on recent issues and controversies concerning food, organic products, genetically modified organisms, traditional products quality, protection products and integrated production, consumption habits of the Portuguese and the indebtedness of the families, the “cows
crazy, “among other subjects that are documented and organized in a small press file. This dossier served only as an informative complement to the documentation collection phase

3) International contacts and participation in events. Some international contacts have been established with researchers who have been working in this area in recent years. They consulted articles and books of such authors as Gert Spaargaren, Bas van Vliet, Elizabeth Shove, Anna-Lisa Linden, Asa Thelander, Christer Sanne, Bente Halkier and Alan Warde. Regarding participation in events such as fairs, congresses or summer schools (summer
schools) we highlight the Environment and Quality of Life (December 1998 and October of this year) Biological Agriculture Fair, which has been organized by the National Association of Organic Agriculture – Agrobio since 1988. Here were represented many promoters of traditional products quality and biological, providing privileged contacts
with those agents and the appointment of interviews. Another event was the exhibition Mundo Rural, which took place from July 3 to 11 at Fil de Lisboa. Participation as a speaker at the 6th National Conference on Environment Quality, which took place from 20 to 22 October 1999 in Lisbon and where the opportunity was taken to establish contacts with researchers studying issues related to genetically engineered products
modified (GMOs). She also participated as speaker at the Conference on Environmental Marketing, organized by MGI, which took place from 15 to 16 December this year, where some preliminary results of this project were presented and, finally, the participation in a Summer School subordinated to sustainable consumption and daily life (Consumption, Everyday Life and Sustainability), held between 21 and 26 August. One of the sessions of the Summer School on the subject of rhythms of life and changes in food consumption with less harmful impacts on the environment was taught by Prof. Alan Warde who has devoted much of his work to the deepening of food research in England. All these events were quite profitable for the collection of relevant data the project. Although
already outside the formal term of this project, the participation in the Congress of Vienna on Economy, Ecology and Sustainability, to be held from May 4 to 6, 2000, where the opportunity to disseminate the results of this research will be highlighted, thus giving continuity to the investigation and deepening of an area still little worked in our country.

4) Conducting exploratory interviews with agents and observers privileged in this field from official entities, through specialists and researchers to certifiers of “alternative” products (with emphasis on biologicals) that the next point will account for.

Associated Publications:

Consumos Verdes: Alimentação e Risco

Consumo e ambiente: consumos verdes, alimentação e risco