Cultures in opposition the battle between corporate organics and the organic movement /

by Oberlander, Kristin M..

CULTURES IN OPPOSITION: THE BATTLE BETWEEN CORPORATE ORGANICS AND THE ORGANIC MOVEMENT By Kristin M. Oberlander In the past ten years, organics have been re-framed as an industry that caters to the middle and upper class strata of society because the products cost more than agricultural farming products. Marketers build a dynamic wherein the mere purchase of organic food is akin to social activism. However, the term organic lacks a unified definition. This thesis examines how the mass marketing of organic products capitalizes on ideals of the organic movement to create a need that the purchase of organic foods “promises” to satisfy. It also examines popular tactics of persuasion used by marketing and advertising companies for organic foods, such as consumer activism generated from the origins of the Organic Movement in the United States. The organic industry must maintain the ability to produce enough food to meet the demand of consumers, while still following the tenets of the Organic Movement.