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Voices of Organic Consumption: Understanding Organic Consumption as Political Action

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Voice and Environmental Communication
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Abstract

The organic food industry has grown more than 20% per year since 1990 (Allen & Kovach, 2000) to account for 3.5% of all food products sold in the country (Organic purchases on the rise, 2009). As an article in the online environmental magazine Grist opens: “Organic has hit the big time” (Nijhuis, 2003). Growing in market share, organic consumption is economically significant, and, increasingly, part of a lifestyle movement in the United States. In recounting the traditional reasons why consumers purchase organic products (specific health concerns, better tasting, better for the environment) a Better Nutrition article adds one to the list: “organic are hip” (McIver, 2004, p. 58).

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© 2014 Leah Sprain

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Sprain, L. (2014). Voices of Organic Consumption: Understanding Organic Consumption as Political Action. In: Peeples, J., Depoe, S. (eds) Voice and Environmental Communication. Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137433749_7

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