Skip to main content

Responsible Innovation in the Food Sector

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics

Synonyms

Corporate responsibility; Ethical evaluation; Food industry; Innovation and risk; Stakeholders

Introduction

Corporations carry the responsibility of ensuring their own profitability, the key to their survival. Yet they have widespread impacts on people that share the social space with them, people who are in turn instrumental to their profitability. The food sector, perhaps more than any other, brings into sharp focus the contradictions inherent in this setup. Food is a basic human need, critical for sustenance, health, and well-being. Innovation is at the heart of increasing yields, lowering production costs, and optimizing profit margins. Yet what if they come at the cost of lowered quality or safety of the food thus produced? Such dangers have led to increased awareness and a keener knowledge of food and nutrition issues among consumers, which in turn has put public pressure for greater transparency and accountability from the food sector.

Lawmakers have recognized the need...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnas, Y. A. (2006). The effects of television food advertisement on children’s food purchasing requests. Pediatrics International, 48(2), 138–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, U., Giddens, A., & Lash, S. (Eds.). (1994).Reflexive modernization: politics, tradition and aesthetics in the modern social order. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, C. & Rayner, M. (2013). The innovator’s solution: creating and sustaining successful growth. Harvard Business Review (2nd edn).

    Google Scholar 

  • Foray, D., Moweryb, D. C., & Nelson, R. R. (2012). Public R&D and social challenges: What lessons from mission R&D programs? Research Policy, 41, 1697–1702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funtowicz, S., & Ravetz, J. R. (1993). Three types of risk assessment and the emergence of post-normal science. In S. Krimsky & D. Golding (Eds.), Social theories of risk (pp. 251–274). London: Preager.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glanz, K., Basil, M., Maibach, E., Goldberg, J., & Snyder, D. (1998). Why Americans eat what they do: Taste, nutrition, cost, convenience, and weight control as influences on food consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 98(10), 118–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellstrom, T. (2003). Systemic innovation and risk: Technology assessment and the challenge of responsible innovation. Technology in Society, 25, 369–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houdy, P., Lahmani, M., & Marano, F. (Eds.). (2011). Nanoethics and nanotoxicology. Heidelberg: European Materials Research Society: Springer

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarlenski, M., & Barry, C. L. (2013). News media coverage of trans fat: Health risks and policy responses. Health Communication, 28(3), 209–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korthals, M. (2011). Co-evolution of nutrigenomics and society: Ethical considerations. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94(6), 2025S–2029S.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lash, S. (1994). Reflexivity and its doubles: Structure, aesthetics and community. In U. Beck, A. Giddens, & S. Lash (Eds.), Reflexive modernization: Politics, tradition and aesthetics in the modern social order (pp. 110–118). Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, A. D. (2006). The innovation high ground – Winning tomorrow’s customers using sustainability-driven innovation. Strategic Direction, 22(1), 35–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacGregor, S. P., Spinach, X., & Fontrodona, J. (2007). Social innovation: Using design to generate business value through corporate social responsibility. Spain: IESE, Business School, University of Girona.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahlouji, H., & Anaraki, N. K. (2009). Corporate social responsibility towards social responsibility innovation: A dynamic capability approach. International Review of Business Research Papers, 5(6), 185–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • McEntire, D. A. (2001). Triggering agents, vulnerabilities and disaster reduction: Towards a holistic paradigm. Disaster Prevention and Management, 10(3), 189–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Midttun, A. (2006). CSR and innovation, compatibility or contradiction? Towards a dynamic reinterpretation of CSR. The Norwegian School of Management, CSP paper 3. Milano: The Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavie, X., & Egal, J. (2010). Christensen’s innovation model and responsibility: The issue of integrating responsibility in a disruptive innovation model. Projectics, 6, 69–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, J. C. (2010). ADA value: Social responsibility. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 10(10), 1424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. (1992). Environmental hazards: Assessing risk and reducing disaster. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timmermans, J., Zhao, Y., & Van den Hoven, J. (2011). Ethics and nanopharmacy: Value sensitive design of new drugs. NanoEthics, 5, 269–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hoven, M. J., & Weckert, J. (2008). Information technology and moral philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beatrice Godard .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Godard, B., Aruldhas, J. (2013). Responsible Innovation in the Food Sector. In: Thompson, P., Kaplan, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_174-3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_174-3

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6167-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

Publish with us

Policies and ethics