Paper short abstract:

This paper concerns the discourse and practice around ethical foods by examining the debates of the establishment of an organic grocery-chain store in Detroit. It reflects on the meanings of ethical foods within the context of anxiety over quality food supply in a post-industrial city.

Paper long abstract:

In the fall of 2011, a national-chain supermarket WF famous for its high-quality and organic foods broke ground in a Detroit neighborhood to establish its first store in this post-industrial city known for its urban decay and class politics. In the past decade, Detroit has increasingly been described as a 'food desert' with no national-chain grocery stores within the city limit. Its citizens have long been relying on the small neighborhood stores for their daily groceries with few choices and uncompetitive prices. More recently, the growing concern and anxiety of poor-quality food supply, public health discourse, and the city's revitalization initiatives have given rise to a vibrant local food movement through the city's farmers' market. While access to fresh produce has improved thanks to these initiatives, Detroit citizens still consider themselves deprived of good quality food products for their daily consumption. The arrival of the national grocery chain store known not only for its high-quality foods but also for its higher price tags, therefore, has sparked lively debates and controversy around whether this supermarket can address the food anxiety of Detroit citizens, the majority of whom consider themselves lower (middle) class. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the discourse and practice around the idea of "ethical foods" which is a dominant ideology of this particular supermarket chain. Whose ethics is at stake here? Where do class politics and ethical concerns intersect? The paper reflects on how the establishment of this supermarket can meet the food needs and expectations of Detroit citizens who perceive themselves as living through a constant state of uncertainty.