Paper short abstract:

Governments regulate ingredients and processes in food production for safe and defined foods. The rise of wild fermentations have challenged the definitions of purity and microbiological safety. This paper is an exploration of the small producers reviving the tradition of wild fermentation.

Paper long abstract:

One of the most ancient forms of food preservation, much is known about the cultural practice of fermentation. Little focus is directed towards the distinction between the 'wild' and commercially fermented foods and beverages. The industrialisation of food production has ensured that products of wild ferments are less prevalent in our diets. Fermented foods such as bread and sauerkraut are now made from single-strain yeast and bacteria monocultures. There is limited evidence that the flavors and health benefits of fermented foods produced from monocultures rival those produced from 'wild' ferments, favoring a revival of traditional fermentation methods. Wild ferments still carry a negative stigma attached to the resident microbes. Government regulation plays a significant role in consumer acceptance of wild ferments, perpetuating the belief that if a product is not completely sterile, we should not eat it. In the post-Pasteurian world where food substrates are sterilized in factories before single, defined cultures of microbes are added to food, the virtue of 'wild' fermentations are attractive. To the small-scale fermenters, foods and beverages produced from wild ferments taste better and are vital to human health. This paper investigates the social practice of fermentation by small-scale food manufacturers, focusing on the cultural understanding of wild ferments in the food system. This paper will explore the work of these artisans, and their motivations for reviving food and beverage production through 'wild' fermentation, as well as the limitations and restrictions imposed by government regulations.