By Larkin T.
Upper-middle class American consumers frequently condemn mainstream food production practices with little consideration of the privilege they have amongst the majority of Americans to actively choose how their food is produced, and where they receive their food from. Frequently criticizing factory farming, genetic engineering, and non-organic production, upper-middle class Americans demonstrate how “privilege is invisible to those who have it”[1] when they fail to acknowledge or even consider that many Americans do not have the economic means to pursue alternative food sources that are more expensive.
From a Culture and Personality theoretical perspective, one must consider the various “types” of people created by society through different socialization processes[2] in order to comprehend how these different “types” are frequently unaware of each others limitations and privileges. For example, the majority of Americans who actively strive for healthy lifestyles and specifically buy stereotypical “health” foods are only able to do so based on the privilege they are awarded via their socioeconomic class in the U.S. The contemporary vegan, yogic, health-oriented personality “type” is ever prevalent in the contemporary United States. However, this personality type is only developing from a distinct privileged socioeconomic class. In comparison, someone who is socialized in a working-class environment probably doesn’t have the luxury to go to an expensive yoga class in their free time while making stops at the local organic grocery store. In most impoverished communities yoga would never be considered a plausible activity for communal socialization. Furthermore, impoverished communities are targeted and swelled with the fast food industry, leaving very little room for grocery stores, let alone organic-locally sourced ones.From this perspective, one would assume that the differences in socioeconomic class, a product of the culture and society, led to differences in socialization thus leading to different personality types.
From a Structural Functionalism theoretical perspective, the social structure that holds this phenomena together and keeps it functioning as a holistic process would be emphasized as the cause of these differences in food preference, access to nutritional education, and food access amongst different classes in the U.S. The phenomena observed is not a result of the people itself, but rather the social structure that holds society together collectively[3].For the U.S., the economic system would be seen as the institutional source of inequity amongst the social structure, thus leading to class differentials and lack of access to certain resources that the more privileged members of society have, such as access to Whole Foods and other organic grocers. The social structure of society directly leads to privilege and lack of privilege in relation to food quality in the U.S. Furthermore, the ideological construction of how privileged is gained, from a capitalist perspective, the basis of the economic system in the U.S., would lead to a lack of empathy from a upper-class individual in relation to the deficiency of privilege amongst lower-class peoples.
[1] Michael Kimmel, “On Gender” YouTube Video posted by “ChallengingMedia”
[2]Recitation,TA Kate Fischer, ANTH 2100, Frontiers of Cultural Anthropology, 18 September 2014
[3]A.R Radcliffe-Brown ,“On Social Structure” in The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 70, No. 1 (1940), pp. 1-12
Anthropology 2100 
It is sad that the upper class individuals are the only ones who have access to healthy, organic food restaurants and supermarkets. Unfortunately, the structure of the American food system has linked cheap food with unhealthy food, limiting the accessibility to healthy foods for underprivileged people. As a result of the affordability of fast food, for example, obesity is on the rise in poorer communities. Hopefully, there will be a way for healthy food to become more affordable and accessible for a wider range of communities in the US.
II feel like the only way for people to understand how good they have it is to walk in the shoes of someone less fortunate than them, especially in a case like food or hunger. Sadly, there are too few avenues for people to do this and fewer people actually willing to.
Though i agree with most things stated in the essay, however, i disagree with the idea that just because they are poor and cannot afford “organic” food does not necessarily mean they cannot eat healthy meals which the essay seems to suggest. Just because the food is not organic does not mean it is unhealthy. Cooking using basic produce from your local grocery store can be very affordable and healthy. you only need a basic cooking knowledge to be able to do so. If you have all the supplies you need at your home already you can home cook a meal faster than getting in your car and driving to a fast food restaurant. this being said the time restraint is not a factor which could be a refuting argument if they were to be working 2 jobs or something that would restrict them of doing so
So though i agree with just about everything stated about organic foods being more oriented toward wealthier people this does not dictate whether or not anybody is capable of eating healthy meals.
Chris i agree with you on the fact that to be in a lower class doesn’t mean you cannot eat healthy. I believe this is a result in lack of education of the lower class in how to eat correctly not conveniently. Going out to eat use to be a status symbol and now it is more convenience. With two parents that worked multiple jobs while i was growing up i learned that simple is sometimes the healthiest. Meals were cooked from scratch than from a box. As i grew older i saw more and more emphasis on how fast you can eat it rather than what you were eating. For the lower/middle class where most of the population in America is, this shift was focused at them. Therefore reaching better benefits for the companies and restaurants rather than our own health.
While I do agree with you for the most part about it not being difficult to eat healthy on a low budget, I think it may be possible you are over simplifying things. Many urban areas have what is called a ‘Food Desert’, which essentially means the people living there have no access to actually grocery stores, or any store that sells fresh produce or meats. People who live in these areas would have to travel hours out of their way to go to a grocery store, often having to rely on public transportation. This is why many people have to live on fast foods or junk foods bought from a convenience store, not just because they can’t afford healthier alternatives but also because they simply do not have access to them.
People often like to turn the other cheek when it comes to topics such as this, when some of our own American’s can not enjoy the luxury of eating healthy, organic, or fresh foods. Since being in college and not having the privilege of home cooked meals a majority of the time, I’ve realized I have been put down in the category of the unprivileged “type” where I have to stay on budget and must eat unhealthy or at cheaper restaurants on the hill. After moving from the privileged “type” when living at home with my family, to being a college student trying to save money, I can relate to your argument. However, I also challenge you to look into the ideology or eating “clean” among privileged people our age because I am starting to notice those who have this privilege and are young are defining eating clean as almost not eating at all compared to purchasing fresh organic foods. It would be interesting to look into their perception of this phenomenon.
I can agree with your argument that unfortunately, some of these privileged persons in American society may have more access to locally owned, speciality food grocery stores, and ridiculously over-priced farmer markets. Although I think it is pretty bold to generalize a practice, such as yoga, as being relatively linked with privilege. You don’t necessarily have to support the organic food movement and regularly shop at whole foods to practice yoga, it can be done in your own home…having nothing to do with your privilege status. I can agree with Chris’s statement, that these less privileged persons within the contemporary U.S culture aren’t necessarily restricted from eating healthy because of their socioeconomic status, there are many options out there for healthy eating, that does not have to be organic or local, or weigh heavily on a person’s wallet, but much of it lies in the knowledge of which foods to choose from.
I completely agree with you Camille.
First, it is not about the stores and food establishments, as much as it is about the education of how to eat healthily. Coming from New York City, I learned a lot about this dilemma. I can’t remember where, or when I read this, but there was a study done saying that it’s actually less expensive to feed a family by buying ingredients at a store than it is to feed a family at an establishment such as “McDonalds”. Therefore, it is not about not having access or the ability to eat fresh and healthy good, it is about education.
Second, it is kind of judgmental to generalize and make it sound like upper-middle class people just throw their money at “the organic movement”, “yoga”, “veganism”, etc.. As Camille said, yoga can be done at home without it being something that you “pay loads of money for a class” for. These three things, just mentioned, also happen to be things that not ALL upper-middle class citizens do, and therefore can’t really generally explain the dilemma of lower-class citizens having access to healthy foods.
I really enjoyed reading your discussion of how people in the upperclass can afford to be healthy, while the less fortunate cannot. It makes me angry knowing that genetically modified foods are so easily available when real food is so hard to find. I think an exception would be “hippie” culture though. In general they don’t have a lot of money, but they find ways to eat organic or vegan.
That’s a pretty good point about the hippie culture where it emphasizes modesty and simplicity. Diet is a big social class indicator but a healthy diet can be done cheaply as you stated with the hippie culture. It’s interesting how nutrition and cost are closely related and dependent of each other.
The class differences in relation to the quality and health aspects of food consumed is a very interesting angle, especially when regarding the obesity rates in America’s lower class. Some privileged people make it a priority to have organic and healthy food while many people of the lower classes hold that to little importance. I see how this can be tied to why obesity exists more commonly among the lower class but I wonder if it can at all be tied to the general increase in obesity across America, maybe being linked to the increasing gap between the rich and the poor. I find it also interesting to look at this in a multicultural and historical perspective, like how people who were “fatter,” in many societies, were the more privileged (showing their amount of wealth by their girth).
Nayantara-
Your cross cultural example is an interesting thought and prompts me to wonder whether the Boasian theory of historical particularism could explain such disparities in privileges and ways of displaying wealth through food? Maybe with the development of technology abundance of food and how often you ate proved nothing because cheap production of food in the fast food industry made food more available. To distinguish then, the privileged moved towards more expensive and organic foods that are not as available.
I like your look at class in America. It’s really interesting how much this thing we don’t often talk about rules our society. It often determines, where we go to school, who we’re friends with, opportunities we may have, and even food. I’m always fascinated by the moral implications of class, like stereotypes that rich people are stingy and probably republican, or that poor people just weren’t smart enough to get ahead and probably have a lot of children and depend on the system. Everyone wants to squeeze into the middle class, like the category “upper-middle class.” Anyways, I think you’re absolutely right that how we treat food, diet, and general healthy practices is often strongly impacted by our class in society.
I think many people out there in America are actually trying to change the access to nutrient education as mentioned in the Structural-Functionalism interpretation. I’ve seen programs where chefs and gardeners attend schools located in areas of poverty and they work with the school cafeteria to help get the kids at least one, if not more, good healthy meals made with produce grown in the school yard garden. Then I think the child is also given seeds or a plant to take home and start their own garden and bring the healthy habits to the rest of their families. I know that this can’t happen in every school or even every city, but gardening and producing your own food is less costly than buying organic and can lead to a healthier lifestyle.
Another perspective I think would analyze this topic well is Symbolic Anthropology. Whenever I walk through the supermarket it is so hard to choose what is “healthy” and what is not. The aisles are filled with words like “natural,” “organic,” “fresh” and pictures of cows luxuriously grazing vast expanses of farmland. These symbols really catch ones attention and ultimately guide the decision to buy a certain product. However, these labels are often times so misleading with regard to the actual nutritive value and quality of the food you are buying so I think it really illustrates how we interpret these symbols and give them meaning, even though they may not actually be accurate. It would be very interesting to analyze the choices people make based on certain labels/symbols in a supermarket.
Your essay got me thinking about another perspective on food privilege: perhaps food privilege – access to health food stores, the ability/means to maintain a highly-specialized diet (such as the “paleo” diet or a vegan diet), etc. – is a public indicator of class and status. Continued patronage at Whole Foods or a yoga studio (which you also suggested as a habit of the upper-class organic shopper) could also be interpreted as a show of power in a culture that values the accumulation of wealth.
I think your essay discusses some very important points; however, I would like to respectfully note that while each culture has its own concept of privileged food, couldn’t cultures as a whole that have organic foods be considered, through the eyes of let’s say a Cultural Evolutionist, developed cultures? In my essay I wrote something similar; however, it could be assumed that a society that has incorporated organic goods into local and corporate chain stores is “developed” or wholly “privileged,” otherwise no farmer or organic goods company would find any benefit from investing in the dispersion of its product in an area where the purchase would be unattainable by most.
Side note, but in addition to that, an activity such as yoga may be viewed as one of upper-class, but it does not truly require expensive mats or a yoga instructor in order to perform such an activity, and could simply be done in one’s bedroom watching a youtube video. This activity has been given a specific connotation by the upper-class. I wonder if a Functionalist Anthropologist, or using any other theory, might find some sort of meaning behind the need for the upper-class to place specific connotations on specific aspects of society.
Well now I feel like a horrible person for wanting locally grown food. I understand both perspectives and agree with them for the most part. Boulder definitely fits the type of person who does yoga and has the time and money to stop by whole foods whenever they want. I did my essay on gluten free and touched on parts of the first paragraph. More financially positive places have access to the different types of food processing, unlike poor economic areas. It is sad but true. I believe if all foods are locally grown and big corporations are shut down, that prices for the local food will go down. However, the poor areas are stuck buying from big corporations causing a never ending cycle of poor food production. Wealth seems to be the structure in which this argument is built on. It is painfully clear that not only can poor families not afford local food but they are consuming unhealthy products as a result. Seems to me like wealth is the problem and it should be redistributed.
I really enjoyed reading your opinions on food privilege and I agree pretty strongly with what you say about the the differences in socioeconomic classes producing different personality types due to what they have access to eating. I think a big example of this in the United States is vegetarianism and veganism. At the young age of 12 I decided that I wasn’t going to eat meat any more, and it was no problem. When my family ate chicken at family dinner, I ate tofu, simple as that. I recognize that in the lower classes of America some people wouldn’t even fathom the idea of refusing meat when its given to you. If a child in a lower class family just decided they were no longer going to eat meat, they probably wouldn’t get the nutrition needed and become ill. Picking and choosing what you eat is absolutely a privilege of socioeconomic status.
I found this reading to be very interesting and accurate for the most part. Like some of the other people have stated I do believe that people who are privileged do get specialized foods that some people might not ever have in their entire life. I would disagree though and say that there are foods that are not organic that you can buy that a reasonably prices and almost any grocery store, and still be healthy. I enjoyed reading this topic and thought it was very interesting.
This essay actually made me stop and think about how privileged we truly are to live in a society where we have so many options of food, unlike other societies that are lucky to even get a meal a day let alone water. Your article made me realize that I myself am guilty of falling into this trendy yogi, organic, non gmo, etc., lifestyle. Although there is nothing wrong with living like this, it is good to have a reminder of how lucky we truly are. I enjoyed reading your article!
This accurately summed up a lot of surrounding the “Go Local/Organic Movement” seen across the broad as a solution to many environmental and economic issues. I want to draw on the idea that if this is an issue of class, than related to functionalism we can see how socioeconomic division is a necessity to the functioning of our social organization. Meaning, their is no way local, organic, farms could produce enough food for everyone to buy as their food energy. Thus, there are people that are limited by their class and by production levels that are more likely to buy and cook with food that is more available and readily abundant to use a.k.a normal veggies, meats, milk, and eggs. Also, I think pointed out by other comments is that under a time constraint, fast food would be the readiest available option, that is not seen as “taboo” amongst your family, which is dependent upon the socialization of your class. My point being, that we are not going to save the planet or solve obesity, by continuing the direct class distinctions that effect the ways we produce and the things we buy, because of the limitations of class. I thoroughly enjoyed your article’s use of “privilege” and accurately explaining the consumer choices placed on class.
The way class and health correlates in the contemporary U.S. is always an interesting topic. It is sad that those who are privileged have the time, resources, money, and access to buy food that is healthy and every human body deserves. Sometimes, someones socioeconomic class can be established based on where they live. Like you said poorer communities are swarmed by the fast food industry and cannot provide an organic food store let alone a grocery store. We cannot control which food is placed in our community, but it still reflects the socio economic class of those living there.
Ive heard about people in a lower to middle class suburbs who turned their entire yard into a garden, and allowed people to take as much of the food as they needed. Im not saying it is easy for people of a lower economic status to eat healthy, but that it can be done if people put their minds to it and attempt to help each other.
Makes sense! My family does that kind of stuff too and grows our own vegetables, like tomatoes for the elk burgers we make (from elk we hunt ourselves).
It is very important to make the link between privilege and the choices we get to make about our dietary needs. Fresh and healthy foods are simply not available to certain people, which often is tied to ethnicity and economic status, and I think this is very important to acknowledge. It is morally difficult to stand up and march against someone like Monsanto when instead we could be focusing our efforts on campaigns to end hunger in our own country. Although, I do think that it is also important to view this argument from the other side and not condemn individuals for wanting better food choices. Instead maybe there could be efforts to bring healthier foods to underprivileged communities, holding the government accountable for reducing the price of healthy options, or implementing yoga programs into lower socio-economic schools. Just a thought.
The link between food and socioeconomic status in the United States is a hotly debated topic and I believe that you did raise some great points in your essay. I am curious to know if you did any research in regards to what kind of programs are available for people that are interested in eating organic food that cannot financially afford it. I know that these programs exist due to having a very close friend of mine working for a non-profit organization last summer that works with families from the lower class have access to organic produce from a local farmers market for a much lower price. I understand that these kind of programs do not exist everywhere in the United States. I think it would be beneficial to look at a few of these programs and see the extent of what they can provide to families that do wish to live a healthy lifestyle. I would also look at how these programs could potentially limit the extent of how healthy these people lifestyles could be perhaps if they were financially better off and if the amount that the program can provide can make an impact in a person’s overall health and longevity.
Even though it is cheaper to eat unhealthy, I do not believe that is the only reason people choose the unhealthy route. Cheap food is convenient. Convenience is everything in our society today. Yes organic, healthy food is more expensive, however, it is not impossible to find if you are not upper class. But I do agree that education has a lot to do with how people choose their diet. It isn’t everything but it does help.
Agreed. I personally think that many Americans are starting to become lazier with finding healthy foods that they can eat. With all of these McDonalds and KFC chains popping up all over the place, it does make it harder to find food that’s healthy.
One can still find foods that are a decent price and still be healthy. Stuff like canned tuna and vegetables and soups can be healthy if used in moderation! Look in your local Walmart or King Soopers and you can find pretty healthy stuff for a good price (at least in Longmont; everything is about 30-45% more expensive in Boulder).
I agree that we all have different privileges and opportunities that shape our actions and outlooks on things like food. It is interesting that in our society unhealthy food is linked to both cheaper costs and convenience. I think that if someone would make something like health more of a priority, they may be able to afford non gmo or vegan foods. Also, I know first hand that gardening is a less costly way to equip oneself with healthy foods. However, it does take a lot of time and effort which many low income families may not have after working long hours and still having duties within the home to take care of. Overall this was an intriguing argument that really made me look at my own privilege and how it relates to my relations with food.
Access to healthy, home cooked meals and fresh produce is a luxury that not every one is privileged to in the U.S. Your focus was mostly on the unavailability of healthy foods to people of lower socioeconomic statuses. I also wanted to extend the emphasis on healthy food availability to elderly people who are disabled in the U.S. Elderly people in rural areas, without very much family support, also do not have the same access to fresh foods as more able bodied people do. My great grandmother lives in a rural area of Colorado. She has a food truck deliver frozen foods to her. I wonder about the quality of her diet and question the effect a lack of fresh produce may play in her health. I believe that this is the state of many elderly people who do not have strong support systems and live in rural areas.
This is super interesting. I never thought about the stratification of who has access to these health foods. It is especially prevalent in Boulder with the large population of homeless people and then the very wealthy whole foods shoppers on the other side of the spectrum. It would be interesting to investigate how much healthier those who have access to the health benefits than those who don’t actually are. I also think it would be interesting to look at who in that upper middle class category actually take advantage of the resources they are able to afford.
I have always been a vegetarian, organic, animal rights activist. I guess that really blinded me to the fact that the contemporary U.S. expensive and green ideals dont fit everyones lifestyle. This was such a good essay topic and it really got me thinking! I have always been disappointed in people who support companies like Tyson or even Nestle fro there crimes against Michigan water sources but your arguments really prove that for doe families those types of companies are the only option and that I am really privileged to be able to stay away from them. Really interesting essay! it got some really great conversations going!
Interesting approach to this essay. At first I did not like how you focused on the socioeconomic food groups instead of one in specific, but after some thought I appreciate your willingness to think outside the box. The truth that you have exposed is that America is so vast and it’s socioeconomic statuses range so much, that they create different cultures between themselves, thus resulting in many different niches of foods. The previous essay I just read about the lobster’s ascent through the classes ties in quite well with this.
I really like this essay because it brings to light an issue (or issues) that we as a society tend to ignore. The statement, “The phenomena observed is not a result of the people itself, but rather the social structure that holds society together collectively” touches on something that I think is very important to consider. From my experiences living in Arizona surrounded by Native American reservations where “nutritional” and/or fresh food is scarce, I think it would be interesting to investigate further how the greater economic system is affecting peoples’ food “choices”.
This is a very interesting essay, especially in such an organic, non-gmo, yoga emphasized place such as Boulder. The Culture and Personality perspective brings forth a great point; that personalities are created by specific culture and the environment surrounding it. Boulder is a solid example of wealth and health; many people have moral beliefs encompassing organic produce and mindful exercise such as yoga, but many of these people do not realize that they are privileged to have these outlets. It takes money to afford places like wholefoods and a membership to a yoga club and for those who are impoverished this is simply not an option. Our culture in Boulder surrounds these ideals which are only available to those who can afford them and blinds our thinking process by directing us from a hierarchical standpoint.
The Structural Functionalist approach enlightens us to the idea that capitalism creates form from which society can structure its privilege within society. I wonder if the Structural Functionalists would agree that this form of food consumption and its counterpart of impoverished people not being able to afford healthy food results in an unbalanced scenario from which the system stalls. I think that this inequality disrupts the function of society because it limits the majority’s chances of reaching these healthy options by initially placing them out of reach and encouraging fast food options.
I think this is a very interesting topic and it is something I have never really thought about. It made me realize that many Americans do not have access to appropriate and healthy foods. I think that is something that should be available to everyone. It’s sad to think that the best and healthiest foods have to have the highest price tags. That leaves many people settling for fast food and low quality meals. Could this be a possible factor as to why severe obesity has become an issue in America? I could see the connection.
I really enjoy this essay, it brings a new perspective that challenges healthy eating in a sense. Growing up, my family had always purchased organically and made sure to buy free range meat, I never thought twice about the privilege my family had in making these decisions until I came here and saw all the different dining options. Even on a low budget, I still have the opportunity to eat organic, gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan options all included in my meal plan. To have such a diverse selection at a school cafeteria is often a privilege that goes unnoticed, and definitely something most people will never experience. But It also goes to show, that these options are becoming more available, and may soon be a privilege accessible to everyone.
This might be sort of off-topic, but what would you say about hunting, considering the fact that you say certain kinds of foods can only be bought because of socioeconomic standing?
Although I do not have the statistics to back this claim, I would probably argue that hunting is a more common phenomenon amongst poorer classes that live in more rural parts of America. Most impoverished urban dwellers, especially in places with “food deserts” ( only fast food access) probably do not have the access or transportation to proper areas to hunt or perhaps they would not have the time to hunt. However, I think community gardens or something along those lines could potentially have a huge impact in America. I think your idea for hunting has a lot of potential, but once again, its difficult to insert an aspect of life from one subculture and just insert it into another subculture. Culture is a fluid, evolving entity but at the same time it is a very stubborn thing to just “change”, especially in a place like America with so many diverse subcultures.
I agree with your idea. I’m international student and live in America just one year, but I feel American (especially Boulder) people love to eat local and organic foods. So might be here is a upper middle class. I think it is good to every rank people can reach organic and local good foods. If they want to care, it is good. The opposite, in Japan (I came from there), even if upper class people, they don’t care their foods. Some of them (usually women) were cared about that, but not so common. Might be around Tokyo, it doesn’t have enough place to glow organic foods, so they don’t care about their foods.
This is a really important issue and I’m glad you touched on it. One argument I’ve heard in regards to the growing obesity problem in the United States is that it hits people of a lower socioeconomic status because cheap foods tend to be unhealthy and lacking a lot of nutrients. Being a college student I’ve had to learn myself that all the cheap ramen and soups and what not are FULL of sodium and have next to no nutritional value. Things like fresh fruits and vegetables are also hard to manage if you don’t have much money simply because they cost more and go bad quickly.
This essay shines light on so many different issues. First on the perspective of the more fortunate in relation to diet when compared to the those less well off. It also presents the fact that food which is truly healthy for you is often inaccessible to many of those earning the average American income. Another issue presented is the general issue of privilege and its unseen nature. This is perhaps the most serious of the issues this essay illuminates on as it is a major issue and often the foundation for a great many social inequalities. It is best to understand as much as possible what you have and how you got that, and then to not use your personal experience to make generalizations on society at large. The vast majority of people might not have the same opportunities as you and this should always be considered.