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Vilde Haugrønning, Virginie Amilien and Gun Roos (2018)Oslo Metropolitan University - Project note no 8Summary. The appearance of Food Quality Schemes (FQS), which mention qualities such as taste and origin, has increased in Norwegian grocery stores in recent years. These labels are intended to enable consumers to make informed choices within food provision, but do anyone take notice of these food quality schemes? This report discusses how and in which ways FQS are present or absent in everyday food consumption. The research is part of the European Strength2Food (S2F) EU2020 project, and the analysis builds upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted in six Norwegian households. The analysis section explores value-action gaps and identifies that local, place and sustainability were important to the households although these values did not always seem to be manifested in their food practices. These findings are connected to the complex nature of food consumption and how some labels are unable to meet this complexity.Excerpt. In other words, there is not necessarily a “gap” or incoherence between what people say and do, but a complementarity. The differences are related to situations, contexts, constraints and especially the different regimes of justification (Boltanski and Thévenot 2006). This complexity can be simplified if we consider different contexts or spheres. Our analysis leads us to suppose the existence of several spheres in parallel that could explain both an apparent inconsistence and the lack of interest for FQS. On one hand, we have the domestic sphere. Speaking about quality and sustainable food our informants emphasized the importance of transmission (what they have learned from their parents, their grandparents), tradition (such as seasons or local know-how), friends or social networks, but also everyday objects (such as the freezer or the car) or purely practical aspects and constraints (such as economic or time constraints). In the domestic sphere, the FQS labels have no place; it is a reason for why our informants had no interest in FQS labels and logos. On the other hand, we have the market sphere, which is also an integral part of everyday life since most of our informants buy the foods that they cannot produce themselves. The regime of justification and planned action are fundamental in the market world, where our informants (as a consumer, citizen, father or mother) have the need to make choices and to justify their preferences. The environmental impact of food - from production to consumption through distribution - as well as animal welfare, or the quantity of pesticides as well as the nutritional aspects, were recurring themes.p. 71Download the report