Portrayal of the Slow Food movement in the Australian print media Conviviality, localism and romanticism

Abstract

The Slow Food movement promotes itself as supporting ethical modes of food production and consumption. This article reports on research that investigated the representations of the movement in the Australian print media, exploring the discourses relating to Slow Food and examining whether the media exposure is positively or negatively framed. A content and discourse analysis was undertaken of articles on Slow Food over a three-month period. The analysis aimed to provide a contextual basis for how Slow Food is perceived, the messages it conveys, and the activities it undertakes. Major themes arising from the data were 'conviviality' (social pleasures of sharing 'good food'), 'localism' (social, health and environmental benefits of local produce), and 'romanticism' (of idyllic rural lifestyles as an antidote to the time-poverty of urban life). The findings shed light on the role played by the print media in reproducing and creating public understandings of the Slow Food movement.