Alternative Food Consumption and Sustainability in South Korea

Under the neo-liberal regime of South Korea, large supermarkets dominate Korean food market.  Yet, there has been growing effort to find some alternatives such as local food.  There has been relatively little researches done on East Asian alternative food consumption. Our paper attempts to fill this gap by investigating the attitudes and behaviors of Korean food consumers. We attempt to (1) conceptualize the ‘alterity’ in food consumption in the Korean context, (2) develop typology of alternative consumption patterns among Korean consumers, and (3) find the main factors affecting the alternative food consumption. 

We have found the followings based on historical analysis and national survey of Korean consumers. First, Korean food system is characterized by low food self-sufficiency rate and alternative food discourse is strongly influenced by political ideology and nationalism. In order to reflect this historical particularity, we have conceptualized alternative food consumption by combining food consumption attitude/values and political orientations. Second, in our typology of food consumers, two types of consumers are most visible, i.e., “consumers without consciousness” and “conscious consumers without consumption.” The former consumers actually purchase organic/local food while they do not have alternative values. In general, these are consumers with high income. The latter have greater consciousness and interest in alternative foods, yet they do/can not consume organic and local foods. Third, among the total consumers, the percentage of consumers with high consciousness without consumption is higher. This might be interpreted as potential for the future of food politics for alternative food system in Korea as these consumers are likely to change their food consumption behavior in accordance with how they think. It remains to be seen whether this potential can fully develop into a social program to build a more sustainable food system in the future.