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Neolocalism, a movement that shifted the focus from the global to the local sense of place is highly illustrated by local food industry, particularly craft beer industry. Researchers have identified neolocal discourse indicators in terms of branding, environmental sustainability and community engagement. In this paper I look at the neolocal discourse of three craft breweries from Romania, France and United States of America as mirrored in the most active and interactive communication environment, the social media. My aim is to investigate the extent to which national cultures impact the neolocal discourse. I place the research within a cross-cultural framework in light of the cultural dimensions framed by Hofstede, and I carry out semiotic analysis of images and texts posted on the Facebook pages of three craft breweries, Mustață de bere, Romania, Deck & Donohue, France, and Bell's Brewery, United States of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks into the communication implemented in the discourse on the packaging of food products, which raises major ethical problems related both to food hazards, ecological and social crises, as well as to the questioning of the relationship of trust between the consumer, the different actors in the food industry and the communicators. The brand which is at the origin of the offer becomes a guarantor, with the communicator having the role of establishing the trust relationship with the consumer through the mediation of its discourse on the product. Our article proposes to show how semiotics, more particularly the semiotics of practices and J. Fontanille’s theory of the ethical link, allowing us to analyze the ethical link that links the instances of practice involved in the action represented on the packaging. These models highlight the role of the brand in the construction of the ethical relationship with the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spanish children see an average of 9,000 advertising campaigns on television per year, mostly for low nutritional value foods. Given childhood obesity rates, the close relationship between advertising targeting this group and consumption of this type of food, Spain passed the Child-Directed Food Advertising Self-Regulation (PAOS) Code in 2005. This article intends to analyze the discursive strategies used in low nutritional value food campaigns in relation to the contents of the PAOS Code. It uses a mixed method that integrates quantitative techniques to analyze audiences and qualitative ones to study the advertising discourse. Research concludes that, unlike other types of foods, low nutritional value product advertising focuses its discursive strategy on words and semantic fields linked to happiness, action, fun, etc. Conclusions also point to the need to review the contents of the PAOS Code and further involve the Spanish food industry, agencies, and advertisers so that advertising content self-regulation becomes truly effective. The original contribution of this article lies in the theoretical and empirical inputs that take childhood obesity in Spain as a starting point and interrelate it with discursive strategies employed in low nutritional value product advertising aimed at minors and the existing regulatory framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I analyze discourse and identity relations within so-called 'conventional' agri-food networks as well as how the conventional sphere perceives, constructs and responds to alternative food movements in Canada. The paper is structured around three primary research questions: (1) How are conventional actors understanding conditions, changes, and challenges within conventional networks? (2) How do conventional actors apply this understanding in advancing conventional interests and discourses, and defending conventional networks? (3) How do conventional actors and discourse construct AFMs? For this research, I draw from survey, focus group, and in-depth interview data alongside text analysis from online sources. I elucidate the interests and motivations behind the identities, stories and messages emerging from the conventional sphere. I conclude that relationship building and communication between diverse agri-food actors may help to expand the range of agricultural knowledge, philosophies and solutions avail able to farmers, especially those whom are currently quite divided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate industry expert discourses on aspirational corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Analysing CSR managers’ and communication consultants’ talk about aspirational talk as constitutive of aspirational CSR communication, the data provide valuable insights into the dominant discourses, and draw attention to the manifold elements in the process of aspirational CSR communication.Design/methodology/approach Data gathered during 11 in-depth, qualitative interviews with food industry experts in CSR and CSR communication roles in Ireland, the UK and the USA are studied.Findings The analysis of industry expert discourses suggests that communicating CSR, and in particular the communication of CSR aspirations, is a source of tensions and ambiguity for organisational members. It is evident that aspirational talk acts as a “commitment and alignment device”, raising the bar for the organisation by encouraging enhanced performance and ensuring a competitive differentiation – and thus revealing a performative character. However, it is also shown that industry experts favour action over talk and consider verification crucial to reduce reputational risk. The challenge ahead will be to encourage organisations to embrace aspirational talk in the age of CSR professionalisation and standardisation to ensure incremental and continual CSR improvements.Practical implications The research findings suggest that aspirational talk is a useful resource for organisations to transition towards becoming more responsible businesses. Rather than censoring aspirational talk to prevent scepticism by some, managers rely on robust auditing and verification systems to provide proof of achievement over time.Originality/value The study provides data on the topic of aspirational talk, where there has been much theory development, but limited empirical evidence. It does so in the context of the food industry, an industry manifestly to the forefront in the sustainability/CSR agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]