Protecting Perishable Values

Timescapes of Moving Fermented Foods across Oceans and International Borders

Bibliographic Data

ID2228332
AuthorsHeather Paxson (0000-0002-8429-5429, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume62
IssueS24
PagesS333-S342
Publication date2021-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCurrent Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0011-3204 • E-ISSN: 1537-5382
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/714347
OpenAlexW3186137430
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited26

Although it is popular to credit microbes as metabolic "laborers" responsible for producing the distinctive flavors and preservative properties of raw milk cheeses, cured meats, and assorted ferments, the fermentation value of foods can be put at risk by the material conditions and regulatory politics of international trade. Transportation and distribution are therefore today considered an aspect of and not something that follows production and value formation. Drawing on preliminary research with specialty importers, consolidators, and brokers, this article traces the work of moving fermented foods across oceans and borders, highlighting how the timescapes and transformations associated with mobility and perishability interact in ways that might erode product value but that can also successfully be navigated by retailers and their suppliers through skillful logistical and semiotic practices

Biology · Business · Commerce · Economics · Perishability · Preservative · Product (mathematics · Production (economics · Value (mathematics · Work (physics · Computer Science · Engineering · Food Science · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Marketing