Wellness culture and Indigenous food imaginaries in South Africa

A multimodal critical discourse analysis of superfood marketing

Dados Bibliográficos

ID23310910
AutoresJiaqi Ye (0000-0002-9593-8995, Shanghai International Studies University), Lame Maatla Kenalemang (0000-0002-4876-3352, Stockholm University), Fabio De Leonardis (Shanghai International Studies University, autor correspondente)
Ano2026
Volume25
Fascículo3
Páginas868-892
Data de publicação2026-07-26
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoVisual Communication (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1470-3572 • E-ISSN: 1741-3214
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14703572261432958
OpenAlexW7171472819
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas67

In South Africa, modernization and Western influence have produced remarkable dietary shifts, with rising consumption of meat, sugar and fat. These changes, coupled with growing public health concerns, have helped fuel a wellness culture in which superfoods are marketed as alternatives to highly processed food. This study uses multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) to examine the digital marketing strategies of a South African food brand, Soaring Free Superfoods. This brand frames its products as sensually indulgent and scientifically grounded, promoting their nutritional value and health benefits, and attributing a distant Indigenous origin to their ingredients, which are presented as ‘natural’ and healthy. Moreover, the brand positions its products as symbols of moral virtue and health-consciousness, turning them into a symbolic capital distinguishing its consumers from the wider population. Overall, the marketing of Soaring Free products reflects the adaptation of healthy eating discourses prevalent in Western societies in a non-Western context.

Biopower · Consumption (sociology) · Critical discourse analysis · Discourse analysis · Food marketing · Indigenous · Modernization theory · Public discourse · Public health · Value (mathematics) · Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques · Culinary Culture and Tourism · Obesity and Health Practices