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- Panel 5-2 Ethics and Aesthetics of Alternative Protein in Japan /Shuji Hisano
Panel 5-2 Ethics and Aesthetics of Alternative Protein in Japan /Shuji Hisano
Aya H. Kimura
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
Shuji Hisano
Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, Japan
Alternative meat has been heralded as the climate-friendly and ethical protein option in the age of the Anthropocene. The market took off in the Euro-American countries during the 2010s and there are some analyses about their dynamics in terms of market growth and consumer attitudes in these regions. However, the dynamics in Asian markets—where the meat alternatives have historically been a part of the culinary traditions—have been under-explored.
This paper focusses on the experience of Japanese alternative meat and explores different ethical discourses that have emerged to promote it. Discursive analyses of main stakeholders, including government, local start-ups, and established meat producers are conducted in order to highlight how the virtues and merits of alternative meat are communicated to potential customers and investors. The paper then situates the alternative meat market in the broader debates over ethical consumption, ethical vegetarianism, and responsible entrepreneurship, and compares the discursive struggles with the dynamics in the Euro-American context.
Keywords: alternative meat, ethical consumption, culinary traditions, technological fix, responsible innovation
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
Shuji Hisano
Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, Japan
Alternative meat has been heralded as the climate-friendly and ethical protein option in the age of the Anthropocene. The market took off in the Euro-American countries during the 2010s and there are some analyses about their dynamics in terms of market growth and consumer attitudes in these regions. However, the dynamics in Asian markets—where the meat alternatives have historically been a part of the culinary traditions—have been under-explored.
This paper focusses on the experience of Japanese alternative meat and explores different ethical discourses that have emerged to promote it. Discursive analyses of main stakeholders, including government, local start-ups, and established meat producers are conducted in order to highlight how the virtues and merits of alternative meat are communicated to potential customers and investors. The paper then situates the alternative meat market in the broader debates over ethical consumption, ethical vegetarianism, and responsible entrepreneurship, and compares the discursive struggles with the dynamics in the Euro-American context.
Keywords: alternative meat, ethical consumption, culinary traditions, technological fix, responsible innovation