Questions related to technological development, food safety and consumer trust in food increased in importance throughout the 20th century. Today industrialized food systems are integrated parts of everyday life. However, governmental agencies, legislators, food producers, scientists and consumer organizations still struggle to ensure that the foods entering the market place is safe and to deal with on-going technological development.
How were industrialized food and food systems integrated into everyday life in Norway through its sibling systems of food safety and consumer trust? We will investigate policy oriented, academic and public debates and controversies on the social and cultural aspects of food production and consumption. Our approach will enable us to examine the culturally contingent processes that led to the present industrialized system of highly manipulated and transformed foods.
By investigating themes related to food safety and consumer trust in a perspective that combines science and technology studies (STS) and historical studies of technology we can offer an alternative vision of how the present system emerged, its historical roots and transformations in time. A socio-historical study of what we term "the technologies of trust" can improve our understanding of the present situation of our food system and offer alternative visions for securing safe food and consumer trust in the future. The work will be done through five sub projects.
