Dissertation: The debate on sustainable food policy is full of different interpretations and definitions (Tikka)
In his research, Tikka analyses how sustainability is interpreted in the context of mass catering, such as school or institutional feeding, and how food aid is framed in terms of sustainability in the public debate.
The data for this study has been collected in different sub-studies. They are united not only by the importance of sustainability and its interpretations, but also by their links to public responsibility for welfare and public power.
Ambiguity obscures objectives
"In the light of my research findings, the debate on sustainable food policy is difficult because it is a complex set of different interpretations, objectives and emphases," says Tikka.
For example, solutions that support local livelihoods may be socially and locally sustainable, but from an environmental perspective they may appear unsustainable. This is the meaning of the "emptiness" of the term sustainability: if we are not precise with our definition, different parties can talk past each other.
"We are talking about a fence and a fence post, so the subject is the same, but the perspectives are quite different," says Tikka.
On the other hand, sustainability can also be used to justify and legitimize actions that, on closer inspection, are not as sustainable as they are made out to be. Diverting food waste to food aid for redistribution frames the activity as socially and environmentally sustainable, even though it does not actually address the root causes of the problems – food system overproduction or income poverty.
"In order to put the goals of sustainable food policy into practice, it is important to highlight how sustainability is interpreted and defined by different actors and institutions," Tikka stresses.
Tikka will defend his doctoral thesis Resource wisdom on a plate: Analysing the interpretation and practical implementation of sustainability from a food provision perspective on 12 April at 12 o'clock at Seminarium building in the old assembly hall. The opponent in the public examination will be Professor Arto O. Salonen (University of Eastern Finland) and as a custos Professor Tiina Silvasti (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥). The language of the dissertation will be Finnish.
The dissertation can also be followed online:
The doctoral thesis is available in the JYX publication archive:
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