Interviews on the Dutch Market

Posted on by blogmasters17

In Roermond’s market and on the street, producers and consumers were questioned about ethical eating.

Find out more about their answers inside.

 

Questions for the producers:

  1. Is the food you sell produced in an ethical way (e.g. no pesticides or toxic substances are used on or around the plant in the growing process)?
  2. Why do you choose to produce, grow and sell what people see as ethical/unethical crops? Are there any special reasons for this choice?
  3. Do you think your customers (as consumers) are influenced by the way you produce your food or what you produce? If so, in what way?

Questions for the consumers:

  1. Do you believe that food can be ethical or unethical? If so, does this opinion influence your food choices?
  2. Because the world population continues to grow and more food needs to be produced, do you think switching to ethical food is a good idea? Why/why not?
  3. What’s your opinion about GM food? Are you in favour of or against this kind of food, and do you consume it yourself?

 

We received answers from 4* producers, aged between 30 and 60. Two of them were female, two of them were male.

 

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Producer #1: male aged 30-40

Producer #2: female aged 50-60

Producer #3: female aged 20-30

Producer #4: male aged 30-40

  • Question 1 
  1. Yes, the monitoring at the auction is very strict, so it’s all ethical.
  2. Yes, our crops are produced without pesticides. They don’t come in contact with anything toxic whatsoever – we like to keep it all pure.
  3. Yes, everything we sell is healthy to consume for people to consume.
  4. We don’t produce the food ourselves, it’s bought on the auction.
  • Question 2
  1. I believe in providing good and healthy products for everyone, as I view health as one of the more important things in life. Besides, again, the monitoring is almost impossible to get through if your food isn’t ”safe”.
  2. In our society, health is very important. All food is checked carefully, multiple times, and people go to visit hospitals more often. You can’t get away with selling crops that have come in contact with pesticides anymore – people won’t buy them.
  3. I think it’s very important for people to stay healthy and safe. Everyone should feel their best all the time, and a big part of that has to do with what you put in your body. This is why I think it’s very important to eat well and only sell good products.
  4. The guide lines from the auction are very strict. Food has to suffice to all of the rules and have to be safe for everyone to consume. Including children and the elderly. So it’s not really a choice, but I do support it.
  • Question 3 
  1. I think people are getting more and more aware of ethical eating and are making more conscious choices when it comes to food. I do support this, as it makes you healthier, both physically and mentally.
  2. I think they are, yes. Food influences your life, whether you want it to or not.
  3. Yes, I think it influences their health greatly. You are what you eat, and if you eat ethically and healthy, you’ll feel better immediately.
  4. I’m not sure whether it would impact their lives in any major way, but as long as it’s pesticide-free, I think they feel more energised.

Next, we asked 4* consumers, aged between 20 and 65+. Three of them were females, one was a male.

 

Consumer #1: female aged 65+

Consumer #2: female aged 20-30

Consumer #3: female aged 40-50

Consumer #4: male aged 50-60

  • Question 1
  1. Yes, I believe there is such a thing as ethical eating, but it doesn’t affect my purchases. I do buy biological products from time to time, but not because I force myself to eat in an ethical manner.
  2. Yes, food can definitely be ethical or unethical. That’s why I only buy biological products when I have the option to.
  3. I don’t think that ethical food exists. I am in favour of eating biological products, and I do buy biological products, but only when there isn’t a major difference in the price.
  4. I don’t believe in ethical food, so my grocery shopping isn’t influenced by it in the slightest fashion.
  • Question 2
  1. I don’t know – I don’t know a lot about ethical eating or how the production of ethical food works.
  2. Yes, switching to ethical food is always a good idea. I’m always in favour of ”good” food like that.
  3. When more food is needed quickly, people will take anything they can get. Growing biological food is labour intensive and therefore wouldn’t be the right fit when famine would strike. People will think about themselves first, not about the animals.
  4. We don’t really have a choice on this matter. Currently, the population is growing quickly and hungry people in third world countries won’t care whether the meat they’re eating used to be a cow who was locked up in a cage or a cow that could walk around freely.
  • Question 3
  1. I think that all food on the market is not in its original state, but that it’s modified in some way or form. People today are trying to better everything, constantly trying to improve and improve, and the food industry won’t be an exception.
  2. I’m against GM food and therefore I don’t ever buy it. Or at least, I try not to buy it, because you never know if something is modified or not; they don’t tell you. However, I mostly buy biological products, so they should be safe.
  3. I don’t have an opinion about GM food, and I’m not sure whether or not I consume it myself.
  4. I don’t think I eat GM food, and if I do, it’s not a lot. However, I think that the modified food is a necessary evil that you’ll never be able to escape completely.

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