Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Last year, a widely publicised study found that eating an exclusively organic diet drastically reduces a family’s exposure to pesticides. Paired with warnings from reputable voices such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, popular coverage would lead you to believe it’s a no-brainer: yes, you really do need to shell out for higher-end organic options to protect your family. And the ‘you’ in this story is often presumed to be the mother.
As sociologists who study the work of feeding children – and two of us are mothers ourselves – we know many parents read this coverage with a sense of alarm or guilt. The message is nothing new. Today’s caregivers are expected not only to make sure kids eat their vegetables, but also to read labels, research omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, and think about the plastic packaging of Organic Cheddar Bunnies.
The ideal of providing an organic diet has become a kind of gold standard of healthy child-raising practice. Over the past decade, we have conducted extensive research on food and mothering that included interviews with more than 100 mothers in Toronto and New York City. We can tell you: mothers are feeling the pressure. Even prosperous parents with an ample grocery budget feel like they are failing to live up to this ideal. Each new health story about arsenic in baby food, the impact of plastic packaging on IQ, or tips for feeding picky children can encourage mothers to wonder if they’re doing enough by their children.
We do not question the science that toxic chemicals in our food are dangerous and can do real damage to our children. We are also certain that the answer to this real problem is not expert, attentive mothering. The star of this story is the ‘organic child’: an imagined pure child who is shielded from risk through careful feeding practices. The organic child ideal suggests that children are best protected through the (conscientious and expensive) practices of parents, and especially mothers. It’s a bad ideal, impossible to fully attain.
In our research, we’ve spoken with many mothers who prioritise organic milk and vegetables, those who focus on minimising food waste, and others who seek to protect kids from fast food. Priorities vary, but the message emerges that mothers are responsible for making carefully considered, often costly food purchases to protect children from the pervasive risks of an industrial food system. The news media and public health initiatives consistently target women as primary caregivers responsible for grocery shopping and home cooking. When it comes to protecting children’s health, mothers are held to a much higher standard than fathers. Even when fathers care about environmental issues, they are less likely to take on the work of managing toxins and family health through food choices.