De-Commodifying Food: A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of Nutrition in Germany and Romania
De-Commodifying Food: A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of Nutrition in Germany and Romania

Summary/Abstract: Food and nutrition have been topics constantly addressed, in various forms, in the media, in both fiction and non-fiction genres. Lately, within the media coverage of this vast issue, new ways of approaching and new associations have emerged, topics like health food, sustainable nutrition, diverse dietary trends, risks associated with nutrition or, generally, with some lifestyles, the treatment and attitude towards animals grown for consumption, harming the environment, etc., being currently themes addressed in the media as frequently as recipes, dietary recommendations, plants cultivation and animal husbandry, or traditional dishes and culinary habits. This paper presents the results of a comparative study on the coverage of nutrition topics in Germany and Romania. The research, based on a content analysis of online thematic press articles from the two countries, covers a three-year period (2014-2016). The main research objectives pursued in the study were to identify the most relevant aspects regarding both the content and the form of the coverage of the topic of nutrition, and to make comparisons in these respects. The paper discusses in particular the similarities and differences between the two countries regarding the media construction of nutrition as a general problem.

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