Capitalist societies have created a system that is dependent on the countries where production of commodities primarily take place. This development of industries and distance between producers and consumers have enabled consumers to develop a culture of commodity fetishism. To address this situation, we first must identify how to generate care within consumers to make them want to know about the origins of products and the people behind it. Many food geographers have researched commodity...
Capitalist societies have created a system that is dependent on the countries where production of commodities primarily take place. This development of industries and distance between producers and consumers have enabled consumers to develop a culture of commodity fetishism. To address this situation, we first must identify how to generate care within consumers to make them want to know about the origins of products and the people behind it. Many food geographers have researched commodity production and emotional geographies, and this research can be used to educate consumers and encourage them to connect with producers and alter their shopping choices. Technology can be used to our advantage to educate school children and create a new generation of conscientious consumers that have grown up to be aware of what they are buying. Alternative trading can be used in shopping spaces the affect the consumers directly where they engage with commodities. With growing markets of ethical production, this highlights the focus on the livelihoods of producers to consumers and encourages them to think about where products come from. By understanding the dynamics of consumption and the behaviour of capitalist societies, care-full patterns of consumption can be encouraged within consumers to expose commodity fetishism and create a new, more conscious society of consumers.
