Abstract

As Barthes : 977–986, 1961) effectively pointed out, foodFood is “not only a collection of products that can be used for statistical or nutritional studies. It is also, and at the same time, a system of communication, a body of images, a protocol of usages, situations, and behaviors”. This has become even more evident in present-day “gastromania”: not only do we eat foodFood, but also and above all we talk about it, we comment on it, and we share its images on various social networks, thus investing it with multiple meaningsMeaning and valuesValue that in turn mediate our gastronomic experiences. This phenomenon has become progressively more expansive, encompassing the sphere of nutritionNutrition. Going beyond the purely dietetic and medical domains, the link between foodFood and healthHealth has become an unavoidable element of TV programmes, newspapers, magazines, social networks, advertisingAdvertising, marketingMarketing, and other forms of communication. Thus a series of foodFood “mythsMyth” have proliferated, with evident impact on consumers’ choices and behaviours. What is more, the role played by mediaMedia companies, marketingMarketing operators and various other public and private actors in the negotiation of foodFoodmeaningsMeaning and practicesPractices has further increased, pointing to the need for deeper consideration of the processes of signification and valorisation brought about by the discursive strategies adopted for communicating foodFood in the political, journalistic, regulatory and even scientific domain. This essay investigates such dynamics by considering relevant literature in the related fields of research and analysing some interesting case studies.