J. Frouws

On power and weakness, capacity and impotence: Rigidity and flexibility in food chains

Abstract This paper considers the significance of organic food production in the Netherlands. It critically examines the social and political construction of food markets in the context of the dominance of industrial and corporate retailer‐led food supply chains. Two cases are used to illustrate counter or alternative trends: Frisian Organic Dairy Products (FEZ) and the case of Jan Fokke, a producer converting to organic production. Some key elements of actor‐network theory are developed which focus attention upon the social capabilities and incapacities involved in this transition. The paper highlights some of the inherently strong features of alternative food supply chains and networks, arguing for an expanded definition of ‘organic’ production as a form of social as well as technical organization.