Better Than Blue Apron? The Dominant Nutrition Framework Packed in a Community-Based Meal Kit

ABSTRACT

In 2018, a “Blue Apron type” meal kit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was announced. Like many food initiatives, there was no input from the intended audience. In contrast, we used community-based research (CBR, n = 65) to design a meal kit for families with low income. However, we were unable to separate our approach from the dominant framework, hegemonic nutrition, predominantly led by white experts. We center the voices of Black women whose role in the initiative were otherwise limited. Food reformers using CBR ought to interrogate hegemonic nutrition as “community” is not inherently transformative.

KEYWORDS:

• Community-based research
• hegemonic nutrition
• gender
• meal kit
• Black women
• qualitative methods

Acknowledgements

Thank you to John Harvey, who helped initiate the project, the Hunger Institute at Auburn University, who supported the project and provided volunteers to build the meal kits for the pilot, and Harvey’s employees, who assisted during the pilot, and which would not have been possible without them. Finally, we thank the women who participated and challenged us to think more deeply about community and food reform.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The lead author has full access to all available data that is reported in this paper. These data are protected according to the policies set by the Auburn University Office of Human Research (IRB #17–245).

Notes

1. This project was approved by the Auburn University Office of Human Research (IRB #17–245). Pseudonyms are used for all names and locations to protect participants’ identities.

2. In its entirety, the meal kit project included more than of 90 people, including the initial reconnaissance and production (e.g., graphic designer).

3. Head Start (HS) is an early childhood learning services program for families with low income Office of Head Start ⁸⁵.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Thesis Research Award from the Rural Sociological. Harvey’s donated the food used to create the recipes, conduct the taste tests, and pilot the meal kit. Data analysis and manuscript development was funded by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and the Hatch program NC1198 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.