Beyond meat reduction in the sociology of sustainable food consumption: the entrenchment of cheese in Finnish consumers’ everyday lives

While the production of both meat and dairy products is ecologically harmful, the sociology of sustainable food consumption has largely focused on meat reduction. This article addresses that gap by exploring the deeply rooted role of cheese in the everyday lives of consumers. It argues that cheese deserves more critical attention due to the significant environmental impact of its production and the recent increase in cheese consumption in many countries. Inspired by practice theoretical literature on sustainable food consumption and meat reduction, the article examines how cheese is materially, practically and symbolically entrenched in food practices and their performances. It draws on 30 thematic interviews with Finnish consumers representing various diets and social backgrounds. The results of the thematic analysis are presented as three intertwining viewpoints. These viewpoints demonstrate the role of cheese in the routinised pursuit of everyday pleasure, elaborate the shared understanding of cheese as a ‘neutral’ object of consumption holding significant cultural value, and discuss cheese entrenchment in the context of ‘recipe adherence’. The article suggests that these aspects are worth considering in efforts aiming to reduce cheese consumption, at least in the Finnish context. More generally, the article corroborates practice theoretical literature on sustainable food consumption by suggesting that a shift towards a less cheesy future is more likely to occur when the responsibility is not solely left on consumers’ shoulders and when the distinct, yet interlinked, material, practical and symbolic dimensions of practices are simultaneously considered.