Science or nature? A multimodal critical discourse analysis of breast milk substitutes packaging in China and the Netherlands

This study explores multimodal discourse strategies adopted to promote breast milk substitutes (BMS) in two distinct socio-cultural contexts: China and the Netherlands. It scrutinizes how health-related values in these two countries are visually and verbally constructed by analyzing BMS product packaging. The approach used for this analysis is a combination of two methodological frameworks. First, the authors use a recently developed cohesion framework for multimodal packaging to organize data and identify different semiotic modes and expressive forms used in the various packages as well as their relationships in the meaning-making process. Second, they use a multimodal critical discourse analysis to examine how BMS companies navigate the political, economic and scientific landscapes of both nations to influence the discourse through the previously identified multimodal constructions. The findings show that nature-related themes on Dutch BMS packaging are rooted in local consumer perception of healthy food and align with the advocacy of these dietary guidelines. Chinese BMS packages, in contrast, place more emphasis on science-related themes, mainly because Chinese consumers’ understanding of healthy food leans more towards notions of safety, premium quality and guaranteed reliability. These findings reveal how cultural, social and economic contexts shape multimodal communication of health values through packaging, reflecting broader societal attitudes toward food and well-being.