In this article, we examine debates that have unfolded over two controversial proposals, both introduced in 2011, about how to regulate mezcal. Mezcals are distilled agave spirits that have been produced in Mexico for at least the last four hundred years. Critics of the proposed regulations argued that they threatened the livelihoods of thousands of small mezcal distillers and aimed to consolidate the power of industrial tequila and mezcal producers. Surprisingly, a transnational movement of retailers and bartenders aligned themselves with small mezcal producers and defeated the industrial elites. Here, we show how arguments on both sides of the debate focused on the market and consumer rights. We argue that there is a need to move beyond market-based labels in order to create more democratic, participatory, and inclusive ways of protecting, valuing, and preserving local foods and drinks and the people who make them.
Defining Mexico’s Spirit
Sarah Bowen is Associate Professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University. Her research has examined the relationships between geographical indications, sustainability, and local development in a context of globalization and neoliberalism. She is completing a book, Unequal Spirits: Mezcal, Tequila, and the Politics of Production, which explores the stories of tequila and mezcal to investigate the politics of using market-based systems to protect local products in a global market.
Danny Hamrick is a doctoral student in sociology at North Carolina State University. His research looks at the impacts of globalization on food systems with a focus on heritage products.
Sarah Bowen is Associate Professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University. Her research has examined the relationships between geographical indications, sustainability, and local development in a context of globalization and neoliberalism. She is completing a book, Unequal Spirits: Mezcal, Tequila, and the Politics of Production, which explores the stories of tequila and mezcal to investigate the politics of using market-based systems to protect local products in a global market.
Danny Hamrick is a doctoral student in sociology at North Carolina State University. His research looks at the impacts of globalization on food systems with a focus on heritage products.
Sarah Bowen, Danny Hamrick; Defining Mexico’s Spirit. Gastronomica 1 November 2014; 14 (4): 26–33. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2014.14.4.26
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