Resumen de Protecting Perishable Values: Timescapes of moving fermented foods across oceans and international borders
Although it is popular to credit microbes as metabolic “laborers” responsible for producing the distinctive flavors and preservative properties of raw milk cheeses, cured meats, and assorted ferments, the fermentation value of foods can be put at risk by the material conditions and regulatory politics of international trade. Transportation and distribution are therefore today considered an aspect of and not something that follows production and value formation. Drawing on preliminary research with specialty importers, consolidators, and brokers, this article traces the work of moving fermented foods across oceans and borders, highlighting how the timescapes and transformations associated with mobility and perishability interact in ways that might erode product value but that can also successfully be navigated by retailers and their suppliers through skillful logistical and semiotic practices.
