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<p>China’s rapidly industrializing pre-prepared food sector is experiencing a profound crisis of public confidence. State policies and market enthusiasm have accelerated industrial expansion, yet they coexist with persistent consumer skepticism about the health, transparency, and authenticity of industrialized meals. This distrust cannot be reduced to a single cause; it reflects a complex interaction among regulatory intent, media representation, and everyday moral judgment. To explore these dynamics, this study employs a multi-method qualitative approach combining policy analysis, mainstream media framing analysis, consumer discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners. The findings reveal a persistent misalignment across the industry communication chain. At the policy level, regulatory frameworks prioritize industrial promotion while maintaining strategic ambiguity. Mainstream media reinforce this by emphasizing economic efficiency, while food companies focus on procedural compliance and profit optimization. In contrast, consumer perceptions are guided by embodied experience and collective memories of food safety crises, leading to a preference for sensory authenticity and skepticism toward industrial processes. The study argues that sustainable transformation of China’s food system requires more than technical regulation. It demands greater coherence between governance frameworks and public expectations for transparency, emotional connection, and cultural legitimacy.</p>

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Ambiguity as Governance: A Communicative Framework for the Post-Industrial Food System

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月26日

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  • Wenxuan Guo

摘要

China’s rapidly industrializing pre-prepared food sector is experiencing a profound crisis of public confidence. State policies and market enthusiasm have accelerated industrial expansion, yet they coexist with persistent consumer skepticism about the health, transparency, and authenticity of industrialized meals. This distrust cannot be reduced to a single cause; it reflects a complex interaction among regulatory intent, media representation, and everyday moral judgment. To explore these dynamics, this study employs a multi-method qualitative approach combining policy analysis, mainstream media framing analysis, consumer discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners. The findings reveal a persistent misalignment across the industry communication chain. At the policy level, regulatory frameworks prioritize industrial promotion while maintaining strategic ambiguity. Mainstream media reinforce this by emphasizing economic efficiency, while food companies focus on procedural compliance and profit optimization. In contrast, consumer perceptions are guided by embodied experience and collective memories of food safety crises, leading to a preference for sensory authenticity and skepticism toward industrial processes. The study argues that sustainable transformation of China’s food system requires more than technical regulation. It demands greater coherence between governance frameworks and public expectations for transparency, emotional connection, and cultural legitimacy.