Construction of the Ethical Link in the Discourse on the Packaging of Food Products

Abstract

This article looks into the communication implemented in the discourse on the packaging of food products, which raises major ethical problems related both to food hazards, ecological and social crises, as well as to the questioning of the relationship of trust between the consumer, the different actors in the food industry and the communicators. The brand which is at the origin of the offer becomes a guarantor, with the communicator having the role of establishing the trust relationship with the consumer through the mediation of its discourse on the product. Our article proposes to show how semiotics, more particularly the semiotics of practices and J. Fontanille’s theory of the ethical link, allowing us to analyze the ethical link that links the instances of practice involved in the action represented on the packaging. These models highlight the role of the brand in the construction of the ethical relationship with the consumer.