Amid the many food safety scandals that have
erupted in recent years, Chinese food activists and consumers are turning to the creation of alternative food networks (AFNs) to ensure better control over their food.
These Chinese AFNs have not been documented in the
growing literature on food studies. Based on in-depth
interviews and case studies, this paper documents and
develops a typology of AFNs in China, including community supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, buying
clubs, and recreational garden plot rentals. We unpacked
the four standard dimensions of alternativeness of AFNs
into eight elements and used these to examine the alternativeness of AFNs in China. We argue first that the
landscape of alternativeness varies among different networks but the healthfulness of food is the most prominent
element. Second, there is an inconsistency in values
between AFN initiators and customers, which contributes
to the uneven alternativeness of Chinese AFNs. Third,
Chinese AFNs are strongly consumer driven, a factor that
constrains their alternativeness at present. The inclusion of
‘‘real’’ peasants in the construction of AFNs in China is
minimal. This paper adds to the existing literature on AFNs
with an analysis of recent initiatives in China that have not
been well documented before. By unpacking the dimensions of alternativeness into specific elements, this paper
also provides an analytical framework for examining the
alternativeness of AFNs especially nascent ones that have
not developed a full spectrum of alternativeness