Consuming Anxiety? Parenting Practices in China after the Infant Formula Scandal

This paper examines the social context and implications of the 2008 infant formula scandal in China. It argues that the crisis was precipitated by China's rapid urbanization and the growth of middle class consumption patterns as well as by a lack of effective government regulation of the supply chain. The paper uses focus group research with families in Chengdu to examine the way parenting practices changed in light of the scandal as parents switched to more expensive imported formula and came to rely on food supplies from rural friends and relatives. The paper argues that parenting practices, including infant feeding, should be understood in terms of the high rate of female labor-force participation in China (with low levels of maternity leave), the medicalization of childbirth and antenatal care, and the heavy reliance on grandparents to provide childcare for newborn babies. While parental practices have adjusted since the infant formula scandal, a range of food-related anxieties persist.