Certain aspects of our modern diet have been implicated in thedevelopment of non-communicable diseases. For instance, energyconsumed in excess of an individual's physiological requirements maylead to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes mellitus, gall bladder disease,coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and possibly some cancers.Although many of these diet-related diseases can be controlled by modernmedicine, they cannot be cured. Instead, prevention through public healthstrategies is the only satisfactory solution. One of the major strategies forprevention of diet-related diseases in Australia is to modify the nationaldiet (Rogers 1987). In April 1979, the Commonwealth Department of Health responded to theWorld Health Organisation's call for the development of national food andnutrition polices by proposing the Dietary Guidelines for Australians. "TheDietary Guidelines for Australians provide advice to the general populationabout healthy food choices, so that their usual diet contributes to ahealthy life-style and is consistent with minimal risk for the developmentof diet-related diseases" (National Health and Medical Research Council1992:ix). However, in order to achieve the aim of the dietary guidelines,supporting educational programs are required. This is because it isbelieved that as consumers become more informed about food, nutrition,health, and the dietary guidelines, they are more likely to begin changingtheir diet in the directions recommended by the CommonwealthDepartment of Health and Family Services (1998a). Public health professionals believe that behaviour-change theories arebeneficial in gaining an understanding of the evolution of peoples' foodand nutrition behaviours. Behaviour-change theories are typicallyintegrated into dietary interventions as a means of educating theAustralian population about healthy food choices. However, attempts tochange Australians' food and nutrition behaviours by applying behaviour-change theories have been adiaphorous. Therefore, public health professionals need to explore traditional food and nutrition practices inorder to determine more effective dietary change strategies for the Australian population. Qualitative research is complementary to existing quantitative studies onbehaviour-change. Since qualitative methodologies focus on the whole ofhuman experience and the meaning ascribed by individuals living theexperience, these methodologies permit broader understanding and deeperinsight into complex human behaviours such as food consumption thanwhat might be obtained from grossly measured quantitativeclassifications. Grounded theory was the qualitative methodology chosenfor this study because it allowed me to theorise about the rationale forconsumers' current food choices. Bread and Cereal consumption waschosen as an important staple food group in which to explore thisphenomenon. Thus, this research was designed to discover, understand,and theorise about the rationale for consumers' current Bread and Cerealfood choices. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with22 participants living in South-East Queensland. Adult males and femalesfrom three-generational families of varying ethnicity were recruited frommy personal network of associates. Interviews were analysed usinggrounded theory methodology for data analysis. The resulting Grounded Substantive Theory of Food Autonomy posits thatconsumers have different levels of power when it comes to selecting theBreads and Cereals they want to eat and that their power to choose themis governed by micro- and macroenvironmental forces.Microenvironmental forces envelop sociofamilial powers such as parents,partner, and offspring whereas macroenvironmental forces envelop thesociopolitical powers of the food industry, health professionals, andinstitutions. These forces influence a consumer's capacity to select theBreads and Cereals they want to eat. Consumers engage in the process ofinformation gathering in order to overcome these prevailing influences. The significance of the Grounded Substantive Theory of Food Autonomy asa means for explaining how consumers acquire food autonomy fromprevailing influences in order to eat the Breads and Cereals they desirehas important implications for public health nutrition education andpractice. An understanding of the life long nature underpinning a person'sfood behaviour will help nutrition and dietetic professionals understandbetter the range of change that is likely to be possible, and the best waysto facilitate food autonomy through appropriate education and compatibledietary interventions. Autonomy is not a new concept but when associatedwith food it introduces the public health professional to a paradoxicalperspective for studying consumers' food behaviour, which has beencustomarily looked at via the decision making process of food choice andbehaviour-change theories with adiaphorous effects.

Au Québec, la pandémie de la COVID-19 a entrainé de nombreux questionnements face au système alimentaire, sa durabilité et sa résilience. Cette crise sanitaire a révélé les multiples dépendances de la province, notamment aux importations et à une main- d’œuvre étrangère bon marché, tout en exacerbant les problématiques liées à la distance entre le champ et notre assiette. D’autre part, celle-ci a souligné la fragilité socio- écologique du modèle agricole en place. L’agriculture industrielle met de l’avant plusieurs pratiques aux conséquences destructrices si néfastes pour l’environnement et l’Homme. Devant de tels enjeux, des pratiques alternatives en agriculture ont émergé au Québec dans les dernières décennies, telles que des coopératives agricoles, micro-fermes, l’agriculture urbaine, etc., ainsi que le souhait d’une plus grande autonomie alimentaire pour la province. Seulement, en dépit d’une volonté de limiter l’impact environnemental de l’agriculture sur le territoire québécois, la présence de verrouillages juridico-politiques et socio-économiques limitent le développement de ces alternatives. La présente recherche a déterminé, documenté et analysé la nature de ces verrouillages freinant ou empêchant une transition agroécologique du système alimentaire du Québec. En ayant recours à une revue de la littérature, dix entretiens semi-dirigés avec des acteurs clés du secteur agricole et de l’observation sur le terrain, nous avons documenté et analysé les changements, les réalités et les besoins en agriculture en 2022-2023. Cette étude a contribué à l’évaluation des besoins en agriculture et à l’établissement de stratégies de transformation du système alimentaire du Québec, afin qu’il fasse preuve de durabilité, d’autonomie et de résilience. / In Quebec, the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness about the food system, its sustainability, and resilience. This health crisis revealed the province's multiple dependencies, notably on imports and cheap foreign labor, while exacerbating issues linked to the distance between the field and our plates. It also highlighted the socioecological fragility of the current agricultural model. Industrial agriculture puts forward several practices with destructive consequences that are harmful to the environment and mankind. Faced with such challenges, alternative agricultural practices have emerged in Quebec in recent decades, such as agricultural cooperatives, micro-farms, urban agriculture, etc., as well as the desire for greater food autonomy for the province. However, despite the desire to limit the environmental impact of agriculture in Quebec, the development of these alternatives is hampered by legal, political, and socio-economic lock-ins. This research has determined, documented, and analyzed the nature of these locks hindering or preventing the agroecological transition of Quebec's food system. Using a literature review, ten semi-structured interviews with key actors in the agricultural sector, and field observation, we documented and analyzed the changes, realities, and needs in agriculture in 2022-2023. This study contributed to the assessment of agricultural needs and the establishment of strategies for transforming Quebec's food system so that it demonstrates sustainability, autonomy, and resilience.