Milk has long played an important role in American society and remains a popular staple of many Americans’ diets. Yet, despite its long standing popularity, the role of milk within American society has begun to develop new meaning in recent years. This paper aims to understand the symbolism that today’s Americans ascribe to milk. Academic journal articles, advertising campaigns, online articles, and government policy pertaining to milk were researched in order to identify the themes that characterize consumers’ perceptions of milk. In recognition of the diverse types of milk that are now accessible to many Americans, this paper uses the word “milk” to refer to cow-derived, fluid (liquid) dairy unless otherwise specified. This research reveals eleven principal themes that describe consumers’ perceptions of milk: milk symbolizes health, American values, is associated with athleticism, is unhealthy, is not preferable to plant-based alternatives, is bad for the environment, is animal cruelty, represents white supremacy, is anti-feminist, is reflective of consumer lifestyles, and there is a general trend of consumers being uninformed about the milk that they consume. This research helps to understand consumers; therefore, this research can be used to help dairy-related industries shape their business strategies and target their customer segment and to help policymakers design effective dairy-related policies. Furthermore, this paper invites further research to identify the consumers that hold the beliefs this research describes, and the extent to which these consumers share said beliefs.

In this project, I analyze representative samples from three different fashion brands’ sustainability-related informational materials provided to the public through their websites, annual reports, and clothing tags that promote the company’s environmental initiatives. The three companies were chosen because they each represent global fashion- they are all extremely large, popular, and prevalent brands. These materials are evaluated against three frameworks for identifying deceptive greenwashing claims. I identify instances in which these frameworks are successful in categorizing deceptive claims from these companies as well as instances in which they appear to be vulnerable. To address the vulnerabilities I discover in the three existing frameworks for identifying greenwashing, I propose six new guidelines to be used in conjunction with these frameworks that will help to ensure that consumers can have a more ample toolbox to identify deceptive sustainability claims.

Food is one of the most universal and uniting human experiences. It is a powerful tool to bring communities together and it is a simple way to bring joy to an individual. This project is an exercise in marketing and entrepreneurship that was inspired by these ideas, which culminated in a fundraiser bake sale to benefit Creighton Community Foundation, a local nonprofit.