The New Social Subject of Responsible Consumption: Case of Food Products in the City of Quito

This project addresses the issue of the lack of a defined profile for the socially responsible consumer, which facilitates induction into consumerism by the marketing strategies of globalized capitalism. The study aims to identify the ideological and strategic components of this consumer as a pillar of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and sustainable development, contrasting consumerism with epistemological alternatives such as Critical Theory, Philosophy of Liberation, and the Epistemology of the South, which promote values like Sumak Kawsay (Good Living). The research focuses on the processed food products sector in Quito, analyzing socioeconomic strata with purchasing power (high to medium-low). The methodology employed is mixed (qualitative and quantitative), involving the design, application, and analysis of surveys and interviews with a stratified sample of 384 households, based on the categories of the INEN basic family basket. The ultimate goal is to conceptualize the profile of competencies for the responsible consumer to foster a social transformation detached from the logic of capital accumulation and focused on the reproduction of life.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>To characterize the elements that constitute the profile of the socially responsible consumer, viewing this profile as a key ideological factor within the Social and Solidarity Economy and a strategic agent for sustainable development, specifically within the processed food products sector in the city of Quito.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Popular economy, popular finance and MSMEs