Food Facts—Whom do you Trust?

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As consumers, we buy food, cook food, eat food, read about food, watch movies and television shows about food, and certainly talk about food.

A magazine article really got me thinking about who is talking about food and who is listening to them?

Country music star Carrie Underwood was the focus of a SELF magazine cover story. In the article, she said she loves to eat and talk about food. She also said she’s 95 percent vegan because she is concerned about where her food comes from. If she had her way, Underwood said she would “have webcams wherever food is processed so I’d know how clean it is.”

In a letter to the editor in response to Underwood’s comments, a reader said she was disappointed in the singer’s portrayal of animal agriculture. As a farmer, this reader knows her family works hard to ensure their livestock receives the best possible care because it is the right thing to do, not just to make money.

I must admit, I like Underwood’s singing, but I prefer to get my food science facts from a genuine farmer.

Because many consumers don’t have a deep understanding of where their food comes from, it is the job of agriculture organizations to tell them.

If you’re a fan of listening to St. Louis Cardinals baseball games on KMOX radio, you’ll hear commercials from Missouri Farmers Care, a joint effort by Missouri’s farming and agriculture community to stand together for farmers. Food consumers can submit questions on the Missouri Farmers Care Facebook page, and real farmers will answer them.

CommonGround is a program run by a group of volunteer farm women who start conversations between women who grow food and the women who buy it. They cover topics such as animal welfare, local and organic food, food safety, GM crops, GM foods, and family farms.

Best Food Facts connects food consumers with food system experts and scientists around the country to facilitate dialogue about today’s food.

Given the amount of time and resources we put into it and the nutrition and enjoyment we get out of it, whom do you trust to give you the facts about your food?

  • Ashley Pitlyk

    Great post Julie! It’s great to see so many ag-related groups are making a real effort to create awareness about the way our food is produced. Transparency is always the best policy in my book.

  • Roxi Beck – Best Food Facts Manager

    Hi Julie, Thank you very much for the mention! As you said, we connect consumers directly with the experts in an effort to help them understand how food comes to their plate. We cover all aspects of food, from the farm to processing, distributing and consuming – no question on food is out of bounds. We work with over 130 experts to get answers for your questions. Should you – or your readers – ever have the need to be linked up with an expert, please let me know – I’m happy to help!