Probiotics, prebiotics, omega 3, omega 6 – the terms are common in food advertisements and labels.
But nutritionist Rosie Schwartz says consumers often don’t know what they mean and sometimes the terms are meaningless.
However, she added, that doesn’t mean they aren’t influencing buying decisions and agricultural markets.
Schwartz told the recent Western Nutrition Conference in Saskatoon that the messages consumers receive about farms, food, its safety and production are not as positive as they once were and are often crafted to confuse consumers who are looking for health and nutrition information.
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“People eat cheese made from raw milk and savour it despite the risks (of listeria). Then they avoid buying something healthy like spinach because it was blamed with causing a few illnesses,” she said.
The Ontario author and consultant said the agriculture and food industry can take steps to separate myths from realities, but it needs to move quickly.
“Communicating accurate information to consumers is a challenge. Milk is a prime example,” she said.
Consumer demand for organic milk has jumped dramatically because of the American use of bovine somatotropin (BST) in dairy herds to increase production. The product isn’t registered for use in Canada.
American media coverage of BST and perceived health and animal safety concerns have prompted Canadian consumers to buy more organic milk because they don’t understand that the hormone isn’t used in this country.
Schwartz said the problems don’t stop with misunderstandings about food safety.
“They don’t see food as being the source of proper nutrition. It might be illogical, but the consumer would prefer to turn to a dietary supplement. Not enough iron in your diet, young lady, take a pill. They do this instead of increasing the amount of meat they eat.”
She said zinc and iron are two examples of how people commonly feel they need to add supplements to improve their health.
Schwartz said eating meat and cheese balances and stabilizes blood sugar, another area where consumers feel their daily diets are shortchanged.
She said one area that is growing in legitimate popularity with consumers is the increase in demand for food high in omega 3 fatty acids.
“One hundred years ago we had a better balance in omega 3 and omega 6 in our diets. Today we have inadvertently eliminated much of it. But there is research that is showing we can improve our health by increasing in our foods,” she said.
“Grass fed beef and lamb, flax fed pork, dairy and poultry products. Higher omega 3 in the diet appears to reduce arrhythmia and inflamed arteries that result in fatal heart attacks … and improves neural development in fetuses.”
The safety of food imported from China is a consumer concern along with E. coli contamination of vegetables, such as spinach.
A Canadian beef farm with operations in Ontario and Saskatchewan that uses a new E. coli 0157:H7 vaccine is using the vaccine in its marketing campaign.
Schwartz said Canadian consumers want safe and healthy food and balanced diets. She said agriculture industries have an opportunity to become the source for factual information about healthy food produced in a sustainable manner, but it requires investment and a co-ordinated effort on the part of producers.
“You can’t wait for others to speak for you. Your interests may not be their interests,” she said.
