Farmers need to share themselves, not act like experts, if they want to win consumers’ trust.
That was a theme that ran through a discussion about consumer trust during Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting.
Consumers trust people they relate to.
“It actually has nothing to do with education, or it can’t be framed that way,” said Donalee Jones, a Carberry, Man., farmer and producer of Great Tastes of Manitoba, which promotes Manitoba-made ingredients and foods.
Most consumers don’t want to be assaulted with a lot of facts and information, she said.
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“They will shut down,” said Jones.
Instead, they want to know about the people who create their food and what motivates them.
“We have to tell those stories,” said Jones. “We have to connect on that level.”
Farmer Curtis McRae, who is also an engineer, said trust in the food system is similar to the trust people place in bridges. People don’t worry about whether a bridge will stay up as they drive across it, until they lose confidence. That loss can be complete.
“Once you lose it, it’s hard to gain back,” said McRae.
Brenna Mahoney, KAP’s general manager, said farmers are most effective with the public when they share their lives, as McRae does through social media. People in the city can relate to people in the country through shared values.
Trust is a complicated matter, with consumers having contrasting feelings toward closely related players. John Jamieson, president of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, noted that consumers have little trust in what politicians say, but retain trust in the regulatory agencies that oversee food and health.
Consumers are buffeted by concerns over sustainability as well as food affordability. It’s a challenging situation, but a human connection can bridge the concerns.
“It’s really about building that connection through values,” said Jamieson.
