Farmers can present all the facts they want on a particular issue but still won’t necessarily change consumers’ minds, says the director of the Missouri-based Centre for Food Integrity.
“Facts don’t rule the day for consumers,” Roxi Beck told the Canadian Bison Association annual convention.
She said consumers are drawn to ideas of people they perceive to be like themselves. Not being an expert won’t stop someone from having a strong opinion and influencing others. These are the challenges producers face when dealing with consumers who no longer receive their in-formation from traditional sources and authorities. The challenges are intensified when consumers have strong personal beliefs about food and agriculture.
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Beck said this doesn’t mean producers can’t get their messages across. It just means they might have to change how they do it.
A survey that the centre did last year found that 34 percent of the 2,005 respondents — half male and half female — believed the food industry was on the right track in establishing trust.
However, 38 percent said it was on the wrong track and 28 percent didn’t know.
“This is a challenge,” Beck said.
“Trust certainly isn’t where we’d like it to be.”
