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5-25-10 – Food Terminology

 
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Hi this is Nebraska Farm Bureau's Ag News Now Radio Service, I’m Tina
Henderson.



 



Now here is today’s Farm Bureau
View program it is coming to you in 3…2…1…



 



A medical
expert for NBC’s Today Show probably confused a lot of viewers when she said
consumers could avoid a certain type of pesticide by buying locally grown and
in season fruits and vegetables. Here to talk more about this misconception is Curtis
Miller director of education with the American Farm Bureau Foundation for
Agriculture.



 



The report runs 2:50.



 



Curtis thanks for joining me on today’s program!



 



Question 1                     THESE DAYS CONSUMERS ARE
PAYING



MORE
ATTENTION TO THEIR FOOD – WHERE IT’S FROM, HOW IT’S GROWN, WHAT IT’S MADE OF.
That’s good, but is some of the information out there confusing consumers?



 



CURTIS
MILLER (AFB FOUNDATION DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION) :   A LOT OF THE FARMERS THAT GROW OUR FOOD AND RAISE THE ANIMALS GET
FRUSTRATED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TERMINOLOGY THAT GETS THROWN AROUND BY PEOPLE. I
THINK THEY’RE NOT DOING THE FOOD SUPPLY OR PEOPLE WHO BUY FOOD ANY FAVORS BY
MISUSING THE TERMINOLOGY OR USING IT LOOSELY. 
AND I KNOW OUR PRODUCERS WOULD RATHER HAVE AN INFORMED CONSUMER THAT
COULD MAKE A GOOD CHOICE RATHER THAN A CONFUSED CONSUMER.



 



Question 2                     The one word that is
confusing a lot of people is



the
word Organic! Can you explain what organic means.



 



MILLER:
   IN A GENERAL SENSE, TO GROW
ORGANICALLY, PRODUCERS DO NOT USE MAN-MADE PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS.  THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DO NOT USE ANY
PESTICIDES OR FERTILIZERS, IT JUST MEANS THAT THEY DO NOT USE SYNTHETIC MEANS.



 



 



Question 3                     ORGANIC FARMERS ALSO DO NOT
USE



BIOTECHNOLOGY.  BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE EXPERTS WHO SAY LOCALLY
GROWN FOOD IS BETTER FOR YOU?



 



MILLER:
   I THINK THE LOCALLY GROWN FOOD MOVEMENT
HAS SOME BENEFITS AND SOME DRAWBACKS. ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT CONSUMERS HAVE
IS HOW FAR IS MY FOOD TRAVELING THAT I PURCHASED?  AND I THINK THAT’S A VALID CONCERN WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT THE CARBON FOOTPRINT FOR PRODUCING A TOMATO AND CONSUMING IT.  IT’S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.  THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT IF I WANT
TO HAVE A TOMATO IN WISCONSIN IN JANUARY, I’M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUY
LOCALLY GROWN.  THE NICE THING ABOUT THE
UNITED STATES IS THAT WE HAVE DIVERSE CLIMATES AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GROW
FOOD YEAR ROUND IN SOME STATES.  SO
LOCALLY GROWN HAS ITS ADVANTAGES AND HAS ITS BENEFITS, BUT ISN’T ALWAYS THE
RIGHT ANSWER.



 



Question 4                     AND WHILE locally grown
foods SUPPORTS



LOCAL
FARMERS, IT DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THAT FOOD WAS GROWN. What should
consumers do before buying anything?



 



MILLER:
   READING YOUR LABELS AND UNDERSTANDING
WHAT THAT TERMINOLOGY MEANS MAKES YOU AN INFORMED CONSUMER AND HELPS YOU MAKE
GOOD CHOICES.   WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO THE
FARMERS’ MARKET ASK THEM " WHAT DOES THIS TERM MEAN THAT’S ON YOUR
SIGN?" AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL PRODUCERS. 
WE ARE OBVIOUSLY FOR THAT.  BUT
THERE CAN BE LOCAL PRODUCERS FOUND IN YOUR OWN GROCERY STORES AND YOUR LARGER
RETAIL OUTLETS AS WELL.



 



Curtis thanks for joining me!



 



Thanks
for Listening!