The following is reprinted with permission from the Animal Agriculture Alliance in the United States (www.animalalliance.org). For its full collection of Meatless Monday resources, visit  http://animalagalliance.org/current/home.cfm?Section=Meatless_Monday&Category=Current_Issues.

The Myth of Meatless Mondays – Alleviating the Consumer’s Conscience Without Affecting Climate Change
Judith L. Capper, PhD, Washington State University

In July, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a report claiming that everybody should eat less meatand dairy products in order to mitigate climate change. It was an interesting report, not least because it recommended that if consumers were going to eat meat, they should choose “meat, eggs and dairy products that are certified organic, humane and/or grass-fed as they are generally the least environmentally damaging”. Working within the sustainability arena, I firmly believe that any production system has a role within agriculture provided that it is environmentally conscientious, economically viable and socially acceptable. However, the EWG’s promotion of organic or grass-fed systems as having a low environmental impact is ironic given that such systems actually have a greater carbon footprint per unit of meat or milk produced compared to their conventional counterparts.

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Posted by FFC on October 6th, 2011 :: Filed under Activism,Beef cattle,Feeding the world,Global Warming,Meatless Monday,Misconceptions,Organics,Sheep,Vegetarian
Tags :: activists, beef, Consumers, environment, meatless Monday, misconceptions, organic, Research, sheep, Vegetarian

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By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and Food commentator

A few blogs ago I wrote about a U.S. listing of dirty jobs that no one wants. That list included several that were ag-related. Unbeknownst to me, a study has also been done here in Canada. The results of the Farm Credit Canada survey were recently released. And it is not good news for attracting new entrants to the farming sector.

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Posted by FFC on October 3rd, 2011 :: Filed under Consumers,Food,Speaking out
Tags :: agriculture, Canada, Consumers, Farmers, food

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By Leslie Ballentine, Farm and food commentator

The local fair means more than just Ferris Wheels and Beaver Tails- they are also the chance for neighbour to meet neighbour and city to meet country.  They are a part of our national heritage and culture. Fairs have been organized in Canada by local Agricultural Societies for more than a century. Though fairs (and farms) do look different than they did 100 years ago, they continue to serve many of the same purposes.

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Posted by FFC on September 26th, 2011 :: Filed under Consumers,Education and public awareness,Food,Rodeos
Tags :: agriculture, Canada, Consumers, education

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By: Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator

A recent news item in the Vancouver press illustrates why we need to be critical of what we read, regardless of who it comes from. This particular news story highlighted the growing demand for animal welfare certified foods in B.C. To her credit the journalist went to a noted expert rather than a vested marketer to write her story. In this case she cites UBC professor of applied ethics and long-time welfare researcher David Fraser.  According to her reporting, the animal welfare expert says the move (to certified humane) is part of a larger consumer trend of rejecting products from factory farms.

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Posted by FFC on August 22nd, 2011 :: Filed under Consumers,eggs,Food,Media,Organics
Tags :: Consumers, eggs, Media

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by Patricia Grotenhuis, Lifelong farmer and agricultural advocate

When talking about global food production and global food requirements, calories are often used as the unit of measurement.  You may hear statements such as “there are enough calories produced to feed the entire world”.
How are those calories distributed, though?  On average, North Americans eat more calories than they require…a lot more.  In other countries, people eat a lot less than their body requires, which leads to hunger problems.  Even if they were distributed equally across all countries, simply looking at calories is not enough to gauge whether or not people will be getting what they need from food.

Malnourished used to be used strictly to refer to people who were going hungry, but now, it can also be applied to people who always have enough to eat.  Why?  It is all in the calories we consume.  If a person eats prepared foods or fast food on a regular basis, they may obtain an entire day’s worth of calories in one meal!  If just calories are considered, it looks as if they are doing quite well.  If you start looking at the rest of the Nutrition Facts labels for the food they ate, you will see a very different story.  None of the other nutrients are being consumed in the proper ratios.  Fat, sodium, carbohydrates and sugars are often high, while fibre, vitamins and minerals are low.

As consumers, we have to start educating ourselves on how to read the nutrition information on our food labels and learn how to make healthier choices.  Talk to a registered dietician or your doctor about making simple changes in your eating habits to stay healthy.

It is a hard adjustment to make.  I have been trying for years, especially since becoming a mom.  Even though I know how my family should be eating, I find myself longing for those chocolates or, the odd time, picking up prepared foods because they seem so fast.  Our society is so dependent on these prepared foods that it can seem impossible to cut them out completely.

If we are going to improve our health and combat malnutrition, we have to find ways to make the necessary dietary changes, though.  It could be as simple as not walking down the junk food aisle at the grocery store so you will not be tempted to buy any, or replacing your regular afternoon snack with some fruit and yogurt, but we have to start somewhere.

While looking for good, wholesome foods, reach out to the farmers in your area.  No one can tell you better about what is in the food you are buying than the person who raised the crops and animals.  Take advantage of local food maps, farmers’ markets, and on-farm stores to begin fighting malnutrition.  You might just find a new favourite food or learn about agricultural practices in the process!

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Posted by FFC on August 19th, 2011 :: Filed under Feeding the world
Tags :: Consumers, education, food

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By: Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator

I remember my marketing professor telling the class that: “People are motivated by their own interests, not yours.” So that means it’s important to meet their demands and pay attention to their opinions— discerningly.

It’s not that we in the farming and food communities shouldn’t listen to customers or place special emphasis on understanding their wants and needs, concerns and complaints. It’s that we should do so with discretion: Sometimes the customer is just plain wrong.

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Posted by FFC on August 15th, 2011 :: Filed under Consumers,Economics,Sustainability
Tags :: Consumers, environment, sustainability

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By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator

Recalls happen either because a company finds a problem on its own or is informed of a problem by someone else, after the product has gone out the door. For farmers and food companies, prevention is the ticket to avoiding these events as well as the financial and public relations fallout associated with an outbreak of food-borne illness. To avoid food recalls means starting at the farm.

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Posted by FFC on June 20th, 2011 :: Filed under Canada,Consumers,eggs,Food safety,Meat/slaughter plants
Tags :: Consumers, diet, food safety, meat

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By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator

Fact:  There is no such thing as “zero risk”.

Canadians, unlike other parts of the world, enjoy one of the safest, most abundant and diverse food supplies. We don’t know empty shelves or tapeworms.  But despite that, I think it is only reasonable to expect more food recalls in the future.

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Posted by FFC on June 13th, 2011 :: Filed under Canada,Consumers,Food safety
Tags :: agriculture, Canada, Consumers, food, food safety

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We think this Canadian student’s passion for farming and his willingness to talk openly to others is an inspiration. In the last few months, he has spoken to hundreds of students at a Woodstock-area high school about food and farming. Keep reading to hear Rudi’s story.

by Patricia Grotenhuis, Lifelong farmer and agricultural advocate.

When Rudi Spruit attended a recent conference of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario and saw a presentation about the misinformation consumers have about agriculture and food, he knew he wanted to do something to help spread the right information. “There are lots of misconceptions. Even teachers have some. I try to encourage others to learn,” says Spruit, a young farmer from Ontario.

What has evolved from an idea formed in March has turned into a 50 minute presentation made to various classes at Spruit’s school. So far, Spruit estimates he has presented to 300 students from his 850 student school. Spruit says there are a total of between 20 and 25 farmers attending the school.

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Posted by FFC on June 6th, 2011 :: Filed under Canada,Dairy cattle,Education and public awareness,Misconceptions,Pigs,Speaking out,Urban Myths
Tags :: Canada, Consumers, education, Farmers, misconceptions

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By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator

When it comes to food marketing, I’m starting to believe that both consumers and farmers may be getting the short end of the stick.

Perhaps farmers have been too focused on what they do best; producing an abundant and generally safe supply of food at a reasonable price to consumers, to worry about misleading advertising.  Perhaps consumers don’t know enough about farm practices to see past the marketing hype to be able to make an informed purchasing choice.

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Posted by FFC on May 5th, 2011 :: Filed under Chickens,Consumers,Misconceptions,Poultry,Sustainability,Urban Myths
Tags :: chicken, Consumers, diet, food, Poultry

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