The US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is hosting Food Dialogues: Chicago. The event (scheduled June 10 in the Windy City) will tackle the challenges of communicating about food production to a curious, concerned public.
Telling the story
Nancy Kavazanjian, USFRA vice chairperson, told FoodProductionDaily the public’s desire to know as much as they can about where their food is grown, how it’s raised, and what’s in the packaging containing it cannot go unanswered.
“It's incumbent on every member of the food industry to be transparent on how food is grown, raised and made," she said. “Our goal is for a wide variety of food companies to help us to explore how food is marketed.”
Curious consumers
USFRA research indicates approximately 60% of consumers feel it is vital for food firms, retailers, foodservice professionals, and others on the supply chain to be up front about how the edibles they sell are grown and made. The event is designed to provide a platform for food professionals at every level to hammer out concerns on such complex food production issues, without confusing or alarming the shopping public.
Additionally, food executives and marketing gurus will offer advice and case histories on fostering consumer communication. Attendees will hear how to harness marketing tools (such as social media, video campaigns, and other electronic communications) to spread the word.
"USFRA succeeds in bringing communities together to have important conversations about how food is grown and raised and marketed in the U.S. today, whether they're easy conversations or not," said Randy Krotz, CEO of USFRA.