Tamika Sims, PhD recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by California Ag Today, the largest ag-focused radio network covering California agricultural news, to talk more about the IFIC Foundation’s 2018 Food and Health Survey and work to communicate about food production and nutrition. Much of the conversation focused on our findings in both 2017 and 2018 that consumers doubt the food choices they make because they receive a lot of conflicting information about food.

In 2018, 80 percent of consumers agreed that there is a lot of conflicting information about what foods to eat or avoid, and 59 percent of that group said conflicting information makes them doubt their food choices. This would indicate that a significant majority of us don’t leave the grocery store patting ourselves on the backs for knowing all we need to know about what’s in our carts.

In addition, consumers in both 2017 and 2018 reported getting information about food from a wide variety of sources, including personal healthcare professionals, friends and family members, or news headlines. But their differing levels of trust in those sources can further contribute to confusion.

Another topic of discussion was consumer consumption of organic and conventionally grown produce: Regardless of which choice you make, both are safe and healthy ways to get more fruits and vegetables into our diets.

You’ve maybe read a previous post or two on this from us. But it bears repeating that both conventionally grown and organic produce require pesticides to protect them from pests, and all of them use federally regulated compounds that are designed to kill or repel insects and other pests. This means that not only are these substances designed to rid foods of pests, but they are also intended to be a part of our food supply chain, which will ultimately yield food we can safely consume after harvesting.

Click here to hear the interview.