Consumers overwhelmed by information on the agrifood system

  • National Newswatch

Many have out of date view of who farmers are.Ottawa—While Canada's food system retained customer confidence through the pandemic, research by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) found consumers feel overwhelmed by the amount of information about food issues.While recent surveys on public trust in the food system found a decline in people who think it's headed in the right direction, that's matched by an increase in those who are overwhelmed by all the information they receive on agriculture and food.Many Canadians struggle to decide what information about the food system is trustworthy and CCFI thinks that's because of a lack of transparency. “Although there are numerous credible sources available for information about the food system, the information doesn't appear transparent due to the vast amount of conflicting misinformation. Canadians are overwhelmed and don't know what information to trust.”On a positive note, “the vast majority of respondents indicated that they did not feel it was more difficult to get the food they wanted since the pandemic, with some even indicating it was easier. This is a win for the food system, but it also reflects that, although the global pandemic has greatly affected each and every Canadian – public trust in the food system has not been altered.”While it's understood that farmers and food processors need to make money to stay in business, there is a concern that profit is the sole motivator. “The rising cost of food and food affordability are key issues among Canadians and the fear of a profit driven system is supporting these concerns.” As well, sustainability and environmental concerns have gained prominence among consumers, CCFI said.While the surveys found Canadians trust farmers, they want to hear from them “about how their food is produced, their food fears and everything in between,” CCFI said.It asked in the surveys what farmers look like to consumers. The top responses include weathered, simple, and man.“These results reflect the imagery that is currently being presented and demonstrate how Canadians view the food system. Results also indicated that respondents do not feel this is representative of the farming community today.”While there is concern that healthy food might be becoming too expensive for many Canadians, there is a “significant decrease in concern over pesticides used in crop production, food from genetically engineered crops, antibiotic use in animal production, and the point of view that organic food is healthier.”They also generally trust food produced in Canada more than they trust food produced outside of the country. However there was declining trust in food inspection systems, whether meat is humanely produced and those who think that Canadian farmers are good stewards of the environment.

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