By Greg Nikkel
Producers can play a big role in helping build trust in the minds of consumers about Canada’s agricultural industry and the production of food, chamber members and farmers were told at the Farmer Appreciation Banquet hosted by the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 1 at McKenna Hall.
The Golden Sheaf Award was presented the same evening, with Dave and Pat May of Mayview Farms named the 2016 award winners.
The guest speaker for the evening was Marty Seymour, the director of Industry and Stakeholder Relations for Farm Credit Canada, and the former CEO of the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
The public’s trust in how food is produced in Canada is sometimes shaky when misinformation is given to consumers, and Seymour explained that farmers have a huge part to play in building that trust back up.
Part of that mistrust arises from the fact that a much smaller portion of the average income goes towards food costs in Canada as opposed to a Third World country, noting as an example, the average Canadian household spends about 8.8 per cent of their household income on food, while in a country like Morocco, 40 per cent of their income goes towards food.
Residents in Morocco are far less likely to worry about how their food is produced “if you’re too busy trying to figure out how to feed yourself,” said Seymour, pointing out that the Internet, and in particular social media, plays a huge role in the perceptions that consumers have.
With at least half of the planet’s 7.3 billion residents using the Internet, he said, “trust has more currency than science.”
According to research, the most trust in terms of food retailers is associated with brands, and in Canada, the number one brand is Tim Horton’s, followed by President’s Choice foods in the number two spot.
“These brands have a huge impact on the ag industry,” said Seymour, pointing out that marketing has boosted sales of hamburgers at A&W and the new all-day breakfast menu at McDonalds in Canada.
The marketing is geared towards the “Millenials” demographic, he said, and their way of thinking is completely different from Baby Boomers, mostly due to their prevalent use of social media sites and the Internet.
The differences can be seen in the amount of money they spend on meat, for example, as Seymour noted Baby Boomers spend an average of $93 a month on meat, while Millenials will spend $162 a month, and how they spend that money is driven by the public perception about the health and safety of food products.
In a survey about who consumers trust the most, farmers topped the list at 69 per cent, ahead of doctors and teachers at 65 per cent, family at 62 per cent, and humane societies at 59 per cent.
“We’re playing a little bit of catchup. All we have to do is tell consumers about what we do,” said Seymour. “We can have a lot of impact. We have a good story to tell.”
If a producer gets confronted by a person who doesn’t share their views about what is or isn’t healthy to eat, he said it’s important for a producer to “leave a positive impression about what you’re doing. It’s the start of the conversation to build trust.”
One easy way to let people know about the trustworthiness of the ag industry is for farmers to make posts on sites like Facebook about what they do and grow.
“If you’re not comfortable posting something, but you see something you like (from someone else), repost it,” said Seymour. “Why should we care? Because it’s a big deal. … To me, doing nothing is not an option.”
For producers and consumers alike, he advised them to grow their knowledge about agriculture. “It impacts you in ways you may not realize. Talk about food, and learn more.”
