CommonGround volunteer goes the extra mile to help consumers understand agriculture
The man didn’t know how a carrot grew.
That was the moment when Jen Haugen, a registered dietician and CommonGround volunteer in Austin, Minnesota, truly realized how far removed so many are from agriculture.
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“A news channel covered the garden program I launched with my then-employer, Hy-Vee,” says Haugen.
While the program was meant to help teach children about where their food comes from, some adults needed teaching too.
“The reporter literally didn’t know how a carrot grew,” says Haugen. “I thought, ‘This is unbelievable.'”
What’s normal for someone like Haugen, who grew up on a farm, isn’t the norm for most. Whether it’s carrots, cattle, spaghetti or soybeans, many people have no idea how their food is produced. That disconnect has bred fear and uncertainty in consumers, she says.
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“Even in my professional organizations, I see dieticians with opinion-based views on food,” says Haugen.
So she started a blog. And did a TEDx Talk. She also volunteers for CommonGround, a network of farm women connecting with urban and suburban moms about what they feed their families.
“My goal is to reach consumers with correct, science-based information about food and nutrition,” she explains.
“I get a lot of questions about biotechnology,” Haugen says. “In response, I did a four-part blog series on GMOs. It’s a controversial topic, but I’m confident in the information I provide.”
And Haugen has found that backing information with personal testimony makes all the difference.
“We all have shared values. We all want to take care of our families,” she says. “When we put faces and experiences behind farming, consumers feel connected.”
That idea of being transparent is the same proactive approach Haugen recommends for a maintaining healthy lifestyle.
“I see a positive perception shift happening,” she says. “Rather than allow the conversations to happen without us, we need to supply consumers with the right information so we can keep the trend going.”
Visit www.JenHaugen.com for more.
Photo courtesy of Hy-Vee.