Consumers care a lot about various things when it comes to their food.
Non-GMO. Low-sodium. High fibre. No preservatives. The list goes on.
But when it comes to certified seed, trying to get consumers to care about it is a pipe dream.
Or is it?
In July 2023, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association launched a new campaign to promote the use of certified seed among growers. While the campaign will no doubt help raise awareness of the importance of using quality seed, Sylvain Charlebois says the seed industry could stand to go even further in making the public aware of how important certified seed is.
How to do that? Make it an issue not just among farmers, but consumers at the grocery story level.
Engaging farmers and gaining their support is a crucial challenge, as they rightfully question why they should give up the control they feel they get by using farm-saved seed, and potentially face increased costs that certified seed purchases involve. But according to Charlebois, also known as The Food Professor on social media, making it an issue among consumers is the key to getting farmers onboard.
“Farmers are your customers, not consumers. What I’m arguing is that you need to make a clear case to consumers about why you’re [promoting certified seed]. A clear one. To get farmers to buy into this is going to be difficult. What I’m arguing is that if you get consumers to understand what you’re doing, it’ll be easier upstream to get the customer — the farmer — onboard,” he said.
Charlebois — a researcher and professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University who has a popular podcast about food and related issues — said engaging farmers and gaining their support is a crucial challenge, as they rightfully question why they should give up the control they feel they get by using farm-saved seed and potentially face the increased costs of buying certified seed.
“One of the enduring challenges faced by the food industry is the persistent misunderstanding and undervaluation of its intricacies by consumers,” he said. There’s a disparity between the perception and reality of food production, he explained, illustrating how consumers often fail to grasp the complexities of the industry’s standards, certification programs, and the sheer value of the work farmers and food producers undertake.
“Bridging this perception gap is essential to fostering a more informed and appreciative relationship between consumers and the food industry,” he added.
