Consumers are more worried than ever about the safety of their meat and poultry products, which brings a challenge to those who produce the products.
Amber Pankonin, a nutrition and agriculture communications consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, discussed a variety of food fears and how to best reach those who may have anxieties about the meat and poultry they purchase for their families at the recent at Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit.
Pankonin points out that due to the growing use of social media, consumers' fears are being fed by people who may not be very knowledgeable about how food is produced and processed, and therefore a lot of the information out there is false.
Amber Pankonin discusses how to have conversations with consumers to ease fears about food. | Roy Graber
As people involved in the production of meat and poultry are faced with people who have food safety fears, Pankonin suggests four ways they can be more effective in dispelling myths about meat and poultry, such as the false premise that birds are fed large amounts of hormones for growth promotion and that could affect childrens' growth, when in fact it is unlawful to give hormones to poultry.
Those four ways are:
- Listen for an opportunity
- Find the shared value
- Ask permission
- Share your story and the science
Not all consumers are willing to hear other points of view, Pankonin cautioned. Some have feelings that are so strong, they won’t budge on their opinions. Those on the other end of the spectrum simply don’t care. Pankonin says it is best to focus on the moveable middle.
Her recommendations can apply to both in-person conversations or through online interactions. Pankonin’s advice is further explained in the infographic shown below.
