The battle against wrong or misleading information about farming and food is taking an encouraging step forward. Although the communication war continues, better-equipped influencers and industry supporters are starting to give allies a leg up. 

The summer is traditionally prime time for agriculture and food awareness. Promotional activities such as farm visits and seasonal fresh food campaigns highlighting the likes of fruit, vegetables and backyard barbecues, shift into high gear. 

The same goes for this year. But there’s more.

Farming and food awareness are experiencing extra, unprecedented momentum from the “elbows up” Canadiana movement. It emerged early in the New Year and has skyrocketed since, thanks to menacing 51st-state comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.

That’s led to public interest like never before. Take Canadian Food Focus (CFF) for example. It’s the only national organization dedicated to improved food literacy from farm to plate for all commodities. Most lately, it’s experiencing a whopping one million engagements a month on its website, canadianfoodfocus.org, up from about 760,000 monthly engagements in 2024.

Dorothy Long, the organization’s managing director, says the U.S. tariff issue sparked increased interest from Canadians about local ingredients and exploring our national culinary identity.

“Canadian Food Focus was able to respond in real time, highlighting seasonal content, classic Canadian dishes, and information on labeling distinctions,” she says. “Consumers are coming to us because we offer the practical, actionable information they are looking for.”

The agri-food sector was more ready than ever for this year’s onslaught. A few years earlier, it experienced a similar spike in homegrown product interest when the threat of food shortages during COVID loomed. Consumers scrambled for credible sources and solid information about the supply chain. That intensified the resolve of Canada’s agri-food sector to explain production here and set the stage for the current surge in interest. 

Today, public engagement efforts such as Canadian Food Focus, Farm & Food Care, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, Agriculture in the Classroom and provincial and commodity organizations, are working together and in their respective areas of expertise to inspire public confidence in the agri-food sector. 

For its part, the produce sector is happy to have established resources in place, says Susan Lewis, vice-president of marketing and events for the Canadian Produce and Marketing Association. She says a well-developed, one-stop operation such as Canadian Food Focus gives consumers opportunities to get answers to specific questions about their food choices and information across the entire agriculture sector. 

“This breadth provides a fuller picture for consumers and showcases the ways the agriculture sector is working together on issues such as sustainable agricultural practices, research and innovations and food safety,” Lewis says. “We value Canadian Food Focus as a third-party validator and amplifier, where Canadians can access information, fruit and vegetables recipes and money-saving tips.”  

Opinion leaders have long been a part of the communications continuum. But with the arrival of social media, bringing the world and its complexities and mysteries closer to us all, influencers have emerged as key players in informing the public about almost everything, including agriculture and food.

However, many of the influencers that people follow for advice about food, such as dietitians and food bloggers, have very little agriculture experience. The same goes for government officials making policy decisions about farming. That creates problems when questions arise about modern technology or emerging farm practices, such as GMOs or regenerative agriculture, or when debates are being held about farm-related legislation for difficult issues such as carbon sequestration and trade.

Through farm visits and discussions with producers, public engagement organizations aim to broaden influencers’ scope. Last month, at a three-day workshop in Saskatchewan hosted by Canadian Food Focus, a group of 20 influencers from across Canada and the U.S. visited commercial farms, food processors, on-farm sales outlets and restaurants. 

Saskatchewan farmer and CFF advisor Clinton Monchuk put modern food production in perspective for workshop participants. “Farmers have to respect the environment, grow things people want, and be profitable,” he said. “If we don’t do all that, we won’t be in business.”