As a registered dietitian, I spend a lot of time talking to people about food choices – what to eat more, how to make a plan to have healthy foods at home and meal preparation to happen and how to navigate frequently by confusing or contradictory nutrition tips. A concern I hear more often than ever by customers and consumers is around the safety of our fresh products: How is it cultivated? Is it safe to eat?
That’s why I was so happy that I attended 2025 Safe fruits and vegetableshosted by the Alliance for food and agriculture (AFF) On the Peninsula of Monterey, California, often referred to as “Bowl Salad of the World”. Just a 2 -hour flight under where I live in Seattle, this is an area that grows much of the leaf of green, fraud and vegetables of the nation. The tour offers a unique opportunity for Dietetic Communications like I go straight to the source. Did you know that 90% of the strawberry we eat in the US come from California? So cool!
Fear of events in the production hallway
We know from recent consumer research that security concerns from recall and information (misinformation?) Online can lead people to completely avoid certain fruits and vegetables. Recently, my customers have told me that they avoid foods such as spinach and spinach due to recovery and food safety worries. What happens is, instead of increasing the intake of products, which we know that it supports long -term health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases, consumers may end up omitting it completely due to uncertainty or mistrust. This hurts my heart.
In my tour, I had to learn about the Safe fruits and vegetables The campaign, an ongoing AFF project aimed at providing transparent, scientific information on how fruits and vegetables are developed and regulated. Their work has their roots in evaluating toxicology and risk assessment. It was amazing to spend so much time with researchers and farmers on this trip. It is difficult to understand what really is, unless you are out in the field and processing facilities, seeing how food is produced in real time.
To take our hands dirty in the field
AFF’s 2025 tour included visits to the field in farms that produce leafy green, vegetables such as rabe broccoli and strawberries. My colleagues and I have met with farmers and other sustainability-efficiency, pest control experts, etc., seeking the opportunity to see firsthand the challenges and innovations involved in the development of safe, nutritional foods.
In addition to the products, this tour included something so incredible – access to scientists and experts on food safety working in regulation, toxicology and environmental health. This type of immediate dedication is important, especially when misinformation of agricultural practices is so common at the moment.
I even got to choose my own strawberry carton and check them for quality. Only a couple thrown out ☺ Looking at the workers running through the fields in the background, as I chose one carton, he really put the incredible work that people do to get food on our tables in perspective. Deep respect for all people out there who work on farms, choosing our food!
We need to observe hand -harming workers and also helped new machinery. I was so happy to see it when machines come, workers continue to work, but in different ways. There are many people who still harvest, but instead of walking through the mud in the fields, they are on the machine working under shade and more upright – there have been some really exciting changes that are good for our farmers.
Dietitian still tells you “Eat your vegetables!”
As food professionals, we support increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Because I specialize in cancer care, I think I have even more questions about it, because my customers have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but they should also keep food safety during treatment.
The answers are not always simple but supported by data. The consensus between toxicologists, USDA and FDA is that both organic and conventional cultivated products are safe to consume and contribute positively to nutritional quality. I really made great great episode podcast With colleagues Rdn Melissa Joy Dobbins last year for some exciting research on the positive results of consuming more products.
When fear leads to avoidance, especially among communities already struggling with access to fresh food, we lose ground in public health. Watching events such as AFF tour – and listening directly from people working in the ground and laboratory – give professionals such as us to deal with misinformation with clarity and compassion.
If you need some ideas on how to integrate more products in a delicious way, I have hundreds of them on the blog. Some inspired by my week at Monterey:
Low Cream
Broccoli rosemary
Lemon Kale Caesar Salad
Vegan zucchini
Reconstruction of trust in our food system
One of the most powerful things for this tour is its focus on transparency. With the opening of farms to professionals, allowing real -time dialogue with growers and researchers and showing first -hand food safety practices, AFF has helped to demystify a process that many people have been disconnected for me this week.
It also gives dieticians and other healthcare providers an immediate line to ask questions and observe procedures in which they are often exposed only through regulatory reports or used materials.
THE 2025 Safe fruits and vegetables funded by organizations representing various parts of the food and agricultural production system, including Strawberry Committee of California; D’Arrigo bros; International Association of Fresh Producers; Western cultivators Association. I really liked to spend time with these professionals and outside the farms!
Consumer fears – and my patients’ questions – about food safety are real and affect behavior in the way we eat products. Events such as this farm tour remind us of the complexity of the food system, as well as its commitment to safety, innovation and quality. It was fun to get out of my office this week and get into the race because, after all, what we are talking about when working together is food.
For more information, visit www.safefruitsandveggies.com or explore resources supported by science in alliance for food and agriculture. Pour me any questions you have for the trip below!
