Food is at the center of so many traditions. Food is essential to our bodies. Food deserves to be celebrated, enjoyed and shared.

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2 Food is at the center of so many traditions. Food is essential to our bodies. Food deserves to be celebrated, enjoyed and shared. The same could be said about the truth in food. Why Food Truths from Farm to Table? I wrote this book because I care about honoring the truth. I care about choice both on the plate AND on the farm. I care about parents not feeling guilty when they can t afford the right label grocery store. I care about people not being judged because of what is on their plate or in their grocery bag. I care how instant experts are disparaging farmers and ranchers without knowing what they re talking about. I care that timecrunched consumers can buy food regardless of the brand with confidence it is safe. I care about children understanding marketing on their food and knowing the real truth in how food is raised. I care about getting back to the

3 truth in food raised the right way by the right people for the right reasons. After a lifetime as a farm girl and 15 years of working as a professional speaker to bring people together around the plate, I thought the confusion and emotional hysteria around food would die down. I hoped the activists manipulating food companies and consumer minds would move on. I expected journalists with no agricultural background would be called out for their one-sided writing. I assumed people would see through marketing claims being made on food labels. I figured facts would prevail over shoddy science. I was wrong. The confusion and emotional battleground continues. The marketing is getting bigger. The misinformation grows. Activists continue to bully. Celebrities and politicians take opinion-based positions instead of looking at the facts. As a result

4 of all of this, food buyers are filled with guilt, confusion and overwhelm. And the people growing food are left to wonder what happened. The food hysteria is not going away, it s getting worse. Let s make this simple; food is a basic necessity. We eat to sustain life. Not to make a political statement. Not as a status symbol. Not because of a claim on a package. Food is sustenance. Hopefully the 55+ contributors of Food Truths will remind us of this fundamental belief by addressing myths in each grocery aisle. My hope is that this book will help you turn food confusion into clarity so you have confidence in the food you prepare and serve to your family is safe, healthy and nourishing. Here s a peek into Food Truths from Farm to Table!

5 Table of Contents Ch. 1 Take guilt off your food list Section 1 Dairy: Milk was once considered the standby beverage of choice to grow healthy kids. Now questions abound about whether milk is making our kids fat, causing breast development by first grade or adding antibiotics to our diet. The truths inside the dairy case may surprise you! Ch. 2 Are happy cows on drugs harming my kids? Ch. 3 Your milk is not filled with antibiotics

6 Ch. 4 Animal welfare is 24-hour care Ch. 5 Are confined spaces cruel? Ch. 6 Is organic the utopia? Section 2 Eggs: How many choices can fit in one small space? 36 different types of egg label claims in a less than 10-foot area points out the overwhelm of eggs; this will help guide you to finding the right egg for your family in spite of the guilt-laden labels. Ch. 7 Animal care, in context Ch. 8 Pecking order isn t pretty Ch. 9 Eggstravaganza or overwhelm? Ch. 10 Farmers buy food, too

7 Section 3 Fruits: We love our bananas for breakfast, strawberries in December and then demand locally grown fruit. A realistic look at food miles, worms in fruits, food safety and our demands for the utopia of perfect fruit chemical free. There s more science than you know in the fruit case! Ch. 11 Is your fruit creating an environmental frenzy? Ch. 12 Where fruits grow, bugs go Ch. 13 Excuse me, there s a cucumber in my papaya Ch. 14 Cutting boards & cross contamination

8 Ch. 15 Did you know organic produce require pesticides? Ch. 16 Water & family the lifeblood of growing food Section 4 Vegetables: What s growing in your vegetable drawer? 35 billion genes in carrots and seemingly nearly as many chemicals used. Larry the Cucumber didn t tell me he could be grown in water or that GPS was part of his life. What s happening with vegetable production, where it s coming from and what any parent needs to know about vegetable power. Ch. 17 Does eating healthy cost more? Ch. 18 Vegetables make chemicals? Ch. 19 Freshness is a science Ch. 20 What s growing in your veggie drawer? Ch. 21 A love of playing in the soil

9 Section 5 Meats: Pretty red barns, talking animals and farmers in overalls make for a good book and movie, as long as you realize they re fiction. An inside look from farmers and ranchers on how animals are raised, why many farms are larger and a comparison of different types of animal care to help you feel good about the protein your family gets from the meat case. Ch. 22 The mayhem of meat. Why isn t farming like Charlotte s Web? Ch. 23 Are antibiotics awful? Ch. 24 Is meat messing with your hormones?

10 Ch. 25 The mass production of education, medication & food Ch. 26 Does your burger damage the environment? Ch. 27 There is no singular right way to buy or grow food Ch. 28 Are you growing bacteria? Section 6 Bread & Baking Aisle: The amber waves of grain have turned into an ambiguous guilt trip. How do you know if gluten is good, why sugar is demonized and battle baking overwhelm if you re not Betty Crocker? This chapter will help you unravel the mystery of bread and baked goods. Ch. 29 Saving our soil Ch. 30 Would you like a loaf of guilt with your bread? Ch. 31 Sugar, salt & everything evil Ch. 32 Is your fat better than my fat?

11 Section 7 Cereal Aisle: How do we read cereal boxes? Cheerios suddenly became a marketing ploy, the toys are gone, the front of cereal boxes are billboards for crazy food claims and products we once considered wholesome are now demonized. Check inside your cereal box for the truth! Ch. 33 Pardon me, you dropped intellectual property in my food Ch. 34 The demonization of the corn stalk Ch. 35 Is the environment sacrificed for profitability? Ch. 36 What is pecksniffery?

12 Section 8 Snacks & Convenience Foods: Are there are more kinds of fats today than there were choices in crackers 20 years ago? Take a look at the issues in snacks and convenience, including label claims, the long-term impacts of your nutrition cases and short-term permission to accept convenience as reality. Leave the food shaming behind as you explore this aisle. Ch. 37 The reality of convenience Ch. 38 Balancing choice on the plate & the farm Ch. 39 Cheap food will cost you more later

13 Ch. 40 Are they sneaky snacks or are we label illiterate? Section 9 Deli & Foodservice: Harried schedules and less interest in cooking have made the deli one of the fastest growing grocery trends. The deli has grown beyond fried chicken and cupcakes to a smorgasbord for the eyes and taste buds. Is deli fresher, better for you, or simply higher priced? And what about fast food? This final section explores both. Ch. 41 Whose hands have been in your food? Ch. 42 Just because you can t pronounce it doesn t mean it s bad for you

14 Ch. 43 We re not crossing frogs & corn Ch. 44 Everything in moderation Ch. 45 Checkout with truth, not fear or guilt 25 Food Truths to Help You Shop & Eat without Guilt 1. Hormones are in everything. 2. Antibiotics have benefits. 3. Animal welfare is an hourly concern on farms and ranches. 4. Housing is used to protect animals - and your food - from nature. 5. Organic farming is about production methods, not nutritional value. 6. Marketing on labels is confusing consumers. 7. Food costs are a shared concern. 8. Local is not always better for the environment.

15 9. Chemicals are naturally in food - and needed to protect it. 10. Genes are the coolest ingredient on your plate. 11. Food safety starts on the farm and ends in your kitchen. 12. Sustainability is complex - and essential to family businesses. 13. Food is an amazing science from farm to table. 14. The answer to food waste is hidden in your refrigerator. 15. Soil is a farm s greatest asset. 16. Grains are an important part of your diet.

16 17. Sugar, salt and moderation are a natural part of a balanced diet. 18. Fat isn t always bad. 19. Corn is tasty - and healthy - for animals and people. 20. Hypocrisy happens in food, health and nutrition. 21. Convenience is reality; it s not always wrong or right. 22. Choice on the farm & choice on the plate is a balancing act. 23. Pay less now; pay more later in your health. 24. The media isn t the best source of information about food. 25. Buying & eating the right food doesn t have to be time consuming. Pre-order your copy of Food Truths at book/

17 About the Author Michele Payn speaks from the intersection of farm and food to bring clarity and common sense to the grocery store. Known as one of North America s leading advocates, Payn is passionate about getting back to the truth in food raised the right way, by the right people, for the right reasons. She is an in-demand media resource whose work has appeared in USA Today, Food Insight, Food & Nutrition Magazine, Grist and others, as well as on NPR and CNN. As a Certified Speaking Professional, she has helped thousands of people around the world translate farm to food. Payn is also the author of No More Food Fights! Growing a Productive Farm & Food Conversation. She resides on a small farm in Indiana with her daughter, where they breed Holsteins, argue about food while cooking and cheer on Michigan State. You can connect with her at or on social media

18 A sneak peek into Food Truths from Farm to Table, an intriguing book with a viewpoint that stands in stark contrast to the typical sensationalist and often negative perspective on fashionable food. Michele Payn s 25 food truths enable an understanding of how food is grown, while providing a transparent window into today's farming and ranching practices that empowers you to make informed personal choices and determine what is right for your family. The revelations in this book will simplify food shopping, reduce guilt about being a consumer and give you the freedom to enjoy your food again.