32 Communicating Sustainability to Consumers–Finding Common Ground

“Sustainable” and “regenerative,” are popular, if misunderstood, terms. Much of what the non-agricultural audience believes those terms represent have been the focus of agricultural research, extension and practice for decades. Agricultural producers are disconnected from food consumers in numerous ways, including a lack of communication and, therefore, understanding. The ability to bridge this gap through social media must be accepted by those willing to do so. One strategy is to find points of common interest and building from those starting points. Human nutrition / metabolic health is an example. The majority of adult Americans do not enjoy optimal metabolic health. Many diagnosed with metabolic syndrome or one of its related chronic diseases are discovering that a lifestyle intervention featuring Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction (TCR) dramatically improves their health. Such a diet includes more animal source foods (especially red meat and full fat dairy) than currently recommended by the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and others. These individuals and their supporting healthcare professionals are receptive to well-founded messages regarding the essential role of ruminant animal agriculture in sustainable food systems. Benefits to those of us in animal agriculture include: Greater visibility; Market opportunities; Political support; Better health for all of us.