We often hear about concerns regarding the impact of fear-based produce safety messaging on consumers.  But how does this messaging impact the efforts of nutrition professionals in improving the diets among their clients and consumers.  We went to the source and asked registered dietitians directly in a web-based survey.

The survey showed there is almost unanimous agreement (95%) among dietitians that it is important for consumers to know that conventionally grown produce is safe because not all consumers can afford to buy organic.  And, 94% agreed that fear-based messaging regarding pesticide residues has a negative impact on consumers because it causes concerns about whether conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are safe to eat.

Among the biggest offenders of promoting fear-based safety messaging is the annual release of the so-called ‘dirty dozen” list which inaccurately disparages the most popular and accessible fruits and veggies and has been repeatedly discredited by scientists and peer reviewed studies.  So we asked the dietitians about this list. Almost 90% agreed that the “dirty dozen” list discourages consumption. When shown produce-specific infographics used by the list authors, 95% of the RDs agreed that these visuals discourage consumption of these nutrient-dense foods.

The results of the RD survey are substantiated by peer reviewed research conducted in 2014 and 2016. One of these studies found that misinformation about pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables resulted in low income consumers stating they would be less likely to purchase any produce – organic or conventionally grown.

It is beyond time to acknowledge the negative health impact of scaring consumers away from the only food group health experts everywhere agree we should eat more of every day.  Especially during a pandemic where the benefit of improving immune function through a healthy diet is more important than ever.

There just shouldn’t be fears associated with healthy eating, especially when there is no science to support it. Let’s put consumers first and support their choices by reassuring them that they can purchase whatever fruits and vegetables are available, affordable and accessible with confidence.

#NoMoreDirtyDozen, #FactsNotFears, #Eat More Produce