Are poorer consumers avoiding fresh produce because of fear-based organic food marketing?

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New peer reviewed research published in Nutrition Today shows fear-based messaging tactics used by activist groups and some organic marketers that invoke safety concerns about non-organic produce may be having a negative impact on consumption of fruits and veggies among low-income consumers.

Researchers… surveyed low-income consumers to learn more about what terms and information about fruits and vegetables may influence their shopping intentions. Among the key findings, misleading messaging which inaccurately describes certain fruits and vegetables as having “higher” pesticide residues results in low income shoppers reporting that they would be unlikely to purchase any fruits and vegetables — organically or non-organically grown.

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“Despite efforts by the health community, consumption of fruits and vegetables is stagnating,” says Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. “This new study shows … that safety fears may be another barrier to consumption of these… nutritious foods. The impact of the fear-based messaging on low-income consumers is especially troubling since many don’t have access or can’t afford non-organic produce.”

…[T]he safety claims carried predominantly by groups like the Environmental  Working Group (EWG) and Only Organic about pesticide residues have been repeatedly proven to be scientifically inaccurate.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Fear-based safety messages may be hurting poorest consumers

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