A spokesperson with Cereals Canada is speaking out against what she feels is misinformation and fear mongering when it comes to our food.

Brenna Mahoney says she is worried about some of the nutrition agendas being pushed out on social media and the implications they will have on agriculture. She says examples include the idea that everyone should eat a gluten-free diet whether they have Celiac Disease or not, and that GMO wheat is being grown. "That's not something that is happening so that's obviously a problem."

"Eating a raw vegan diet can work for a lot of people, and that's a choice that every person has the right to make," explains Mahoney, "but when they're telling parents to do this not under advisory of a doctor, it's just a friend speaking to a friend, that's where we run into a lot of problems."

She says other examples of misinformation include targeted attacks against certain companies that may not be one hundred per cent accurate either.

Mahoney adds local farmers are a great trusted source for food information and feels every one working in the industry should aim to be such. She says people trust farmers, not farming, and feels the industry has a wealth of knowledge to share.

"Agriculture is hugely diverse, I believe one in eight Canadian work in agriculture so we have scientists, we have researchers, we have people who work on the policy side...and it's our responsibility to share information or at least make connections for people or help them ask questions to themselves about where they are getting their information from."

She encourages everyone in the industry to have challenging conversations with people, helping them make informed choices based on real science and real facts.

"You have a conversation with someone in line at a grocery store and they say something that you know is incorrect, you don't have to change their mind, just take that opportunity to maybe say 'I'm actually a farmer' or 'I work in agriculture and I work in research...and (here) is something that might help you make decisions for yourself and your family."

Mahoney explains it is this dialogue that creates a 'win', adding it's not about changing minds but rather offering information and building bridges with the people that are around us.