Plant science industry collaborates on education for dietitians

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Canadians are increasingly interested in learning more about their food. But who do they trust? Consumers often turn to dietitians as credible sources of information on all things food related, including agricultural practices.

Despite fielding a lot of questions about whether GMOs are safe or whether they should be eating organic foods to avoid pesticides residues, most Canadian dietitians have little or no training in agriculture. In an effort to equip dietitians with the information they need to answer consumers’ questions about food production, CropLife Canada recently hosted a tour of crop protection and seed facilities in the Guelph, Ontario area.

The group of 12 dietitians from across Canada visited the Syngenta Canada office as well as their Honeywood Research Facility and The Seedcare™ Institute, Bayer CropScience’s Ennotville Research Farm, and Corteva Agriscience’s global canola breeding facility. The tour guests had the opportunity to hear from and engage directly with company scientists who explained how new crop protection products and seed varieties are developed.

Christina Stroud, Head of Corporate Affairs, Syngenta Canada says “It was terrific to welcome such an engaging group. We truly value the work of the dietitian community and their appreciation for science-based information about crop production. They asked great questions of our regulatory, research and development teams to advance their understanding, which will support confident conversations with their clients about the food they eat.”

Read the complete article at CropLife.ca.