CHESTERFIELD, Mo., June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®) today announced the moderator and list of panelists participating in the upcoming Food Dialogues: Chicago. Integrity in Food Marketing event, on June 10 at the InterContinental Hotel. Thirteen-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, author and Dr. OZ consumer and investigative correspondent, Elisabeth Leamy, will moderate.
Formerly the consumer correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, Leamy is known as a strong and influential consumer advocate. Her dedication to putting herself in the consumer's shoes - sometimes literally - to find the truth behind the marketing makes her an ideal moderator for this event, which explores how companies use marketing efforts to respond to consumers' increasing demand for transparency.
"I'm thrilled to moderate the Food Dialogues: Chicago. Integrity in Food Marketing conversation," states Leamy. "Consumers want to know where their food comes from and how it's produced, and companies are responding in a wide variety of ways. As the demand for information grows, so, too, does the food industry's responsibility to market products with integrity."
The panel is comprised of farmers and ranchers, food industry executives, marketing ethics academia and consumer representatives, all well-known in their respective fields for their expertise in how food is marketed. Panelists include:
- Dawn Caldwell, family farmer from Edgar, Neb.; Communications Manager for the Aurora Cooperative; Lady of Ag blogger
- Clarke Caywood, professor and tenured member of the Integrated Marketing Communications Department, Northwestern University
- Michael Dimock, president of Roots of Change
- Mike Donahue, former CCO of McDonald's, now owner and brand architect of LYFE Kitchen
- Alan Moskowitz, Director, Communispace
- Emily Paster, food writer, West of the Loop
- Connie Tipton, CEO, International Dairy Foods Association
- Chuck Wirtz, Iowa pork producer from Whittemore, Iowa
The panel and moderator were carefully chosen to lead this dialogue, which is inspired by USFRA's research suggesting that nearly 60 percent of people feel it's extremely important for grocery stores and restaurants to provide information about how the food they sell is grown and raised. The Food Dialogues: Chicago. Integrity in Food Marketing will explore how food professionals - from farmers to food manufacturers, marketers to foodservice and retail executives - can share information on complex food-production issues while not confusing, misrepresenting or alarming consumers.
The June 10 event marks the return of the award-winning Food Dialogues panel series to Chicago. After the morning session, being held from 10-11:30 a.m., a closed lunch session will take place for food professionals only, featuring a more in-depth look at this and related topics. To sign up for updates and more information, visit the Food Dialogues: Chicago section on FoodDialogues.com. The morning panel will also stream live online.
"USFRA succeeds in bringing communities together to have important conversations about how food is grown and raised and marketed in the U.S. today, whether they're easy conversations or not," Stallman states. "The Food Dialogues: Chicago. Integrity in Food Marketing will be an important discussion for consumers and the entire food chain."
For more information about USFRA or its signature event series, The Food Dialogues, visit www.fooddialogues.com. Follow USFRA on Twitter @USFRA using FoodD.
About The Food Dialogues®
The Food Dialogues signature events are designed to bring together farmers, ranchers, industry experts, pundits, media and consumers for dynamic panel discussions on some of today's most pressing topics related to food and food production. Since its launch in 2011, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance has hosted more than 15 panels across the country.
About U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®)
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) consists of nearly 80 farmer- and rancher-led organizations and industry partners representing virtually all aspects of agriculture working to engage in dialogues with consumers who have questions about how today's food is grown and raised. USFRA is committed to continuous improvement and supporting U.S. farmers and ranchers efforts to increase confidence and trust in today's agriculture.
SOURCE U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA)
