PALM CITY \u2014 Organic, all natural, cage free, free range \u2014 what\u2019s grounded in science and what\u2019s just marketing spin? This year\u2019s Farm City Luncheon tackled the increasingly confusing world of food labels, giving consumers tools to make clearer, more confident choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI work in agriculture every day,\u201d said Rick Hartman, president of One Martin, \u201cand I can still find some of these descriptions confusing or downright misleading. We were glad to bring in experts to help people sort out the truth from the dazzle or misdirection on food labels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sold-out crowd at the Nov. 20 event at Rockin\u2019 H Ranch in Palm City heard from University of Florida professors Dr. Danielle Treadwell and Dr. Todd Thrift as they sorted out fact from fiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy food choices shouldn\u2019t be complicated,\u201d insisted Dr. Treadwell, Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist. She described the American diet as \u201cenergy-rich and nutrient-poor\u201d and warned against chasing after products that have labels that are marketing, not science-based. \u201cAll natural, cage free, hormone free, free range \u2013 these are all claims that have no certified authentication,\u201d Treadwell added.<\/p>\n
Dr. Thrift, Associate Professor of Cow-Calf Management and Beef Cattle Nutrition, emphasized that many labels lack oversight. He shared a common example: the popular phrase \u201cno added hormones\u201d on the packaging for a cut of meat.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll meat and plants naturally contain hormones,\u201d he said, \u201cand no cattle raised in Florida are given added growth hormones.\u201d He also underscored that Florida beef is free from antibiotics at harvest. \u201cThere are no antibiotics in your food,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a test for that, and inspectors would shut you down if they found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The takeaway? Trust labels that say \u201cUSDA Certified.\u201d Beyond that, look deeper before accepting marketing claims at face value. And when in doubt, buy local. \u201cThat\u2019s definitely the label with the most validity,\u201d Thrift said. \u201cIt assures freshness and helps the local economy at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Farm City luncheon menu got the stamp of approval from both speakers for its high nutritional value and local sourcing. Donations of beef came from Adams Ranch in Fort Pierce, the potatoes and vegetables from Agri-Gators in Palm City, and the salad greens from House of Hope\u2019s Growing Hope Production Farm in Palm City.<\/p>\n
Now in its eighth year, the Farm City Luncheon has become a beloved community tradition that brings together farmers, ranchers, business, civic and government leaders, and residents to celebrate the people and places behind our local food system. Past programs have highlighted multigenerational farm families, aquaculture as part of agriculture, and stories from the fields and ranchlands that shape our county\u2019s economy and way of life. The event is presented by One Martin in partnership with the Martin County Farm Bureau and a broad range of supporters in recognition of Farm-City week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re grateful to everyone who had a part in bringing food to our tables today,\u201d Hartman said, \u201cand to the agricultural community that is critical to our food supply here and across the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
One Martin is so grateful for the generous support of the community partners who made the luncheon possible. Luncheon sponsors include Legacy: Apogee Golf Club, Ashley Capital, Becker Tree Farm; Stewardship: Midbrook 1st Realty; Tradition: Atlantic Fields Club, Gunster, Hartman Real Estate, Star Farms Corp., R.V. Johnson Insurance and Auto-Owners Insurance; Heritage: 2GHO, Agri-Gators, Bull Hammock Ranch, CAPTEC Engineering, EW Consultants, Inc., Family Lands Remembered, Lucido & Associates, Ralicki Wealth Management & Trust Services, Shearwater Marine, Swallowtail Enterprises, Team Parks, UES, Wedgworth\u2019s, and Yamacraw Hill, LLC.<\/p>\n
To view the photo album from the event, visit the One Martin Facebook page.<\/p>\n
For more information about One Martin and the annual Farm City Luncheon, go to www.onemartin.org\/farm-city-week\/<\/a>, email info@onemartin.org<\/a>, or call 772-287-5272.<\/p>\n About One Martin<\/p>\n One Martin is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a more informed citizenry and providing opportunities for civil discussion on topics of importance to Martin County. To learn more, visit www.onemartin.orgor follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com\/OneMartinCounty<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PALM CITY \u2014 Organic, all natural, cage free, free range \u2014 what\u2019s grounded in science and what\u2019s just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[326,171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-66897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-martin","9":"tag-port-st-lucie","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","11":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}