By: Michele Payn-Knoper, CSP   Date: 11/18/10

Food is served on a variety of plates today; plastic, china, big, small and even fast food wrappers.  You might be wondering why I’m asking about the shape of your food plate. As a cook and a bit of a “foodie”, I love a beautiful presentation on the cool square plates and the look of the ovals.

However, as an agriculturist, I’m firmly convinced our food plate needs to remain round so that we can have all sides connected equally. This will give equal voice to the farmer, scientist, nutrition expert and food buyer. The circle gives people the opportunity to reach across, shake hands, and find common interests.  For example, science, accuracy and credibility are hot buttons with food producers, dietitians and scientists. Food fads, misinformed celebrity “experts” and inability to connect facts with buyers also add to the confusion.

The connection across our proverbial food plate seems to happening less and less. It’s thrown into a haphazard pattern by politics, agenda driven groups, misunderstanding of culture disconnected from their food source and many other factors.  I know this is a shared frustration after working with food scientists, nutrition professionals and farmers.

Let’s work together to help people think more about food. Thanksgiving is a time to put aside differences and give thanks. I’d invite you to join in the effort to do this on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or Linkedin. Food doesn't just happen. It takes an incredible number of caring, thoughtful, hard-working individuals to provide the three square meals we enjoy every day.  From farmer to processor to truck driver to chef to retailer, millions work hard to provide our food.

Visit www.foodthanks.com  to see how you can express your “foodthanks” anytime before Thanksgiving. The AgChat Foundation is using this time to express gratitude through blogging our thanks, tweeting #foodthanks (especially on November 24) and linking to www.foodthanks.com give others ideas on how they can show appreciation. It would be great to see all sides of the food plate represented in this effort.

Food is an intensely personal choice. It’s not our job to tell people their choice is wrong. It’s our job to speak from our side of the food plate and reach across to understand the other side. Saying thank you to the many hands involved in bringing food to the Thanksgiving table is a wonderful way to do that. Won’t you join me?

Michele Payn-Knoper, CSP, is one of the nation’s leading farm and food advocates. She is a passionate keynote speaker, a high-energy trainer and a connector for those interested in translating farm to food. She founded #AgChat and #FoodChat in April 2009. Find out more, including the full story of the farmers working to bring food to your plate, at http://causematters.com