MILLEN, GA — Providing valuable industry education opportunities is one of the core focus areas of the Southeast Produce Council, and this year's educational workshops at Southern Exposure will not disappoint. The two sessions at Southern Exposure, starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 4, will begin with a new video series entitled Fresh from the Farm Field Trips, which will feature tours of SEPC member farms. The second session at 10 a.m. will spark an invigorating discussion with New York Times best-selling author Michael Moss, around his book, “SALT, SUGAR, FAT: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.”

The new Fresh from the Farm Field Trips video series will bring the farm to Southern Exposure attendees by providing them with a fun and educational field trip-like experience to learn about the grower-supplier side of the produce industry, without ever leaving the hotel. The videos will feature tours of three SEPC member farms: Shuman Produce Inc. in Reidsville, GA; J&J Family of Farms in Loxahatchee, FL; and Red Sun Farms in Dublin, VA.

The videos for each farm will provide a broad overview of the growing, packing and shipping practices that each employs, including live stream question-and-answer polling, and ending with an in-person, live visit from the growers themselves. The Fresh from the Farm Field Trips will kick off this year at Southern Exposure and continue as an annual educational workshop at the conference featuring different SEPC member farms from across the country.Michael Moss

"Providing an informative yet fun atmosphere for our members to learn is at the core of our educational goals," SEPC Executive Director David Sherrod said in a Jan. 20 press release. "The launch of our new Fresh from the Farm Field Trips will provide our members with a valuable learning experience. Additionally, as we move forward, they will also provide those member companies that are based outside of Florida with an opportunity to showcase their farms to retail and foodservice decision makers in attendance at the conference every year, saving everyone time and money in travel expenses."

In the second session, attendees will hear from Michael Moss, author of “SALT, SUGAR, FAT: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.” In this workshop, Moss will delve deeper into both an understanding of the support that the processed food industry receives from our government and how produce companies can better market themselves on to compete with budget-heavy big food manufacturers.

"The topic of processed vs. fresh food is at the forefront of discussions in both boardrooms and kitchen tables across North America," Harold Paivarinta of Red Sun Farms and SEPC Education Committee chairman said in the release. "We believe Michael's insights provide a platform that will compel CEOs and parents alike to re-evaluate their current behaviors and set plans in motion to provide healthier alternatives to what's found on shelves and in pantries today. In addition, Mr. Moss will share ideas on how retailers and growers can partner together to market fresh produce in a way that gives ‘center store’ food giants a run for their money."

From 2000 until 2015, Moss was an investigative reporter with The New York Times, reporting most recently on the processed food industry. His writing focuses on the food industry in context of health, safety, nutrition, politics, marketing, corporate interests and the power of individuals to gain control of what and how they eat. He has been a reporter at The Wall Street Journal and an adjunct professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. He continues to report on the processed food industry and is currently at work on his next book, “HOOKED: Food and Free Will.”

To find out more about Southern Exposure and to register, visit seproducecouncil.com.