Re-Centering Real Food

Letters from the Director

The national conversation around food is changing. Large grocery chains and packaged food companies are adjusting how they present products in response to a growing focus on the connection between diet and health.

Walmart recently introduced “Better for You” displays in several thousand stores. Ingredients such as chia, lion’s mane, and moringa are now placed in prominent shelf space. This shift followed increased public discussion about how modern food habits relate to long term health.

There is potential benefit in this renewed attention. More people are asking where their food comes from and what is in it. At the same time, there is risk when health becomes a marketing tool. Labels like “functional” or “superfood” may not reflect meaningful change in how food is grown, processed, or distributed.

Health does not come from packaging language. It comes from nutritious food produced in healthy soil and made available at fair prices to the people who eat it.

Local and regional agriculture remains central to this. The Farmers Alliance works to strengthen direct relationships between growers and communities. This includes improving access to staple produce, supporting sustainable production, and making sure value stays within the local food system.

If national retailers are turning more attention toward nutrition, that can be useful. But the foundation of healthy eating remains the same: real food grown by real farmers.

We continue that work every day.

Source: The New York Times, Aug. 14, 2025.