RIVER FALLS – With food at the grocery stores being covered in labels, some self-explanatory, others not so much, award-winning author Michele Payn hopes to clear the confusion when speaking at The Farm to Table Connection event March 21 at UWRF University Center.

All are welcome with a free will offering accepted at the door as the Pierce County Farm Bureau, Pierce County Dairy Promotion and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin are hosting an event to show neighbors where their food comes from and to have a conversation about farming and food to ease minds at the grocery store.

The event includes a charcuterie and mocktail demo hour at 3 p.m., followed by appetizers, Payn’s keynote speech and is capped by a Q&A session between attendees and local farmers at 5:30 p.m.

“From a consumer side, what I try to highlight is that you don’t have to be afraid when you go to the grocery store,” Payn said. “None of us trust what we don’t know. The reality is that we’re multiple generations removed from the farm, so there’s not always the trust in farming practices. That is highlighted in the grocery store with labels such as the non-GMO, which is a pay-to-play label, sustainability claims that are not measured and some of those health halos that you see on food labels that are trying to evoke a positive emotional response, even though it’s not necessarily any different than the product that it sits next to.”

Payn has written four books, including IPPY award-winning “Food Bullying” and “Food Truths from Farm to Table.”

“Really what my role is is to help translate farm practices to food questions,” Payn said. “I will be sharing farm stories and talking about why we do what we do on the farm, and how it relates to choices that you make in the grocery store.”

The books directly correlate to some of the event’s messages, as Payn intends to make people feel more comfortable with the food farms are offering.

“It really focuses on the neuro-marketing misinformation and disinformation that’s out there to create confusion, fear and guilt about food,” Payn said. “The book walks through some interesting research about things such as health halos, food labeling and modern-day agriculture practices.”

Payn recommended anyone looking to learn about food, farming practices or just looking to have a good time make the trip out to the event.