Take Food Bullying by the Horns: A look at how brain manipulation
Someone is afraid of your food right now. Not because it's dangerous – but because someone told them it was. That's food bullying. And it's costing farmers their freedom to farm and consumers their freedom to choose.
What is food bullying?
The need to position one food as superior to another lies at the heart of food bullying. Bullying doesn’t happen without fear –a nd there’s fear around food today! Food bullying literally takes food out of someone’s hand–by removing choice, creating emotion, or forcing an individual into groupthink mentality. In this cutting edge training, Michele will help you think about the victims, such as:
- the farmer who can longer use the most effective pest control in her vineyard
- a homeless person who can no longer afford eggs because of price increases from regulations
- the farmer who is insulted by his neighbors for transitioning to organic
- a mom afraid to buy anything not labeled non-GMO
- ranchers not allowed to use traditional animal health practices because of backlash from activists
Food is a $5.75 trillion business in the U.S. alone – and fear is one of its most powerful marketing tools. Farmers watch consumers reject perfectly safe practices based on label claims with no scientific basis. Ranchers lose market access because of activist campaigns, not evidence. And the people paying the price aren't just producers – they're the homeless person priced out of affordable nutrition by activist-driven regulation, the mom terrified to buy eggs not labeled non-GMO, and the farmer who can no longer access the most effective pest management tools because of fear, not science.
A food bullying keynote or breakout is for you if...
- Your members are losing market access, consumer trust, or farming freedom to fear-based food marketing
- You want your audience to understand why food bullying works – so they can counter it with confidence
- Your organization needs a program that's both scientifically grounded and genuinely entertaining
- You're ready to move from reactive to proactive in the food conversation
Solutions "Take Food Bullying by the Horns" delivers:
- A clear, science-backed definition of food bullying and how to recognize it in markets, media, and policy
- Neuroscience and neuromarketing frameworks that explain why fear-based messaging works – and how to counter it
- Practical agvocacy tools for responding to food misinformation on social media, in the press, and face-to-face
- A six-step action plan for protecting farming freedom and building real consumer trust
- Real-world examples from farms, ranches, and commodity groups – tailored to your audience and sector
Why agricultural leaders trust Michele Payn
Michele Payn, CSP – one of 900 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide – brings a rare combination to every stage: 25+ years working across six continents with agricultural organizations and agribusinesses, two agricultural degrees from Michigan State University, and four award-winning books endorsed by Harvard Business School's Agribusiness Program, and the International Food Information Council. She founded two of agriculture's most influential social media communities, hosted the Food Bullying Podcast with 140+ episodes, and raised $5M+ for FFA and 4-H. She understands the business of agriculture because she's invested her life's work in it and still farms in Indiana today.
CSP · Four award-winning books · 25+ countries · 120+ podcast episodes · $5M+ raised for FFA & 4-H
As the author of Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying B.S., Michele is armed with science and compelling stories from dietitians, farmers, neuroscientists, agricultural families, psychologists, and food scientists. The book, a #1 best seller, was awarded the IPPY Gold Medal in medicine, health and nutrition. She backs these often amusing examples with research and perspective from a lifetime on the farm to empower you to:
- Understand the motives of food bullying so you can help elevate the farm and food conversation.
- Navigate misinformation in a social media world of likes, selfies, clicks and keyboard cowards.
- Engage in fruitful discussion about food production with those who hold different viewpoints.
- Help others establish health, ethical, environmental, and social standards to overcome food bullying.
- Grow awareness of psychological and neuromarketing tactics used in food marketing.
Learning objectives (will vary depending upon timeframe):
After this program, attendees will be able to:
- Identify food bullying tactics in marketing, labeling, media, and activist campaigns
- Understand the psychological and neuromarketing forces driving consumer food fear
- Engage productively with consumers, policymakers, and media who hold different viewpoints
- Connect farming practices to consumer values in a way that builds trust instead of defensiveness
- Leave with a personal agvocacy action plan and concrete next steps
Available as: Keynote · Workshop · Half-day training · Virtual · Breakout session
Dig deeper: Michele's Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying B.S. arms farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals with the science and stories behind every fear-based food claim – and a six-step plan to fight back. Learn more →