<p>By: Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI</p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/cfi_rd_hero_cropped.tmb-large-350-.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=37ad00e0_1" style="float:right;margin:10px;" class="-align-right" alt="People of different ages, genders and ethnicities smiling " sf-size="100" /><p>Each year, Merriam-Webster’s word experts pick the word of the year—a term that is frequently and widely used in public discourse and across the media landscape. It will likely come as no surprise to you that the 2024 word of the year was <strong><em>Polarization.</em></strong><br /></p><p>These days, we appear more prone to rely on glittering generalities, exaggerated extremes, and appealing buzzwords that go undefined. That being the case, how do we navigate in this polarized terrain? Dr. Barry Johnson’s book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Polarity-Management-Identifying-Managing-Unsolvable/dp/0874251761"><em></em></a><em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Polarity-Management-Identifying-Managing-Unsolvable/dp/0874251761" target="_blank">Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems</a></em><em> </em>urges us to change our attitude about polarization itself. He suggests we shift our perspective from thinking that polarity is a <strong>problem to be solved</strong> and instead consider it represents <strong>a situation to be managed</strong>. In short, the objective of polarity management is to get the best from each extreme while avoiding the limits of each.<strong> <em></em></strong><br /></p><p>In that vein, FMI supported the <a href="https://www.foodintegrity.org/" target="_blank">Center for Food Integrity</a> on new research that lays out the spectrum of beliefs or approaches to “the truth.” <br /></p><p>On one end, there is the group that believes “truth sets me free from dominance.” This group says there is a truth I recognize that others don’t yet see. On the other end, there is a group that believes “truth reinforces my dominance.” This group says that truth is what I make it to be. In the middle is the group whose approach to truth is that it is “objective and impartial.” This group says truth is truth even if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. <br /></p><p>Within each of these “Spectrums of Truth,” the study drills down further into five “belief-based” segments, including:</p><ul><li>Progressive Disruptors</li><li>Authenticity Seeker</li><li>Rationalist</li><li>Comfort Seeker</li><li>Strategist</li></ul><p>Each segment brings unique motivations, trusted cues, and desired outcomes–and two of them wield an outsized influence on the public conversation. Understanding these outlooks sheds light on how different shoppers evaluate food labels, farming practices and claims about sustainability, nutrition, and more.</p><p>This research offers the food industry key opportunities to improve customer satisfaction. Particularly, insights from this research can help both food retailers and suppliers:</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>Map Your Audience:</strong> Recognizing where your customers sit on this spectrum is essential to effective marketing, messaging and trust-building.<br /></p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>Deepen Engagement:</strong> Gain a roadmap for knowing and identifying your audience, tapping into the sources they trust and knowing the issues that matter most to them.<br /></p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>Move the Middle:</strong> By balancing science-based rigor with shared values, you can connect more deeply and find meaningful common ground, even amid polarized views on truth in food and agriculture.<br /></p><p>I urge FMI members to dive more deeply into this research, and I invite you to join me and the FMI team to ensure that “polarization” is retired as the word of the year in 2025. </p><a href="https://foodintegrity-20661110.hs-sites.com/2025research-0?utm_source=fmi_website_link&utm_medium=web_link&utm_campaign=truth_CFI" target="_blank" class="button">Access Truth Defined: Mapping Consumer Beliefs in Food & Agricultural</a>
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