Social media is powerful, no doubt. And it's a force that can be used for your financial benefit and for the good of those less fortunate. It can be used to make people laugh too, which is definitely worthwhile. We always dig those punny produce memes here at The Packer Here, we cover the swath of social good that we noticed this week.
TikTok
Normally, we place TikTok at the bottom of our list when it comes to produce posts, as it's a platform our industry uses the least. (Not coincidentally, TikTok seems to draw the youngest users.)
But Liz Moody created such a funny, practical reel, we find this to be top priority this week. She's a two-time cookbook author, contributing food editor for wellness website mindbodygreen.com and host of the podcast, Healthier Together.
She shows a guy named Zach who didn't meet his goal of eating salad all week, and now he has a clamshell of salad starting to wilt. Moody says you can freeze it. True, previously frozen salad greens would make a sad, soggy salad, but those squishy greens are great for sautéing with garlic and olive oil, dropping into smoothies and inserting in soups. What a way to reduce waste and save money. Gamechanger. Find her at @LizMoody on TikTok.
Social media may be great, but it's also a dangerous vehicle for quickly and widely distributing false, inflammatory information, which people repost without checking to see if it's true. This negligent, common practice — sometimes motivated by a desire for a bigger following on social media — not only affects our elections but degrades journalism because many people equate the two practices. But professional journalists are trained to sort through information and check their sources.
And the misinformation spread about conventional produce, in favor of organic, is a hot topic. Here at The Packer, we love organic, and we love conventional. We just love produce.
In his post, John Pandol, director of special projects at grape and blueberry grower Pandol Bros., Delano, Calif., highlights how much fear-mongering and false information there is against conventional produce. As an example, Pandol posted a quote from an article he read in a European-based lifestyle magazine, included in a roundup of articles he received in an email newsletter.
The article is titled “Eating the Sewer.” It's a shamefully reported piece against conventional produce. Pandol's post has no cool image, catchy hashtag or link. But the content grabbed us. It hits home in many ways. Find him by searching “John Pandol” on LinkedIn.
We love inspecting produce gadgets and judging whether or not they're worth the precious space they'd take up in the kitchen drawer or cabinet. So, when we saw this post on @thetakeoutsite, we had to click the link in the bio and read the whole Inspector of Gadgets article by Dennis Lee. It was hilarious.
The stem citrus sprayer is a gadget we've always wondered about. It's an attachment you stick directly into limes or lemons to then mist onto food. The final question in the post, “Does it actually work?” was the teaser we needed to make us take the effort to go to the website. (The answer: Yes, but…) Great job directing traffic to your site. Find them at @thetakeoutsite on Instagram.
Testimonials like the one in this post put heart into the reality lived by many people in the U.S.
The National Women, Infants and Children Association shares how the recent, temporary increase in WIC Program money for fruits and vegetables affects Maria from Dallas with two children. This increase is the difference between having $18 and $70 a month to spend on vegetables and fruits. Wow.
The nonprofit organization helps its members with tools to expand and sustain effective nutrition services for mothers and young children in the WIC Program. The program helps women who are pregnant, up to six months postpartum or breastfeeding up to a year. It helps infants until they're 1, and it helps children until they're 5. Requirements include showing need by income and being determined at-risk by a doctor based on dietary or medical conditions.
Find them at @NatWICAssoc on Facebook.
Sometimes you just want to chuckle — a moment of levity amid all the serious business we do. Wexler Packaging Products Inc. provided that light-hearted moment with this post. The quote is attributed to Dar Williams, who may be the same singer-songwriter who hails from this Seen on Social editor's same small New York City suburb.
Regardless, it's funny advice because it's true. We should all remember to keep an open mind because that person with those disagreeable views may say something useful or profound. Or, remember that ridiculous time you said, “where are my keys!?” while holding your keys? That instance could teach you to lay off the multitasking a bit. Sheesh. (That's an example we heard…from a friend…)
Find Wexler Packaging at @banding on Twitter.