Ingles Markets puts a priority on supporting local farmers and vendors by purchasing produce, grocery and meat items from local and regional growers and producers. Recently I interviewed Marlowe Vaughan the Executive Director of  Feed the Dialogue NC.  This non-profit group seeks to help North Carolina residents understand more about farming and agriculture in the state of North Carolina by interviewing farmers and featuring those videos and stories on their website and blog as well as coordinating tours of farms for food, nutrition and culinary experts and bloggers who can carry that information to their audiences. Check out Feed the Dialogue NC's website https://feedthedialoguenc.com/about, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel to learn more about agriculture in North Carolina and get your questions answered about hot topics like antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, animal welfare and more.

Did you know these facts about NC agriculture?

• North Carolina's agricultural industry, including food, fiber and forestry, contributes $84 billion to the state's economy.

North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any other state.

• In 2017 the top 5 crops in NC in terms of value in production dollars were: tobacco, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes and cotton - North Carolina is the #2 producing state for Christmas trees, hogs and turkeys Some of the other key agricultural crops in NC are: winter wheat, melons, pumpkins, and tomatoes.

Sources:

2017 State Agricultural Overview: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=NORTH%20CAROLINA

State Agricultural Overview: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/general/overview.htm

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

twitter.com/InglesDietitian

facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian

800-334-4936

In today's marketing world we often see "free-from" claims that may lead us to believe that whatever a product is "free-from" is somehow a bad ingredient. Over the years you probably recall seeing: fat-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free items, right?  Unfortunately many times these "free-from" claims are just capitalizing on the latest fad diet that eliminates food groups.

When you think of North Carolina hot sauces, the first one that comes to mind may not be Texas Pete®. The first time I saw Texas Pete® at a North Carolina food show I was perplexed and remember thinking, “Wait a minute, that’s a North Carolina company?”

Ingles in Candler, NC. 1572 Sand Hill Road. Thursday, June 14 • 3-6 p.m.

Recently an infographic appeared on social media showing a cube of cooked meat on the end of a fork next to a small floret of broccoli on the tines of an adjacent fork. The text questioning "Do you really need to eat meat to get protein?" and showing amount of protein in in 100 calories of beef vs 100 calories broccoli and that there is more protein in 100 calories of broccoli. This is not exactly the whole truth and definitely not an accurate visual representation.

Worst feeling ever… you’re in the middle of cooking dinner and realize you’re missing an ingredient or have run out of something.

Do you have grass-finished beef at Ingles and does that mean that it is organic? What’s the difference Do you have grass-finished beef at Ingles and does that mean that it is organic? What’s the difference between grass-finished and other beef?

As the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets I do a variety of things! Here are the “Top 10”:

What's the difference between “vegetarian” and “plant-based”?

A friend of mine has celiac disease and must be careful of “cross contact.” What does that mean?