“Neat, clean, and organized” Spartan foodies say food should connect, not be contentious

<p>So how can we cut through the noise and make healthy and tasty food choices for our families? We'll hear from two Spartans whose lives revolve around food: award-winning author and speaker, <a href="https://twitter.com/mpaynspeaker">Michele Payn</a> and MSU corporate chef, <a href="https://twitter.com/chef_kurt">Kurt Kwiatkowski.</a> Michele and Chef Kurt will pull back the curtain on food and demystify some of the myths and misnomers fed to consumers.</p><p>Michele is a 1993 graduate of the <a href="http://canr.msu.edu">College of Agriculture and Natural Resources</a>, holding a degree in agricultural communications and animal science. She's an award-winning author and the founder of <a href="http://causematters.com">Cause Matters</a>, a company dedicated to addressing food myths and connecting the farm to food. Her latest book, <a href="https://causematters.com/books/"><em>Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying BS</em></a>, dives into the marketing tactics and psychology that pressure consumers into questioning their food choices. Michele is a passionate advocate for global agriculture and a catalyst for re-establishing food as a means of celebration rather than contention. </p><p>“I was inspired to write Food Bullying because I have worked for nearly 20 years in the space of connecting farm to food. I'm so tired of people being scared of their food and where it is grown,” says Payn. “I continue to see marketing claims get out of hand. And what I have found through the research and writing the book is that there are actual neuro-marketing techniques that are being used to manipulate your brain to believe certain things that are not true.</p><p>“Food should be a celebration, especially at this time of year. If there was one thing that you could remember during the holidays it is to celebrate the abundance of food that we have today. It's really unfortunate in a pandemic that people aren't doing enough of that, but rather they're fearing for their health and they're worried that their food is going to har