FLORIDA GROWN

Food Check-Out Week Spreads Farm-to-Table Awareness

- PAUL CATALA

FOR MOST OF HER LIFE, Scarlett Jackson has been involved with getting what’s on the farm to the table.

But some of Florida’s 20.6 million residents—many from other parts of the United States or abroad—might not know what it takes to get food from a Florida farm to their tables.

In an effort to help today’s consumers become engaged in modern agriculture, the Florida Farm Bureau started Food Check-Out Week in 2019.

In February, four “secret shopper events” were held across Polk County, where Florida Farm Bureau Women’s Committee members gave away Publix gift cards to surprised customers buying “Fresh from Florida” locally produced agriculture products.

According to the Florida Farm Bureau, agriculture and related enterprises generate $148 billion statewide every year.