Can you say “Lost Opportunity?” I just saw a notice about Best Food Nation, a website created to provide the public with the facts about food and done with the support of 18 organizations which I’ll list later in the post. I guess someone’s not reading AgWired.

Although the website looks nice and is easy to navigate around, it’s static. Once you’ve looked around why would you want to go back? With all the money invested in this effort how about a blog? Why not have blog contributions from all those supporting groups? How about a podcast? Let’s produce a regular program that consumers can subscribe to featuring interviews with all the people quoted in all that static information you can find archived on the site? Let consumers comment on the information. There’s no feedback mechanism. How can the consumer feel involved? The website says “We have always invited public discussion . . .” but I don’t see how the public can “discuss.” I’m afraid that without a mechanism for this on the site the visiting consumer will not feel like their input is welcome.

It’s a new media world and this looks like such an opportunity to invest in where today’s consumers are getting their information. There’s new information about food coming out every day. I wonder how this website will keep up with it. As the rise in RSS as an information distribution mechanism continues to skyrocket a feed of any kind would be a great addition to this effort. Let consumers subsribe to information updates which can include text, audio and even video.

Members of Best Food Nation include: American Farm Bureau Federation, American Meat Institute, Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Corn Refiners Association, Food Products Association
International Franchise Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Council of Chain Restaurants, National Milk Producers Federation, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, National Potato Council, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, National Turkey Federation, Snack Food Association, U.S. Potato Board, United Egg Producers. I wish the page listing the members had links to their websites. I also hope I don’t get into too much hot water for suggesting that so much more could have been done with this effort!