Success StoryTobacco GAP ensures quality products and consumer confidence



Tobacco GAP ensures quality products and consumer confidence

Author: Matthew Futrell

Planning Unit: Christian County CES

Major Program: Tobacco

Plan of Work: Enhancing Production through Sustainable Agriculture and Marketing Strategies

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

Tobacco GAP ensures quality products and consumer confidence

The tobacco industry has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past twenty years.  Concerns of major health effects and a link to known carcinogens has lead the tobacco industry to take measures that will boost consumer confidence in the products that they are purchasing.

One such measure is the tobacco Good Agriculture Practices program.  Tobacco companies, producers, the cooperative extension service, and GAP Connections have been working together to develop educational programing and certification courses that help to instill consumer confidence.  In Christian County over 185 producers were trained in 2023 on tobacco production, quality, and worker protection standards.   Of these 185 producers, all left with an increased knowledge of production methods, market demands, and worker safety.

As we continue to see a decrease in demand for tobacco products it will be even more important that consumers have confidence in the products that they purchase and see value in sourcing domestically grown tobacco.  It is through programs such as Tobacco GAP that we can ensure quality products and consumer confidence.






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