SD Corn and Sunshine team up for Kernels of Truth promotion

The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) and Sunshine Foods will team up Friday, Oct. 19 to talk to consumers about the price of food and how corn affects those prices, while also providing great perks for shopping at Sunshine that day.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sunshine location at 57th and Cliff Ave. in Sioux Falls, consumers will be given $5 in ethanol when they purchase a gallon of Sunshine milk during the “Kernels of Truth” Customer Appreciation Day. “Kernels of Truth” is an educational campaign by the SDCUC which explains the relationship between food, fuel and farming in South Dakota and how corn prices impact the cost of food in grocery stores.

“South Dakotans are savvy when it comes to cutting through misinformation in main stream media and finding out the real truth behind what impacts their pocketbooks,” said Jerry Rubendall, president of the SDCUC. “On Friday, we will empower consumers with knowledge while thanking them for being users of the safest, most affordable and reliable food and fuel products in the world, produced right here in South Dakota.”

During the two hour event, consumers will have several opportunities to savor information, product samples and huge savings on food and fuel, such as the following:

• Receive $5 ethanol certificates when purchasing a gallon of Sunshine milk (one certificate per customer)
• Sample various corn-supported products such as milk, pop, cornflakes and pork samples sponsored by the South Dakota Pork Council
• Sunshine milk will be priced three gallons for $10
• Register to win $250 in groceries OR $250 in ethanol
• Ethanol will be discounted 20 cents per gallon at the Sunshine pumps with any in-store purchase

Nationally, the corn industry is being blamed for everything from increased food costs, increased fuel prices, obesity and more. The truth is, very little impact is made by corn on consumers’ food products and corn-based ethanol actually helps keep food and fuel prices down. The SDCUC and Sunshine just want consumers to know the truth.

“This event is more than a feel-good consumer appreciation campaign, but rather a concentrated effort to shed light on the controversial content in the national media today. This information is hitting the Heartland and consumers should be outraged by the messages they’re being fed. The Sunshine event will bust the door open on the real truth behind the misinformation,” said Rubendall.

South Dakota producers are currently harvesting what is being billed as the state’s largest corn crop on record, a projected 520 million bushels. Even so, the information to be shared at Sunshine ranks at such an importance that several producers will come off their combines and be in the store on Oct. 19 to meet and talk with consumers during the event.

“We are proud to partner with the SDCUC and ag producers to communicate what factors actually go into the cost of food,” said Brent Bosch, manager of Sunshine Foods. “We support our local farmers and that is why it is so important to dispel the myths that are out there not only for corn and ethanol but also for grocery retailers. The cost of food has gone up and we’re here to explain why while also thanking our customers for their food and fuel purchasing business.”

For more information about “Kernels of Truth” visit the SDCUC website at www.sdcorn.org; or call 605-334-0100 to learn more about the SDCUC-Sunshine promotion on Oct. 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Sioux Falls Sunshine Foods’ 57th and Cliff Ave. location.