People across the United States increasingly want to know where their food comes from.

It just makes sense to know where something you put in your body comes from. And a problem like the recent scare over the possibility of tiny pieces of metal getting into shredded cheese only adds urgency to the desire for knowledge.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has a relatively new program that lets consumers know when they are getting wholesome food from our state. It’s called Choose Iowa.

The distinctive Choose Iowa logo on a package, bag or bottle means the food or drink inside came from Iowa.

State Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has said the program combines the “prestige of Iowa’s global agricultural reputation with the entrepreneurial ingenuity that exists in all 99 counties.”

To have the right to bear the Choose Iowa logo, food and drink must have verifiable origins in Iowa.

For example, produce must be 100 percent grown in the state. Meat must come from animals born, raised and finished in Iowa. Dairy products must come from Iowa animals and must be processed in Iowa dairy facilities. Eggs must come from Iowa animals.

And those are just a few significant examples of the requirements. There are requirements for just about every kind of food and drink, and if those requirements are met, the Choose Iowa logo can be used.

The program offers grants to help farmers and processors improve their operations.

We believe Choose Iowa offers Iowa agriculture products an advantage in the marketplace. And that advantage comes at a relatively low cost to the state. The program provides a couple million dollars worth of grants every year, but that isn’t that much when one considers that the state budget is close to $10 billion a year.

The Department of Agricultural and Land Stewardship is now accepting applications for Choose Iowa Value-Added grants. We encourage producers to consider applying for one. Meat and dairy producers should be on the lookout for separate grant applications specific to their products.

We encourage everyone to look for the Choose Iowa logo when shopping and buy food that came right from their state.