Agricultural News
Former McDonald's Exec Says Consumers Want to Feel Good About Their Food
Tue, 26 May 2015 14:52:30 CDT
Agriculture has to adapt to the changing needs of consumers. This week the 2015 REBELation Conference put on by Alltech, an animal nutrition company, focused on meeting the needs of today's ever-changing consumer in addressing sustainability, reducing antibiotics in animal agriculture, along with making consumers feel warm and fuzzy. One of the speakers was Bob Langert of the Green Biz Group. He formerly served as their vice president of sustainability for McDonald's. During his presentation he discussed beef and poultry sustainability. He said cattle producers need to understand that consumers today are very interested in feeling good about the products they are eating.
"So that term 'feeling good', companies are translating that into different things," Langert said. "Nobody is knocking on McDonald's doorstep saying we want a sustainable Big Mac, but they are knocking on the doors of McDonalds and all these other companies saying hey we want your food (to know), where it comes from, to be grown responsibly, raised reasonability and you show it to me and every company is approaching probably differently, but with the same concept in mind."
This concept reflects the changing attitudes of consumers. Some of this change can be attributed to the millennial generation, but Langert said this idea is bigger than any particular generation. He said the research has found this change is being driven by the "aspirationals". This is a segment of the population that totals more than two billion people worldwide and this group spans more than a single generation. He said this group loves to spend money and use their wallets or purchasing dollars to make a difference.
"So they want to engage with companies that not only have great products and services, but have values behind them," Langert. "They have a purpose beyond just profit."
The aspirationals are not a niche group. Langert said this concept is going mainstream and if the industry ignores them, they are going to lose business.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Bob Langert at the conference held in Lexington, Kentucky. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
Picture courtesy of Alltech website.
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