ARLINGTON, Va. -- "Come out of your silo and begin a dialog with your customers and suppliers," urged consultant Kevin Murphy of Food-Chain Communications LLC at the Animal Agriculture Alliance's seventh industry-wide Stakeholders Summit, held here April 8. "The time to address consumer anxiety about food is now."
The importance of beginning a dialog with customers to diffuse growing consumer anxiety about food was a major thrust of a Murphy's presentation.
Murphy, an agriculture and food industry veteran, outlined the right information, the right personnel and the right attitude for a company to be successful. If food-chain companies take these points, "you can tell a more complete and compelling story about your product, even if it spends the majority of its lifecycle outside your direct control."
He pointed out that the structure of agriculture has drastically changed since 1950. "According to Wikipedia, there are 56 companies involved in making one can of chicken noodle soup," said Murphy. "The result is that some consumers are feeling a 'separation anxiety' about their food and its source."
And, he added, more than 400 advocacy groups are exploiting this sentiment to advance their ideas of how food should be produced, processed, transported and sold.
Murphy also indicated that world population is projected to grow from 6.6 billion people today to 9.6 billion in 2050. With increased income in developing nations factored in, global food demand could double.
"Meeting this increased demand for food in a way that is mutually acceptable to consumers and food chain companies means that those providing food can no longer afford to be silent and supply commodities," said Kay Johnson-Smith, executive vice president of the alliance. "The world has changed. From individual farmers and ranchers to the groceries and restaurants that directly serve consumers, it is becoming ever more critical that all food chain participants inform consumers about the social, environmental and economic benefits that they deliver."
The annual Stakeholders Summit explored the theme of "Animal Welfare: Building Bridges Across the Food Chain." Event sponsors included Poultry Times.
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