Ag Tech Sunday - Why is synthetic food coming in when synthetic fibres are on the way out

By Craig Trotter

What a curious time to be working and entwined within the global agribusiness industry, on one hand we have ‘synthetic food’ which seems that it will fix all the worlds woes and yet synthetic fibres are on the way out!

It is important to try and understand the reasons for such a divergence in the two markets. There have been numerous global research papers which have shown perceived issues of global ruminant agriculture and its effect on the planet’s ecosystem and potential implications of contributing to global climate change. It appears that regular consumption of meat is a factor in contributing to global climate change and hence the rise and rise of alternative meats products becoming available on international markets to ‘fill the demand’. In comparison, We have seen the demise and floundering around of the worlds natural wool fibre market over the past 20-30 years with the progressive rise of synthetic fibres and polymer based products- this is profound in the strong fibre market such as carpets; of late however- there has been a change of sorts and a push back towards the use of natural fibres internationally; through recognition of micro plastics in every part of the environment and having the ability to cause harm over coming decades, we may have seen the swing back to the use of natural fibres as consumer awareness around use and effect of synthetic fibres becomes more prominent. For the fibre sector, we progressively saw synthetic product manufacturers gradually take more of the market due to price conscious consumers and availability/usability of synthetic fibre products; is it to play out this way for the meat markets for the future?

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There is also the push away from plastic products in general and for consumers to lead a more plastic waste free lifestyle, of course as an individual- there is little to be gained other than the feel good factor which you are doing something good for the environment; at a household scale, an families ability to make a difference is minimal however through the rise of social media, our ability to influence our friends and family is so much greater, a neat example of this is my own family, my wife has created a facebook blog www.facebook.com/Trottersgoplasticfree/ showcasing simple solutions to reduce plastic use and therefore wastage, it is a way that we can contribute for the global push for change. Her ability to make a significant difference of course is limited but the ability to utilise social media allows an individual to influence others whom may as individuals reflect on their own ability to reduce use of single plastics for example and therefore make a difference i.e. the snowball effect.

This feel good factor (FGF) or importance of a good experience is increasingly important for the younger generations, we clearly see this of late in the changes in diet and meal selection, the rise of flexitarianism and veganism- many look at these options and a change in lifestyle as their way to contribute for a ‘better world’ and many others follow because its ‘cool’ as is marketed and portrayed through their social circles and their follows through social media. Rightly or wrongly, propaganda or not; its directly impacting on and giving rise to global shifts in consumer diets and purchasing decisions.

As Millennials (born between 1981-1996); age and their buying power increases, they are and will increasingly be important genre of customer.

A breakdown of the generations. Note that this is missing generation Z born between 1995-2010.

Schawbel (2015) interviewed 1300 millennials and created 10 important characteristics which guide their purchasing decisions

1.     They aren’t influenced at all by marketing

2.     They would rather buy a car than lease a house

3.     They review blogs before making a purchase

4.     They value authenticity as more important than content

5.     Their future inheritance won’t change their buying behaviour

6.     They want to engage with brands on social media

7.     They want to co-create products with companies

8.     They are using multiple tech devices

9.     They are brand loyal

10. They expect brands to give back to society

As producers of agri-food products, we need to recognise these values and display them with re-engineered marketing campaigns. The fact that millennials make widespread use of social media and technology is nothing new to the baby boomer parents but how we as producers and marketers utilise this is important. Increasingly, through the use of advanced marketing campaigns and technology, we can make connections with these consumers. Through the use of virtual and augmented reality- our ability as producers to connect with consumers will be a lot greater and transparent therefore providing peace of mind to the purchaser that the story we tell is authentic and hopefully giving them their confidence to purchase their product of choice. This is an important aspect for the premium product- its story must be thorough and authentic therefore providing sufficient evidence is an essential element to create a successful purchase. Having a good experience through buying a product is important. I think this is demonstrated in two ways; there’s the initial experience of how the product interacts with the purchaser (having a personal positive experience) but then the 2nd part is giving them the confidence to tell their peers (and subsequent social FGF) around the good experience they had

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Increasingly this FGF is something which we will see more common place; as generational wealth increases for the premium consumer in this day and age we actively see millennial and Gen Z consumers take the time and effort to critique the welfare qualities of the food and fibres which they use in their every day lives, this of course will become increasingly apparent and necessary; as producers we must provide accurate and detailed information regarding the provenance of the products we supply to the global consumer- their ability to influence the peers (both good and bad experiences) through social media will be paramount to ensure the right message is told and maintained.

However, we define synthetic, lab, slaughter free, non-meat meat products is inconsequential to the fact that in the next 5-10 years it will become increasingly available in our global markets competing directly with consumer attention and playing a strong FGF game in order to secure the purchase. As the new generations increase their spending power and their value driven life philosophies are played out with their spending decisions, New Zealand agribusiness can have them realise that spending through us allows them to have that feel good factor that they are making a positive contribution to society and lessening their impact on the worlds resources. New Zealand's pastoral based animal agribusiness are of course well regarded as efficient production systems.

It is up to us to be in their forefront of mind through messaging with data to support positive animal and social welfare, carbon neutrality and environmentally friendly supply chains information. In this way, they are making a difference, feeling good about it, telling their friends and supporting our value based agri-economy.