Australian Pork Limited’s (APL) podcast series Next on the Menu returned in 2021, amidst a fresh wave of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in Australia, tackling once again the new, existing, and uncertain challenges facing the industry.

APL Chair Andrew Baxter and Pork Ambassador Mitch Edwards join again as co-hosts, speaking with a guest line-up of food and agriculture innovators and heavy hitters. Over the seven episode series, guests highlight the need for preparedness, adaptation and embracing of future technologies to see pork producers thrive in years to come.

 

Melissa Clark-Reynolds

New Zealand-based futurist Melissa Clark-Reynolds kicked off the season with predictions around animal vaccination advancement as a direct result of the swift process to protect the community against COVID-19.

Clark-Reynolds also focussed on regenerative agriculture as an industry prerequisite with the rise of savvy consumers looking to how soil can potentially capture carbon and give back to the land. Further, an increase in demand for ‘nose to tail’ use of farmed animals - including collagen production, leather, alternative milks, and pet food, all gaining in popularity through COVID-19 lockdowns.

 

Adrian Turner

One of Australia’s most influential technology entrepreneurs, Adrian Turner, showcases the innovation underway in the local pork industry in response to rising biosecurity risks. He urged the need for preparedness, utilising tech such as ExoFlare, a project Turner has collaborated extensively with APL on to create a data driven biosecurity risk management system for pork farms.

 

Anne Greven

Anne Greven of Rabobank North America’s Foodbytes platform spoke to the podcast on the topic of new technology that provides data-driven insights into the transportation of product. Greven thinks this will assist supply chain efficiencies around global freight, given the geographic location of Australia. For the producer, low-cost technologies that assist with margin are paramount now and into the future, and Greven is excited to see those technologies embraced more widely.

 

David Hughes

Episode four, our most downloaded to date, featured UK-based Professor David Hughes aka Dr Food. Hughes brings unparalleled knowledge of global food issues and opportunities, and he emphasised that pork producers need to be on the front foot and agile to embrace new opportunities so they may capitalise as the market diversifies.

Hughes noted the rise of ultra-fast delivery of convenience items over the traditional supermarket, as well as meal-kit businesses such as Hello Fresh overtaking market share of supermarkets globally. Hughes discusses shopper demand for authentic producer story-telling to address environmental and animal welfare concerns.

 

Brodee Myers-Cooke

Brodee Myers-Cooke, Editor-in-Chief of Australia’s biggest food platforms taste.com.au and bestrecipes.com.au reminds us that the media influences all we do and think as consumers. This is also true for social media, with the rise of channels like TikTok for food inspiration.

Myers-Cooke draws attention to consumer trends and demands currently circulating. Less to do with the individual ingredients that were a focus in the past, there is a noted shift towards the appliances a shopper owns, and how consumers are cooking at home. Brodee notes the trend from pie-maker through to slow cooker and the air fryer (great for pork belly!), and the pandemic and lockdowns driving this evolution at home.

She discusses with the hosts how consumers are thinking about flavour profiles and the ingredients required for meal creation, moving away from the classic ‘meat and three veg’ approach. Myers-Cooke suggests pork can be the hero in this new approach to cooking, the protein bringing the family together at the dinner table. Pork has the opportunity embrace diverse flavour profiles and cooking aids such as the air fryer to broaden appeal to consumers.

 

All seven episodes of Next on the Menu Season Two, as well as Season One are available via our website or your favourite podcast platform.