Bigger than ever before (with 1,300 attendees!), the Annual Meat Conference (AMC) 2017 was an awesome opportunity to hear from experts across all phases of the meat industry about what’s next for our favorite proteins. We came prepared with our trusty notepads and pens to capture the key takeaways, and we had our work cut out for us. See below for our Top 10 learnings. What were your key findings from AMC 2017? Please share below!
Midan’s AMC 2017 Top 10 takeaways:
- New consumer segments can help the meat industry zero in on target customers
New research segments meat consumers into six distinct groups with unique meat shopping attitudes and behaviors. (Michael Uetz & Danette Amstein, Midan Marketing, Meat Consumer Segmentation). Learn more here. - Foreign trade remains a crucial part of meat industry success
Forecasters predict a 4.5% increase in meat exports in 2017. Export markets must grow significantly to keep supply and demand in balance. (Randy Blach, CattleFax, Market Outlook for Meat and Poultry) - The meat industry continues to face stiff competition from alternative protein sources
There are 39% more food items with protein claims on the market today than there were four years ago. (Anne-Marie Roerink, 210 Analytics, The Power of Meat: An In-Depth Look at Meat through the Shopper’s Eyes) - “Environmental eating” is dramatically impacting agriculture
Today’s agriculture has two marketplaces: Commodity [Filling/Financial] vs. Value-Added [Feelings/Flavor]. Value-added food has a “feel good” story that sells social consciousness. (Damian Mason, Agriculture: Trends, Topics, and Tomorrow) - Consumers deepen bonds with brands through shared values
61% of consumers will not buy a product if it does not meet societal obligations. (Tish Van Dyke, Edelman, Modern Marketing in the New Media Environment) - Organic offers big opportunities for increased basket rings at the register
For total U.S., annual dollars per household spent on organic is $126. “True Believers” on the spectrum of consumer segmentation spend nearly triple that amount. (Larry Levin and Steve Ramsey, IRI, The Impact of Organic and No Antibiotics Ever Positioning on Total Store Sales) - There were 540 food recalls in 2016
Food crises unfold in a predictable sequence. Prepare in advance for a food safety issue by creating an incident guide that includes staged messaging to address possible scenarios. (Jeff Hahn, Hahn Public, Emerging Consumer Concerns and Issues Management) - Pig farmers are connecting directly with consumers
The next generation of pig farmers is successfully using social media platforms (check out @RealPigFarming on Twitter) to share photos of day-to-day farm life. (Brad Greenway, US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and Angela Anderson, National Pork Board, Communicating the Story to Consumers) - Opportunity for companies ready to tailor food offerings to meet personal health needs
While past nutrition guidelines have focused on “one size fits all” recommendations, consumers now expect a more customized approach to health and nutrition. Companies who take action now will lead the future of food (and health). (Simon Negri, A.T. Kearney and Jennifer Bentz, Tyson Foods, Inc., Personalized Nutrition: An Industry Disruptor?) - FSIS easing into new requirements for ground beef recordkeeping
FSIS has taken a six-month “soft approach” to enforcing the ground beef recordkeeping rule that became effective on 10/1/16. Retailers attempting to comply with the new rule aren’t likely to be disciplined; operators aware of the rule but ignoring it could face as-yet-unspecified disciplinary action. A new notice outlining how FSIS will enforce infractions is expected within 6-8 weeks. (Mark Dopp, North American Meat Institute and Hilary Thesmar, Food Marketing Institute, Regulatory Update)
