Consumer relations could shape the future of agriculture and food

What is the biggest challenge facing Canadian agriculture? Will the sector play a role in creating the future or be forced to react to one that’s built by others? What will food of the future look like?

These are the big-picture questions that Christina Crowley-Arklie believes agricultural groups should discuss. She thinks the Canadian agriculture and food sector is facing a time of change and is at the intersection of innovation and disruption of tradition and process.

“The greatest challenge ahead is going to come down to mindset, our relationship with the people we feed and the relationship we have with ourselves,” Crowley-Arklie, founder of Crowley + Arklie Strategy and Co., said in a webinar earlier in May.

Why it matters: Building consumer trust and adapting to new and changing trends is crucial to the future success of the Canadian food system.

“Our world has shifted from a product-centric approach to consumer-centric. Every successful brand and business has put the consumer at the forefront of everything they do.”

Inflation, changes in the workforce, social issues, politics, world events and trust are the top topics that Crowley-Arklie believes consumers are worried about today.

When it comes to building trust, she said it is key to find something in common with the silent majority of consumers and connect on shared values.

“Consumers are the ones who keep us in business in agriculture and food,” said Crowley-Arklie. “We need to make them feel like they own their food system with us.”

She suggests the sector lead with emotion and vulnerability when communicating with the public. While admitting faults may be difficult for farmers who are proud of what they do, relating to consumers as imperfect human beings could significantly aid in building and maintaining trust.

Crowley-Arklie recommended 10 actions for the Canadian agriculture and food sector to take to improve consumer relations and support future success:

• Define the food system (farmers to processors to distributors to retailers and restaurateurs to consumers) with consumers.
• Have conversations with consumers instead of ‘educating’ them.
• Anticipate what consumers want to see in their food, how they want to feel about their food and what they want to hear from us.
• Meet consumers where they are on their ‘customer journey’ with food.
• Spot trends and predict what will become policy.
• Rebrand to become an attractive and sexy sector to Canadians.
• Be more strategic in networking, relationships and partnerships beyond agriculture and food.
• Collaborate, instead of just talking about doing it. Have one message and one messenger.
• Establish a collective set of values for the food system.
• Determine who we want to own the food conversation.

“We need Canadians to not only eat from us but to promote us and work with us, because we need their talent in the food system,” Crowley-Arklie said. “There is so much opportunity ahead, but our future isn’t guaranteed.”