The Future of Food
Stephanie Steeves
![Stephanie Steeves]()
Stephanie Steeves
Global Scientific Marketer ?????? | Relentless Champion for Women in STEM | Mentor
I was thrilled to spend today critically thinking about the future of food, along with my colleague Judson Vasconcelos. The The Wall Street Journal hosted a group of insightful speakers, interviewed by their WSJ staff members, for an intimate discussion on topics that affect our industry. My three favorite insights of the day:
- It's possible for farmers to partner with environmental groups: the Smithfield Foods + Environmental Defense Fund collaboration is a great example of how it can work.
- People are at the center of this industry, as highlighted by three passionate (female!) speakers: Beth Ford (it's the #1 thing that keeps her up at night as CEO of Land O'Lakes), Kristin Weeks Duncanson from Highland Family Farms (going on 6th generation at her farm), and Carla Vernon (the consumers are her bosses)!
- Food labels aren't going away. As an industry, I believe that we need to continue to promote #factsnotfear, but hear the consumer out. Where science, sustainability and consumer interests intersect is our opportunity. I'm grateful that the #WSJ had a diverse set of speakers with very different views on this - it's important to understand all sides.
- As a bonus, as it's still #GlobalDiversityandInclusion month: I was quite surprised when I walked into the conference... It's the first time I've seen nearly 50% women, and beyond that, such diversity in age/background/ethnicity/viewpoints. It's very refreshing to attend an industry event where women are well-represented. Let's make a point of this in the future!
There's a whole lot more to learn: search the hashtag #WSJFood on Twitter and LinkedIn for additional topics, quotes and stats.
Using psychological science to help farmers and Canadian agriculture thrive. Associate editor at Country Guide. 6th generation Quebec dairy farmer.
5 年Yes, environmental groups and agriculture can most certainly work together. A great example in Canada is the partnership between Ducks Unlimited and Alberta Beef Producers, who are working together to demonstrate their mutual commitment to sustainable beef production and to advance wetland and grassland conservation. I'm also pleased to see that there were so many women at the conference! Thanks for sharing your takeaways from what looks like a day overloaded with great information.
Helping #healthcare #education #nonprofit organizations increase visibility, credibility and impact #PublicRelations #mediarelations #communityoutreach #consultant #mentalhealth #BEYOU
6 年Most people take for granted how important farming truly is and why you need to know where your food is sourced from. We live down the street from an amazing organic farm. Moon Valley Farm owned by Emma Jagoz. The sacrifice and true hard work is priceless. Thank you for this post.
[in]spiring Brands and Marketers to unlock Growth at Scale | Lead Enterprise Account Executive at LinkedIn
6 年Great share-out Stephanie! #champion?
Digital Daredevil ? Creative Thinker ? Social Media Content Creator & Strategist
6 年Love this!! Thank you for sharing??