Farmscape for January 17, 2019

A University of Alberta Agricultural Economist says companies that sell meat are responding positively to the introduction of new meat substitutes.
Disruptive Technologies, Public Perceptions and Implications for Pork was among the topics examined last week as part of the 2019 Banff Pork Seminar.
Dr. Ellen Goddard, an Agricultural Economist with the University of Alberta, says the whole plant based meat, cellular meat, eating insects, eating all sorts of things other than meat is often described in the literature and by people who write about it as disruptive innovation in the sector.

Clip-Dr. Ellen Goddard-University of Alberta:
If the traditional meat sector had done nothing it might have been completely disruptive, but my estimate is that the traditional meat sector is responding to the desires of the public for more information and for more verification and certification of things like production technologies, environmental footprint, animal welfare implications, the types of technologies that are used in production.
They're providing that information so I don't see them being disrupted out of existence.
What I do see is the traditional meat companies buying up the start up companies and I think you end up with a spectrum of products from traditional meat products to more innovative meat products to plant based meat products for example.
There may be even a halo effect of a traditional company having a plant based meat product in their lineup.
It brings in new consumers that wouldn't otherwise ever buy their product.

Dr. Goddard says people are taking issues like climate change and animal welfare much more seriously these days so food companies need to respond.
She says we don't have to change what do, we have to explain why we do it and how it is good for the planet and the people.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork