State of the Plate (C.O.nxt)

The State of the Plate podcast kicks off with rousing discussions around what food and ag organizations are looking for from the Farm Bill, how the beef market is trending, poultry gene editing technology and one new way AI is reshaping food industry research.

In this episode we come at Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities from all angles, including which food and ag companies are teaming up, how innovation is making partnerships easier and one partnership that’s saving the rice supply, featuring special guest Jay McEntire, CEO of Arva Intelligence.

In this episode we chat with NASDA CEO Ted McKinney about the future of food and achieving measurable sustainability, discuss a future that features a food-filled Mars, provide an update in the latest meat labeling legislation and taste test some truly horrifying social media food trends.

In this episode we share what we learned at the IFT FIRST expo in Chicago and talk about the latest in Climate-Smart hiring, meat labels and a new innovation that’s part soybean, part pig.  

In this episode we discuss back-to-school food programs in the Farm Bill, have a magical conversation with a food innovation wizard, unpack sustainable food packaging and countdown the top foods that’ll be hardest to find in the rest of 2023. Stick around for our 'a la carte' episode with Chef Mike to hear additional insights into the dynamic food industry. 

In this full interview with Chef Mike Haracz, Corporate Chef and Culinary Development Lead at Foodology by Univar Solutions, Chef Mike unveils his strategies for keeping up with dynamic food trends. From the surge of climate-conscious choices to deciphering consumer desires, Chef Mike shares how he stays ahead in an ever-evolving landscape.

In this episode we serve up the latest update on the Farm Bill, chat about the latest label innovations helping to reduce food waste and talk with Amy Tranzillo about how her company, Agrofresh, is leading the charge to keep fresh produce fresher for longer. And because ‘tis the season, we’ll get into some pumpkin spice fun facts.

 00:00 Intro

02:50 Farm Bill Update

09:26 Food Label Innovation

16:52 Amy Tranzillo Interview

36:47 Pumpkin Spice Fun Facts

We’re back with another bonus episode with a super-interesting person doing super-important work. Scott Marshall, Vice President of Development and Communications at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, joins us to talk about the impact of food insecurity in our own backyards and the amazing work they do to keep food on people’s tables. 

In this episode we dish out takes on the struggling U.S. pea protein market, have roundup discussions on the Women in Ag panel and World Dairy Expo, discuss the Halloween sugarflation phenomenon and countdown America’s least favorite candies. 

00:00 Intro 
04:02 Pea Protein Market at Risk 
11:33 World Dairy Expo Recap 
28:56 Women in Ag Follow-up 
40:48 Halloween Sugarflation 

Due to the timeliness of this conversation, we’re not waiting for the full episode to get this content in your ears. Lucas Sjostrom, a managing director of Edge Dairy Cooperative, shares his insight on the Federal Market Order discussions as it relates to milk and other perishable U.S. commodities, while intersecting with the new Farm Bill and potential government shut down. 

In this episode we dig into California’s cancellation of the red Skittle, serve up highlights from our Federal Milk Order conversation with Lucas Sjostrom and banter about the hottest 2023 holiday food trends. 

00:00   Intro 
02:55   California Ingredient Bans 
22:19   Federal Milk Order Convo Highlights 
49:05   Holiday Food Trends 

In this lighthearted holiday episode, we take a break from some of the more pressing food biz news to prepare for Dry January with facts about the low-to-no beverage trend and taste-testing some of the hottest non-alcoholic products on the shelf. 

00:00The fun begins and continues to the end 

In the first episode of the new year, we talk to David Banks of Bell Flavors and Fragrances about the hottest flavor trends of 2024, discuss ethical standards for social influencers and get fired up animal ag’s place in the climate change debate. 

00:00 – Intro 
02:18 – 2024 Flavor Trends 
46:44 – Influencer Ethics 
1:10:16 – Attack on Animal Ag 

C.O.nxt Associate Creative Director Michael Bleach joins Brandon and Rochelle to talk about the best and worst food and beverage commercials in this year’s big game. 

In this episode we talk about the impact of Proposition 12 on the pork industry and consumer market, how the new nostalgia flavor trend takes us back to tastier times, and the movement toward a breakfast-less existence. 

00:00 – Intro 
05:20 – Proposition 12 
17:30 – Nostalgia Flavor Trend 
28:33 – Bypassing Breakfast 

In this episode we dig into the impact of Ozempic®-like drugs on the food market, interview an expert about a fascinating super-grain, cover off on the latest bird flu threat and dive into the gen-z hydration craze. 

00:00 – Intro 
9:20 – The Ozempic® Impact 
23:18 – Sorghum the Super-grain 
42:22 – The Bird Flu 
50:20 – The Hydration Craze 

In this episode we chat about a proposal for more Climate Smart money, reveal the food trends that Gen Z is biting into, celebrate Earth Month by giving props to some food and ag sustainability leaders and comment on the latest Hellmann’s hijinks.

00:00 – Intro

06:30 – Climate Smart Update

11:57 – Gen Z Food Trends

22:22 – Celebrating Earth Month

37:43 – Hellmann’s Clickbait

In our one-year pod-iversary episode, we nibble on Florida’s lab meat ban, leading chicken chains turning to “some antibiotics sometimes” and nutritional updates to the USDA’s WIC package.

00:00 – Celebration!

11:02 – Lab Meat Chopped

20:18 – Chicken Chains’ New Standards

31:06 – WIC updates 

Grilling season is upon us, which means plenty of backyard barbecues. But which brands deliver the most flavor when it comes to some our favorite cookout foods? We conducted a blind taste test among our Charleston Orwig Collective employee-owners so you know what to buy to guarantee your most flavorful festivities.  

In this episode we look into the rise of secret menus and the fast food influencer, customers fighting back against food prices and farm bill proposal finally hitting the floor. 

00:00 – Intro 
2:01 – Fast Food Influencers 
29:26 – Food Inflation Tipping Point 
39:35 – A Farm Bill Proposal 

In this episode we discuss major supply challenges facing some of our favorite fruits and veggies, the celebrity beverage phenomenon and the curators of the world’s seed vault getting much deserved accolades. Plus, we preview an upcoming special episode on corn cutting into petroleum’s pie. 

00:00 – Intro 
08:48 – Produce Supply Problems 
26:43 – Celebrity Hooch 
39:30 – The World’s Seed Vault 
47:00 – Corn-Based Fabric Preview 

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the world’s leading food technology conference, we have you covered. In this episode we cover off on the coolest things we saw at the show and share interviews we had with some of food innovation’s most interesting people. 

00:00 – Our IFT Highlights

26:26 – Interview 1, Corny Red Dye: Meghan Jacobs, Global Marketing Director, Givaudan

33:29 – Interview 2, Shroom Boom: Linda May-Zhang, VP Science & Innovation, Blue California

41:35 – Interview 3, Mango Bricks: Adeel Jawed, Business Development Manager, Ingredyum

54:39 – Interview 4, Vertically Integrated Duck: Olivia Tucker, Director of Marketing, Maple Leaf Farms

In the first episode of our special Environmental Awareness Month series we talk to Andrea Vanderhoff, Director of Technology and Sustainability at Qore, about how they’re using corn as a sustainable alternative to petroleum in making all kinds of fabric products, from jackets, jeans and everything in between. 

Qore is the Joint Venture between Cargill and HELM and the parent company to Quira, a bio-based 1,4-butanediol (BDO) made from renewable feedstocks that reduces CO2 emissions compared to materials made using fossil-fuel based BDO.

Learn more about Qore at https://www.myqira.com/qira-company

In our second Environmental Awareness episode, we talk to Dan Kurzrock, Founder and CEO of Upcycled Foods, Inc., about how they’re helping turn spent grains left over from the beer brewing process into tasty treats you can really eat—a revolutionary idea to take a bite out of food waste and food insecurity. Upcycled Foods, Inc., is a pioneer in rescuing and upcycling nutritious grains desugared naturally in the brewing process. Learn more about their process and growing portfolio of products at UpcycledFoods.com.

In the next episode of our Environmental Awareness series, we chat with Steve Rowe, Chairman of the Board at BioFiltro, where they’ve introduced a revolutionary, regenerative wastewater filtration system powered by worms, helping dairies, vineyards and all kinds of other food and ag operations significantly reduce their environmental impact. 

World Dairy Expo is THE place to be to experience the latest in dairy tech and innovation. But if you couldn’t make it to Madison, WI, this year, we have you covered. Listen in as we discuss the coolest things we saw at WDE and share interviews with some of the show’s most intriguing innovators. 

Bioret Agri Interview - 12:00
First-Defense Interview – 16:13
Golden Calf Company Interview – 22:26
Merck Animal Health Interview – 28:11
Micro Technologies Interview – 32:28
Novonesis Interview – 38:28
Trans Ova Genetics Interview – 41:36

As the 2024 Sustainable Ag Summit approaches, we connected with two pioneers helping the food system work together to advance sustainability in the dairy industry. Tune in to hear Lauren Brey, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Sustainability at Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF), and Holly Jones, Director of Global ESG/Sustainability at Agropur, share how they’re making measurable change, together.

FSF is a collaborative, industry-supported effort to promote and support farmer-led solutions to today’s environmental challenges. Learn more about their work at https://farmersforsustainablefood.com/.

Agropur is a North American dairy cooperative and supplier of products for the industrial, retail and food service sectors. Learn more about them and their initiatives at https://www.agropur.com/us/.

Back in January, we made a few bold predictions about what 2024 would hold for the food system. In this episode we hold ourselves accountable by taking a look back at the year that was to see if what we said would happen actually happened. Listen in and see what we got right and what we got … almost right. 

Everyone’s giving their picks for 2025 food predictions right now, but no one’s doing it like this. Listen in as Brandon and Rochelle give their picks for tastiest emerging food trends, then jump over to the special bonus episode where Menu Matters president and veteran market researcher Maeve Webster takes us even further behind the curtain with insights into the consumer behaviors driving flavor shifts.

We all love to talk about the food trends that are happening. But do we ever take the time to think about why they are happening? Menu Matters President Maeve Webster does. Join this fascinating conversation with a veteran market researcher and expert predictologist (it’s a word don’t bother looking it up) about the human behaviors and mindsets that cause the emergence of hot food trends.

Is X on the decline? What’s the current word on TikTok? Do Threads and Bluesky have staying power? With so many uncertainties swirling around in the world of social media, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with our all-knowing social media director Kelli Calkins to bring answers to your most pressing questions.

Two of our 2025 Trends Episode predictions come to life in one interview: the rise of beef tallow and the year of women in agriculture. In our latest State of the Plate podcast, we talk to a couple of “mompreneurs” riding the beef tallow wave with their own product line—Farm Wife Tallow. Hear how these wonderful women of agriculture, Katie Carothers, Amanda Kather and their other partners, turned an inspired idea into a successful Farm-to-Table product that they can’t seem to keep in stock.