Understanding Australia's food chain:  whose responsibility is it?

WARNING – this blog contains a lot of questions and not many answers!  So if you are in the mood for a bit of light reading and pondering some hypotheticals that are not supported by evidence then this could be the blog for you.

There has been a lot of emphasis on creating value for Australian farmers, using a range of industry initiatives designed to increase the consumer’s understanding of how food arrives on their plate.

What is it that we are asking consumers to do?  Is it clear to them?  A part of me is starting to empathise with consumers.

Is it the consumer’s responsibility to understand the food production chain; or the farmer’s?  Consumers have many questions.  What answers are they willing to pay for?

Who provides the answers?

How many farmers understand their industry beyond the farm gate?  Don’t they care?  Don’t they value what they sell?  Why are they not asking the right questions to find out?  How will they know what to produce and how?

Why are we so reliant on people that didn’t produce the product, to pass on such an important story to the consumer?  Are they skilled at doing this?

Why do we ask consumers to understand the origin of their food all the way back to the farmer?  Are we prepared/comfortable with the maximum scrutiny of our industry that will come with this?

There is nothing in that relationship that relates to the consumer’s world.  How do we get to know their world beyond the shopping trolly?

When we are talking about initiatives that put value back into the industry, is it more effective to focus on the marketing activities of farmers or the purchasing behaviour of consumers?  If we need to change attitudes whose is the easiest to change?

Is it the responsibility of the consumer to help us run our industry?  The key words I see in articles and publications regarding this topic are; ‘lack of understanding’; ‘disconnection’; lack of appreciation’ – many of which have been used in a context that squarely takes aim at consumers.

Is the perception of agriculture in the suburbs really that negative?  Or are we responding to our own feelings in an industry that fights to be heard amongst all the other noise?

Why do we want consumers to know so much about what we do?  Do they have the inclination to spend that much time with us in the shopping aisle?  I have no idea where my iPod was made or who made it.  So why did I buy it?  Trust. 

 

Who is it that is disconnected?  Some would say the ‘disconnect’ is a consequence of a disconnected industry.

 

If the consumer is not getting the right message; isn’t that our responsibility?  Simply asking consumers to do something different does not work.

What is the catalyst for change?