The Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economics Department is hosting the Rural Economic Outlook Conference at the ConocoPhillips Alumni Center located on the OSU campus today, Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Oklahoma Farm Report’s Maci Carter caught up with Rodney Holcomb who spoke about technology in the food industry.
Holcomb has observed a shift from consumers eating three meals per day, to snacking throughout the day. While it sounds bad, he’s also observed a big swing towards portion control and increased health management goals.
“We see a lot of food products that have come out with cleaner labels; consumers want fewer ingredients,” he said. “They’ve also come out with packaging that highlights the important information that the consumer wants: protein, fat, carbs, vitamins and nutrients, and fiber content. The idea is to give the consumer exactly what they want without bombarding them with too much stimuli.”
To meet these demands Oklahoma companies have begun to find unique ways to stand out while giving consumers what they are looking for. Amelia Creamery, of Nowata, Oklahoma, serves various flavors of French-style yogurt in clay containers that raise no concerns about increasing the volume of landfills. Out of Oklahoma City, KiZE Concepts has redesigned energy bars comprised of no more than six or seven ingredients.
Due to the increased focus on eating healthy, health-centered apps are increasingly in demand to help consumers track what they are eating, while still maintaining their nutritional needs. Holcomb said, “The apps, the technology, and even the labeling on the food products are all designed to make sure the consumer is getting what they need.”
Holcomb also spoke about the impact of the incoming wave of the Industrial Revolution, which he calls “Industrial Revolution 4.0.” He described it as going beyond the basic use of electricity, machinery, automation, and computers to cloud connectivity, sensors, and artificial intelligence.
“The food industry has made a lot of investment in those things,” he commented. “Most of that investment, so far, has not been on new product development. It’s mainly been on making existing facilities run more efficiently, safely, and with improved food safety, all while minimizing utility and water use. They also have to make sure they are secure from hackers.”
He detailed how Oklahoma, along with OSU, has been at the forefront of inventing and developing new technologies. Click on the soundbar above to hear the full conversation.
