Technological Revolution Shapes Consumer Retail Meat Demand

A protein journalist with LisaMKeefe.com says the technological revolution is helping shape the buying patterns of consumers more today than over the past century. "The Retail Meat Counter; What consumers are buying and how is it changing?" is among the topics being discussed as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2025, underway today and tomorrow in Saskatoon.

Lisa Keefe, a protein journalist and communicator with LisaMKeefe.com, says, because of the technological revolution, demographics are increasingly shaping consumer buying patterns.

Quote-Lisa Keefe-LisaMKeefe.com:

It's really rolling through society and changing how each successive generation thinks and perceives the world around them and how they prioritize their values. This has changed really significantly in just a couple of generations, whereas 75-100 years ago these things moved much more slowly and there was much more emphasis on tradition.

In general, progressively younger consumers, so you go from older millennials to younger millennials to generation Z or zillennials  they call them, in their 20s they're exposed to more ideas and, in return for that, they demand more of everything. They want more convenience but they also want cleaner labels.
The want higher quality but in portions that bring the price down to fit their budget.

So, reaching those younger consumers and breaking through the messaging noise to them and getting a product into their hands that they're going to be buying over and over again is an area that is going to benefit from concerted effort and learning on the part of producers to build a business that will last well into the next couple of decades.

Keefe says too many consumers still don't know how to properly cook pork for the best eating outcome so, in most channels, pork is reliably the number three choice.She suggests the trick is for the entire pork supply chain to work together to reach those consumers with the right information.