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Millennials driving food industry trends

A representative with Campbell’s Soup Company says millennial demand is causing a major shift in the food industry.

Hilliard Shackford buys fresh tomato and hummus ingredients for Campbell’s Fresh division. He tells Brownfield consumers want more food choices than ever and how that food is grown matters.  “There’s variety unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  The whole trend, the millennials are driving it.”

He says Campbell’s organic product offerings have rapidly increased in just the past three years and non-GMO ingredients are becoming mandatory.  “Campbells, we’re looking at having no GMO products, so if you’re a grower of products that contain GMO, the probability of you selling anything to us is very slim.  We’ve had a directive sent out across our company and we’ve been doing it for two or three years.”

Shackford says consumers most importantly want flavorful food and he believes the future of sourcing fresh ingredients like tomatoes will be based on flavor rather than an individual production method.

Shackford spoke with Brownfield during the Michigan Agri-Business Winter Conference in Lansing, Michigan.

*A spokesman for Campbell’s Soup Company has clarified its position on GMO foods with Brownfield Ag News.  Campbell’s says it continues to support GMO foods as safe and plans to increase transparency of the ingredients used in their products.  Tom Hushen, Campbell’s communications manager, tells Brownfield the science continues to support that GMOs are safe and as a company they will be labeling U.S. products that include ingredients derived from genetically modified crops, but there is no directive to exclude GMO products.*

AUDIO: Interview with Hilliard Shackford