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#WSJGobalFood Forum tackles major food issues

A spokeswoman for one of the nation’s leading pork producers says she was pleasantly surprised with the discussions during the Wall Street Journal’s first ever Global Food Forum.

Julie Maschhoff with The Mashhoffs was one of the presenters at the event, which brought together newsmakers in the food space including Kraft Foods, Monsanto and HSUS to discuss some of the latest food trends and issues facing the industry.  “I think everyone in that room that came to this Global Food Forum realized it takes a tremendously talented and dedicated block of resources if we’re going to be the world’s breadbasket, and that’s where the world needs to be positioning itself.”

The Illinois based family farm works collectively with 600 other family farm partners in nine states to produce enough pork to feed 16 million people annually.  Maschhoff says she spoke about the role of family farms feeding the world and the importance of trade deals.  “It is the other 172 countries where we do not have free trade agreements where we run a huge imbalance of trade, so obviously we need to work and get more trade agreements and more fair and equal access to opening markets around the world.”

She tells Brownfield the forum provided another space to connect with consumers and while there was debate amongst participants, there was general support for family farms even though their business model is changing.

AUDIO: Interview with Julie Maschhoff