Gen Z hold key to unlock future story of agriculture

This generation will control what our world does in the future - according to Potatoes USA chief executive officer Blair Richardson, who spoke at the World Potato Congress in Adelaide this week.

"We need to stoke their passions, so they connect to the industry and its products," he said.

Across the globe, Gen Z spend about $US180 billionon food alone, so it is no longer an option to "not talk to them" about the agriculture industry.

Mr Richardson believes, at present, the industry is missing out on a massive opportunity to engage with a generation who is posting content across the globe about what they are cooking, where they are eating and where their food comes from.

"They are starting to learn how to cook - they had minimal skills with it growing up and it was not something their parents taught them to do," he said.

This generation was the first to feel the effects of a two-parent working homelife and it was showing through their food, lifestyle and social interaction choices, according to Mr Richardson.

"They are digital natives and grew up with an iPhone or iPad almost from the time they could crawl," he said.

"They embrace everything which is digital but they also expect a lot from it. They also do not trust anyone, particularly corporates."

He said Gen Z were the most entrepreneurial generation in history and they were looking for ways to contribute to society through their preferred ways - not how it was done in the past or how they were told to.

"They are not seeking information on TV or working for corporate organisations," Mr Richardson said.

" As an industry, we have to recognise this and also focus on YouTube and Tik Tok - Instagram is even old fashion for Gen Z."

Gen Z are so engaged with reaching peers through these platforms, that 23 per cent of Gen Z who have posted a food video or photo, let their food go cold while trying to create it.

Mr Richardson said this generation was inquisitive and if the agriculture sector could put the right story behind its products on the correct platforms, they would respond to it.

"They want to know where their food comes from and by sharing grower profiles, which highlight the honest processes and hardworking individuals behind food production, they will respond by showing their peers across the globe," he said.

Gen Z are spending more money on food and experiences than saving for assets such as a home but it is their passion toward advocacy which has the industry's leaders watching them closely.

According to Mr Richardson, this generation cares deeply about issues which impact them and they do it fairly loudly.

"They are strongly involved in things they do not agree with. So, when trying to sell them a product, they must like and trust the story," he said.

"If they think they are being lied to, they will revolt and carry it to everyone they are connected to online."

Gen Z are so active on digital platforms they spend more time posting about what food they are eating and where, than anything else.

They are immediately posting it to their network around the world and this fuels their energy, according to Mr Richardson.

"They communicate directly to their peers and people they admire through social media about their food experiences and why they love it, which directly impacts agricultural businesses," he said.

With 40pc of Gen Zs disposal income going toward eating out at restaurants, one of the biggest determining factors why Gen Z choose what and where they want to eat, is authenticity.

"It cannot be generic, they want something which is real and they want the story about where it came from," Mr Richardson said.

"They want it to be innovative and something they can tell a story about - so we need to reach them through that."