CPG Innovation Podcast

In today’s conversation, Trent shares about his journey over the last 10 years as he built Tango Packaging with a holistic perspective - carrying the belief that through hands-on, creative problem solving, it is possible to cut costs, improve product sustainability, and increase sales. We discuss how the recent global supply-chain issues have affected the packaging industry and driven innovation. He speaks about the fragmentation in the packaging space and offers a fresh perspective on what is possible when you approach problems as opportunities that need creative solutions. Finally, we discuss sustainability, and he shares his thoughts on how to move the packaging industry towards a more circular economy.

In this conversation, we discuss how companies build consumer trust through labeling. We also touch on the increased consumer desire for transparency around food sourcing, and how this impacts consumer trust of a company. Finally, we talk about where trust fits in consumers’ decisions about which products to buy, and how rapidly the shopping experience is changing.

In this conversation we speak with Barnett Sporkin-Morrison about a topic he is passionate about, sustainably feeding the world’s population by 2050. We discuss “Retrogressive Consumerism,” a concept he developed that looks at how consumers decide what food products to purchase, and how some of these decisions are not sustainable over the long term on a global scale. Barnett shares his thoughts on Genetically Modified Organisms and how the evolution of technology requires a transformation of how it is regulated and utilized. Finally, Barnett shares his outlook on the future, and how he believes international trade and food security are vital next steps in uniting the world’s population for a sustainable future.

In today’s Episode, we talk with Kate Stewart, the owner & founder of Stay Tray, a company that produces the reusable drink tray.

Kate spent most of her career in Fast Moving Consumer Goods working with major retailers, and witnessed copious amounts of waste, prompting a career change in the pursuit of something more fulfilling. Stay Tray is a sustainable solution to single use, proudly made in Australia from 100% recycled material.

In today’s conversation, I speak with Al Slingluff, VP of R&D at Ken's Foods. Al has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Penn State in Food Science, and has managed Food Research and Development teams for over 20 years, spending the last seven at Ken’s Foods.

In this episode, I have a fascinating conversation with Dr. Steven Lapidge & Dr. Simon Lockrey.

Dr. Lapidge is the inaugural CEO of the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre and Stop Food Waste Australia. He has spent most of his 20-year career working for or with agricultural and environmental Cooperative Research Centers, with a strong focus on new product development, commercialization, extension and adoption.

Dr. Lapidge shares his experience spearheading a national approach to food waste mitigation and his efforts to increase government, consumer, and industry involvement.

Dr. Lockrey is a leading sustainability and design innovation researcher, having been based at RMIT University since 2009. The domains in which Dr Lockrey has managed research include life cycle assessment, also known as LCA, co-design, design innovation, green marketing, resource efficiency, sustainability strategy, tool development, and food waste. As a result, he has generated millions of dollars of ‘industry-facing’ research, creating global impact through policy change, commercial innovation outcomes, media coverage, and quality academic publications.

Dr. Lockrey discusses his research around mitigating food waste in the life cycle of food production, and how technology plays a role in different phases of this process.

Melanie Bartelme, a Global Food Analyst at Mintel, provides insights on global innovation and consumer trends across a number of food categories, including produce, pasta and grains. At Mintel, Melanie co-created the annual US Flavor and Ingredient Trends, which spotlight the cuisine types and ingredients that are growing on restaurant menus and on grocery shelves. 

In this episode, we discuss the effects of COVID-19 on flavor innovation, how technology is changing the way we interact with food labels, and two interesting conflicts driving consumers--health versus comfort and indulgence versus saving money.