COVID-19 injected massive disruption into the meat supply chain throughout the first half of 2020. From plant-shutdown supply shocks to foodservice-shutdown demand shocks, the animal protein markets have been rocked on a variety of fronts. But what about the consumers of meat? How has a global pandemic and relatively unprecedented economic uncertainty affected their purchasing habits and preferences?

In this episode we talk with one of the foremost academic experts on consumer trends and preferences in the meat space, and hear about his research into what meat buyers are thinking about heading into the final months of 2020.

Jayson Lusk is Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University.  He earned a BS in Food Technology and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. He was previously Regents Professor and Willard Sparks Endowed Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University and Assistant Professor at Mississippi State and Purdue.

Lusk is a food and agricultural economist who studies what we eat and why we eat it. Since 2000, Lusk has published more than 200 journal articles in peer reviewed journals, including several of the most cited papers in the profession.  He has served on the editorial councils of eight academic journals and published several books on topics ranging from farm animal welfare to consumer reactions to farming practices and technologies.

This episode of Feedstuffs In Focus is sponsored by Topigs Norsvin, the second largest swine genetics company in the world. Topigs Norsvin’s unique breeding program is designed to accelerate genetic progress at the customer level by creating innovative products and solutions that benefit the entire pork production chain. To get more information, visit TopigsNorsvin.us.

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