Why farmers must build food ‘trust’

A growing following behind concepts such as veganism and organics suggests a high level of concern among consumers about the impact of food on their health and wellbeing.

One self-confessed Aussie meat lover turned restaurant and food critic has based himself right in the heart of urban American food culture - Los Angeles.

For the past four and half years, Reuban Mourad has been feeding his thousands of Instagram followers and the readers of his reviews with down-to-earth information about the food they are consuming.

Reuben grew up in Sydney and after graduating from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, honed his media skills as a presenter on the Weather Channel and as a lifestyle and travel journalist with Channel Ten.

It was during this time that Reuben discovered his love of food and he was eventually picked up by a large management company in LA. 

Reuben made the move four and half years ago and immediately began working as a restaurant critic and food journalist

He’s now been published internationally and regularly writes for the LA Times, the New York Daily News and The Chicago Tribune.

Reuban has more than 8500 followers on his Instagram account alone and his food videos have been viewed by millions across the US.

Earlier this year, Reuban attended Bayer’s Future of Farming Dialogue, held in Germany and the Netherlands in late September.

He’d been invited to the event as an ‘influencer’ - someone Bayer recognised might be able to help communicate to consumers the benefits of technology such as genetic modification when it comes to food. 

Reuben's clean living lifestyle (he’s also a personal trainer) gives him the credibility needed to cut through to young, urban consumers but he’s also practical about the challenges farmers face in producing food. 

In one post to his Instagram followers during the trip, he spoke about the flavour of genetically modified tomatoes he had sampled. 

“They were grown in a greenhouse, without pesticides, and it’s actually remarkable how good they tasted,” he write.

“Today was a real eye opener - learning about the difference between GMOs and genetically edited produce, something that I honestly had very little knowledge about.”

When it comes to fresh food, Reuben said his mantra was to keep an open mind. 

“I don’t have a mission as such - I’m not for one thing or another,” he said.

“I came on this trip to get a better understanding of the future of agriculture and how it is a set to affect the hospitality industry, restaurants, chefs, and in the general dining community - the consumer.

“I wanted to know how farming is going to affect the consumer in the long term.”

After nearly five years in Los Angeles, Reuben said he’s become more accustomed to often intense views around food, lifestyle and health.

“I have never seen a city like it - a city that invests so much money and time into a ‘healthy lifestyle’,” he said.

“Everyone has such intense views on how they should be healthy - whether it be working out, going to the gym, doing yoga, waking at a certain time, sleeping at a certain time, eating certain foods or knowing where their food comes from.”

Reuben believes some of these trends have tangible lessons for Australian food producers and marketers.

“There is so much belief and trust - trust in what they have heard or what their friend tells them or what they saw on Instagram,” he said.

“There is such an emphasis in the restaurant community on knowing where your produce comes from and having a relationships with the suppliers of this produce.

“Despite that there still isn't an understanding of things like GMOs and genetically edited products.

“A lot of restaurants will have relationships with farmer and different suppliers yet there is still a lot of unfamiliarity with those terms.”

Reuben said it was vital food producers and the peak groups charged with undertaking their marketing focused on information.

“There is so much stigma attached to GMs or genetically altered or edited foods. I don’t think people realise when something is assisted it is a benefit to the consumer in terms of taste and the quality of the product but it is also of benefit to the farmer in terms of being sustainable for the environment and the farmer. I’d really encourage farms to invite chefs to visit their property, and to see where their ingredients are coming from.”

Reuben also warned the threat of ‘fake meats’ or alternative proteins was very real for sectors like beef - mostly because the new products were largely very palatable.

“The vegan industry in LA is massive - it is one of the biggest consumers of vegan products in the world,” he said. “Fake meat has not simply been embraced by the vegan at home or the vegan restaurant, it is now appearing in mainstream, casual fine dining restaurants”

Reuben said it would be naive to dismiss the rise of plant based proteins. 

But he believes plenty of consumers still value ethically-produced red meat and he urged producers to better demonstrate their credentials. 

“The more information you can easily provide to the consumer, the more comfortable they’ll be purchasing it, and feeding it to their diners, or to their family.”